BS EN ISO 14006:2011 Environmental management systems. Guidelines for incorporating ecodesign
BS EN ISO 14006 is the Standard that provides guidelines to help organizations establish, document, implement, maintain and continually improve their management of ecodesign as part of an environmental management system (EMS).
This Standard is intended to be used by those organizations that have implemented an EMS in accordance with ISO 14001, but can help in integrating ecodesign in other management systems. The guidelines are applicable to any organization regardless of its size or activity.
BS EN ISO 14006 applies to those product-related environmental aspects that the organization can control and those it can influence. It does not establish by itself specific environmental performance criteria, and is not intended for certification purposes.
International concern over damage to the environment (e.g. in the form of climate change, depletion of resources, and air, water and soil environmental pollution) is encouraging organizations to pay more attention to managing the environmental impacts of their activities and products and to focus on continuously improving their environmental performance. In order to reduce detrimental effects on the environment, more and more organizations are recognizing the need to include environmental performance in the design of their products.
The fact that legislation relating to the environmental impact of products is being implemented at an ever increasing rate worldwide is also encouraging many organizations to improve the environmental performance of their products. Such organizations need guidance on how to apply their efforts in a systematic manner, in order to achieve environmental objectives and to maintain continual improvement in the environmental performance of their products as well as their processes.
Ecodesign can be understood as a process integrated within the design and development that aims to reduce environmental impacts and continually to improve the environmental performance of the products, throughout their life cycle from raw material extraction to end of life. In order to be of benefit to the organization and to ensure that the organization achieves its environmental objectives, it is intended that ecodesign be carried out as an integral part of the business operations of the organization. Ecodesign might have implications for all functions of an organization.
In order to carry out ecodesign in a systematic and manageable way, it is intended that organizations implement an appropriate process and then have, or have access to, the necessary competence to carry out and manage this process. This needs the support of top management.
An ecodesign process takes place within an organization's design and development area, and it is here that the knowledge required in carrying out and managing ecodesign is to be found.
However, when it is intended that ecodesign be carried out under the umbrella of an environmental management system (EMS), then the person responsible for the EMS needs to have an understanding of what this process is and how it is going to be managed and controlled. In this way, the integrity of the EMS is not jeopardized and the environmental objectives for the products can be achieved.
The general areas of knowledge required to incorporate ecodesign within an EMS are the following:
- Assessment of the impact of the products on the environment
- Identification of appropriate ecodesign measures to reduce the adverse effects of environmental impacts
- The design and development process and an understanding of how an ecodesign process and its management fit within an EMS.
The first two of these areas are likely to be situated within the design and development area, but the third is clearly of major significance to the person responsible for the EMS. This International Standard primarily provides guidance on this third area.
BS EN ISO 14006 is the first standard to cover and interrelate all three knowledge areas required for ecodesign within an EMS. ISO 14001 links management of an organization's processes with environmental impacts, but does not include design management processes. ISO 9001 covers the design management process, but does not explicitly cover environmental impacts. PD ISO/TR 14062 and IEC 62430 assist incorporation of the evaluation of environmental aspects and impacts into the design and development process, but as such, they do not fully explain the activities involved within an environmental and business management framework, such as those described in BS EN ISO 14001.
BS EN ISO 14006 incorporates the necessary information from the other International Standards, such that the appropriate processes and procedures can be put into place to implement structured and managed ecodesign under the umbrella of an EMS. By using this Standard, organizations can build on their existing management processes and competencies without necessarily having to implement or use all of the related International Standards.
When applying this Standard, it is intended that an organization always uses its existing processes and procedures as a starting point, and that it uses the guidelines in this International Standard in a flexible and practical manner.
What does BS EN ISO 14006 cover? Contents include- Scope
- Normative references
- Terms and definitions
- Role of top management in ecodesign
- Benefits of conducting ecodesign
- Tasks for ecodesign
- Guidelines for incorporating ecodesign into an EMS
- Environmental policy
- Planning
- Implementation and operation
- Checking
- Management review
- Ecodesign activities in product design and development
- Life cycle thinking
- Ecodesign process
- Environmental assessment of products
- Analysis of interested parties' environmental requirements
- Ecodesign review
- Value chain involvement
- Top management and strategic issues on ecodesign
- Correlation of ISO 14006:2011 with other International Standards on ecodesign
- Bibliography
