It is likely that the center left portion of the mainstream movement in the United States will join its European colleagues in being critical of the larger uses of ISO 14,000. Time will tell just how controversial this issue will become. In those debates, we warned against the danger of turning over standard-setting processes to the world's transnational corporations. Now it would appear that those standard setting organizations are casting a cloud on the proper role of government here. In conclusion, we have no quarrel with business trying to get its house in order.
Voluntary guidelines are a good idea, and in general private certification efforts make sense.
However, ISO 14,000 is still a work in progress. We need to see the guidelines in final form, and then see how they are actually used in practice. We need to see whether ISO 14,000 is credible and useful. Government should be even more wary. Its responsibilities are different.