Identifying environmental aspects
Identifying environmental aspects
(ISO 14000)
To identify and have an understanding of its environmental aspects, an organization should collect quantitative and/or qualitative data on the characteristics of its activities, products and services such as inputs and outputs of materials or energy, processes and technology used, facilities and locations, transportation methods and human factors (e.g. impaired vision or hearing). In addition it can be useful to collect information on
a) Cause and effect relationships between elements of its activities, products, and services and possible or actual changes to the environment,
b) Environmental concerns of interested parties, and
c) Possible environmental aspects identified in government regulations and permits, in other standards, or by industry associations, academic institutions, etc.
The process of identifying environmental aspects will benefit from the participation of those individuals who are familiar with the organization’s activities, products and services. Although there is no single approach for identifying environmental aspects, the approach selected can for example consider
— Emissions to air,
— Releases to water,
— Releases to land,
— Use of raw materials and natural resources (e.g. land use, water use), — local/community environmental issues,
— Use of energy,
— Energy emitted (e.g. heat, radiation, vibration),
— Waste and by-products, and
— Physical attributes (e.g. size, shape, colour, appearance).
Consideration should therefore be given to aspects related to the organization’s activities, products and services, such as
— Design and development,
— Manufacturing processes,
— Packaging and transportation,
— Environmental performance and practices of contractors, and suppliers, — waste management,
— Extraction and distribution of raw materials and natural resources, — distribution, use and end of life, and
— Wildlife and biodiversity.
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on Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 at 3:24 am and is filed under ISO 14000 standard.
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