ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS FOR ALL

JFS Newsletter No.2 (October 2002)

An environmental management system is a system for continuous improvement in reducing environmental impacts caused by business activities. The international standard for environmental management systems is ISO 14001. As of the end of August 2002, 9,929 Japanese companies and business units were certified for ISO 14001.

Japan is by far the top country in the world in terms of the number of certifications, followed by Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Sweden, and the United States, each with between 2,000 and 4,000 certifications obtained.

After the ISO 14001 standard was issued in 1996, the first companies in Japan to seek certification were in the electrical and electronics industries. In recent years, however, almost all industries and sectors have been seeking certification.

On the other hand, many small-to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are reluctant to seek ISO14001 certification because of its heavy burden of costs and effort. In Japan, various tools to support environmental management systems are being made available for SMEs.

The Ministry of the Environment created "Eco Action 21," a simple system to monitor and continuously reduce a company's environmental impacts from carbon dioxide emissions, as well as resource use and waste generation. The English version of Eco Action 21 will be put on the JFS website soon.

Sony has formulated what it calls its "Simple EMS," an independent and simple environmental management system. The company considers this system to be a part of risk management and encourages non-manufacturing sites and outside suppliers below a certain size to use it.

The Ecology Mobility Foundation has created a Green Management Manual for truck operators, based on ISO14001 standards. Its goal is to help SMEs, accounting for 99 percent of Japan's truck transportation sector, to reduce carbon dioxide emissions as well as costs. Read more at the JFS website (translation coming soon):
"Green Management Manual" for Japan's Trucking Industry

A unique regional development in environmental management systems has been proceeding in Minamata City. This city has learned from its tragic history with the industrial Minamata Disease and is now tackling various challenges to become a model city for environment.

In February 1999, the Minamata city government obtained ISO-14001 certification. Since then, the city has been providing its know-how to help establish environmental ISO systems. It is now supporting SMEs in the city to establish and benefit from simple environmental management systems, including the formation of management frameworks, making workplace improvements, avoiding environmental risks, reducing costs, increasing business opportunities and improving the management of environmental information.

Another unique set of activities of Minamata City involves environmental management for households and schools. The city created the "ISO for

Households Program" and "ISO for Schools Program," with certification given by the mayor. In Minamata City, everyone at companies, at home and at school now can understand and implement the concepts and processes of environmental management systems.

Artech (International Art and Technology Cooperation Organization), a Japanese non-governmental organization, has created "Kids ISO," an educational program on environmental management systems, based on ISO 14001concepts. In this program, children become the leaders at home to plan, conduct, and monitor their activities for the environment.

For those who wish to start with easier activities to get a grasp of their actual situation, Japan's Ministry of the Environment has prepared its own "Household Accounting on the Environment" program. This is a tool for citizens to get to know the relationship between their daily life and environment, to reduce the environmental impacts caused by their day-to-day life, and to shift towards environmentally-friendly lifestyles.

Based on this program, many local municipalities, companies and organizations are creating and promoting their own "Household Accounting on the Environment" programs.

By introducing environmental management systems at various levels, with or without certification, many people can understand and use the "PDCA" (plan-do-check-action) concepts and cycle. This means that everyone, including children, housewives, and company employees, can speak the same "language" at the company or in the community. This awareness can be expected to form a very strong basis for future environmental activities in Japan.