Family ISO 14000 standards as a tool of achieving environmental sustainability of enterprises

Abstract

Environmental sustainability and its achievement at the national level is one of the key strategic development goals for most countries who are the largest environmental pollutants. Environmental sustainability implies the maximum possible reduction of negative environmental impact through the development of green energy, the increase in energy efficiency, the rational use of natural resources, the introduction of the principles of circular economy and increasing public awareness of environmental protection and climate conservation. There are many administrative tools to encourage enterprises worldwide to switch to a more environmentally friendly direction of its operating and development, among which is the introduction of international standards and subsequent certification of the enterprises. In addition to such obvious advantages as the introduction of effective environmental management systems, compliance with requirements in the field of environmental audit and monitoring, certification allows to increase credibility in the face of consumers and partners that leads to a favorable reputational effect. The objective of this study is to review and analyze the family ISO 14000 standards and assess their role in achieving environmental sustainability of enterprises. The authors determined the degree of influence of groups of standards on the achievement of environmental sustainability and identified their benefits and drawbacks.

Reducing the Negative Impact on Atmospheric Air: An Overview of Economic and Administrative and Legal Tools

“…The introduction of an environmental management system (EMS) and the certification of activities according to ISO international standards are one of the most common and effective administrative tools for reducing emissions of toxic substances and GHG into the atmosphere at the level of a single enterprise [41]. EMS is an integral part of the corporate governance system of an enterprise, the purpose of which is to achieve the goals and objectives specified in the internal environmental policy of the enterprise and in the national environmental policy through the implementation of environmental programs and measures [42].…”

“…Despite the obvious advantages of EMS and certification of activities according to ISO international standards, their use in small and medium-sized businesses is not always possible due to the lack of sufficient financial and labour resources [41]. Moreover, the introduction of EMS in enterprises with outdated fixed assets requires initial ecomodernization and subsequent implementation of EMS, which requires a huge amount of financial resources.…”

Classification of consumers according to their response to corporate environmental activities - the case of the clothing market

“…Przodują w tym zwłaszcza duże przedsiębiorstwa, które przyczyniają się do zanieczyszczenia środowiska w ponadprzeciętnym stopniu (przemysł metalurgiczny, przemysł tekstylny, energetyka itp.) (Karaeva et al, 2023). Przykład płynący chociażby z badań nad hiszpańskimi przedsiębiorstwami wskazuje, że menedżerom MŚP znacznie trudniej jest zidentyfikować i dokładnie opisać cechy problemów środowiskowych (Hillary, 2017).…”