An EMS can be described as the general management system which includes structure, planning , activities, responsibilities, practices, processes and resources of a company to develop, implement, reach, reviewing and maintaining environmental policy.
The implementation and maintenance of an effective EMS enables companies to be proactive in meeting the increasing requirements for formal or informal environmental efficiency, established by governments, customers and consumers around the world to adopt a verifiable commitment continuous improvement in environmental performance.
international trade implications of the SAA
is expected that international standards for Management Systems Environmental ISO 14001 in particular, be voluntarily adopted by most countries, and that compliance becomes a de facto requirement for participation in international markets. This trend is likely to have implications on the business of developing nations, which are subject to new requirements and pressures. Most come from customers or business partners abroad, possibly ISO14001 certification will become a mechanism for participation in international markets, rather than an element of competitive advantage in their markets.
To date remain conflicting positions on whether these standards can become barriers to free trade. Some experts believe that due to voluntary adoption, and do not establish criteria for environmental performance, involve certain flexibility, and therefore not conducive to the construction of trade barriers. In return, He argues that the requirements of certified companies in developed countries may impose trade restrictions unfair or premature to developing country firms, since they require proportionately more time or resources to meet their standards.
Here are some of the aspects that have characteristics of ISO14000 standards or mechanisms for implementation and certification, and can result in trade barriers for businesses in underdeveloped countries are not taken appropriate action.
Chain Environmental Performance of Suppliers
The ISO SAA scheme raises the requirement to rate the environmental performance of suppliers and their adherence to its rules, which can lead to large companies in developed countries pressure on their suppliers, especially those from developing countries to certify their methods and commitments to environmental protection, this selective pressure could include criteria for the award of contracts or orders. If the situation occurs before the developing country firms have the opportunity to properly certified, is expected to face adverse situations to be excluded, at least temporarily, of the chains.
Lack of Resources
As has happened regularly with all leading global initiatives in trade and environmental issues, companies in developed countries do not have timely and sufficient access to information on international standards of SAA, its origins and objectives. Consequently have large delays in the preparation and creation of local institutional infrastructure for adoption and proper maintenance. In addition, these countries do not have and maintain delegates at meetings of the ISO working groups, so that they can not adequately present and defend their positions and interests and reflect on the standards
Moreover, in comparison with what happens in developed countries, these companies require a higher number of skilled human resources and specialized technology to meet the requirements of the standards, elements that are scarce or unavailable in most cases.
can be concluded that the lack of information, capital, technology and skilled human resources - among which include a primary consultants - are a major barrier to pair accessible and timely implementation of EMS companies from countries not developed.
Institutional Infrastructure no or incipient
There is a huge delay on the part of developed countries in building their own institutional infrastructure for accreditation and certification processes of their companies. The fact repeat what happened with ISO9000 standards, as most of these countries do not yet have national accreditation and certification.
Consequently, the activities of conformity assessment are carried out by international organizations based in industrialized countries. Additionally, this problem of the lack of recognition to the certificates issued by local agencies. The absence or non-international recognition of the local institutional infrastructure for accreditation and certification is certainly a potential barrier to exporting firms in developing countries obtain the ISO14001 certificates, and which often are forced to resort to various agencies certification, according to mutual recognition agreements exist with the various markets in which we intend to enter.
Compliance Costs
Low or no availability of local resources and infrastructure institutional framework for conformity assessment in less developed countries has an impact on significant cost increases to achieve and demonstrate compliance by exporting firms, as they are forced to obtain accredited certification bodies in other countries and to hire consultants with international reference prices. Moreover, in many cases the diagnostic criteria, terms of reference and action plans are transplanted from conditions and experiences of developed countries without taking into account the specific characteristics of business environment analysis.
strategy to avoid trade barriers created
ISO14000 standards in their premises contain the antidote to counter the potentially negative features mentioned above. However, to achieve this requires the involvement of factors beyond the scope of simple drafting and issuance of standards. It is essential that national standards of ISO14000 EMS converge to achieve a proper harmonization of rules and objectives. Secondly, it is essential that the design, interpretation and application standards are implemented in a non-discriminatory and protectionist to regions, countries, traditions or cultural criteria. The third factor, must be fostered conditions for mutual recognition of accreditation and certification of each country, and the technical and financial assistance from industrialized countries and multilateral agencies to developing nations to achieve ISO14000 joining an equal and participatory .
One element of great importance for the dissemination, acceptance and inclusion of certifiable EMS companies is the attitude of the authorities in each country. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD for its acronym in English), believes that governments of developed countries can support the adoption of voluntary standards for EMS, promoting the creation of infrastructure and regulatory framework necessary together with associated incentives.
The Attitude of the Environmental Authority in Mexico
In Mexico, the attitude of the authorities is not fully consistent with this view of UNCTAD and the premises posed before. With regard to promoting the creation of institutional infrastructure and regulatory framework needed, the country faces a considerable lag in the absence of an AE Mexican for the existence of national certifying bodies in environmental matters.
Regarding incentives to support the adoption of voluntary standards for EMS, the situation is at best ambiguous. Some positions of the environmental authorities have been interpreted by industry as warnings about possible fundamental differences between the criteria and objectives of ISO14000 standards and inspection programs and compliance with environmental regulations official, including the Voluntary Environmental Audit.
Conclusions and Proposed Actions
seems clear that the ISO14000 standards are not a fad, but a concept that will shape business and environmental strategies of companies in the world in the coming decades. Mexican companies must, therefore, moving towards adoption and compliance for timely join the avant-garde in environmental protection, and be in a position to participate competitively in international markets in the near future.
To achieve these objectives is fundamental:
- establishment of a joint strategy between the public and private sectors to increase our country's participation in decision-making forums on international environmental standards in especially the ISO Technical Committee 207, providing human and financial resources in a sustained and pool.
- infrastructure is developing a local accreditation and certification, to support the acquisition of mutual recognition with other countries and business partners. Here it is urgent to create the Mexican Accreditation issued by the Federal Law on Metrology and Standardization to promote the establishment of national certification bodies.
- environmental authority supports business self-regulatory actions that promote compliance with official regulations by incorporating action plans for continuous improvement. In particular, it could get interesting synergies to reconcile or adjust terms of references for ISO14000 environmental audits and action plans resulting especially emphasizing the concept of continuous improvement with regular verification of the level of environmental performance. In addition, the authority should publicly recognize the intrinsic value and therefore encourage the development of the ISO14000 certificate, as a starting point to achieve compliance with environmental regulations.
- should provide technical and financial instruments for small and medium enterprises to have the information and resources to meet the opportunity and join advantageously to the current international environmental standards.
international voluntary standards on the environment represent the most finished product of self-regulatory initiatives in the private sector and one of the first major consequences of globalization. In its design and conceptual basis is contained the seed of the privatization of environmental regulation of industrial activities, and it is hoped that the trend that mark is final and their effects on trade and environment are crucial.
While adoption is voluntary increasingly become a requirement for companies wish to participate and remain competitively in global markets. The Mexicans are no exception. Thus, it is foreseeable that in the short term those companies that do not have a recognized certification will be marginalized in international markets by its trading partners or consumers themselves.
Source: Impact of Environmental Management Systems (EMS) on trade and investment in Mexico.
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