1、ANSI/ISO 14031-1999AMERICAN NATIONAL STANDARDEnvironmental management Environmental performance evaluation GuidelinesAMERICAN SOCIETY FOR QUALITYP.O. BOX 3005MILWAUKEE, WI 53201-3005ANSI/ISO 14031-1999AMERICAN NATIONAL STANDARDEnvironmental managementLife cycle assessment Principles and frameworkApp
2、roved as an American National Standard by:NSF International (NSF)American Society for Testing Gb7 determining which aspects it will treat as significant;Gb7 setting criteria for its environmental performance; andGb7 assessing its environmental performance against these criteria.This International St
3、andard (ISO 14031) supports the requirements in ISO 14001 and the guidance in ISO 14004(see Bibliography), but it may also be used independently.EPE and environmental audits help the management of an organization to assess the status of its environmentalperformance and to identify areas for improvem
4、ent as needed. EPE is an ongoing process of collection andassessment of data and information to provide a current evaluation of performance, as well as performance trendsover time. In contrast, environmental audits are conducted periodically to verify conformance to definedrequirements. Further guid
5、ance on environmental auditing is provided in ISO 14010 and ISO 14011 (seeBibliography).Examples of other tools that management can use to provide additional information for EPE include environmentalreviews and life cycle assessment (LCA). While EPE focuses on describing the environmental performanc
6、e of anorganization, LCA is a technique for assessing the environmental aspects and potential impacts associated withproduct and service systems. Further guidance on LCA is provided in ISO 14040, ISO 14041, ISO 14042 andISO 14043 (see Bibliography). Relevant information derived from these and other
7、data sources can support theimplementation of EPE, as well as the implementation of other management tools.(This page intentionally left blank)ANSI/ISO 14031-19991Environmental management Environmental performanceevaluation Guidelines1 ScopeThis International Standard gives guidance on the design an
8、d use of environmental performance evaluation withinan organization. It is applicable to all organizations, regardless of type, size, location and complexity.This International Standard does not establish environmental performance levels. It is not intended for use as aspecification standard for cer
9、tification or registration purposes or for the establishment of any other environmentalmanagement system conformance requirements.2 Terms and definitionsFor the purposes of this International Standard, the following terms and definitions apply.2.1environmentsurroundings in which an organization oper
10、ates, including air, water, land, natural resources, flora, fauna, humans,and their interrelationNOTE Surroundings in this context extend from within an organization to the global system.ISO 14001:19962.2environmental aspectelement of an organizations activities, products or services that can intera
11、ct with the environmentNOTE A significant environmental aspect is an environmental aspect that has or can have a significant environmentalimpact.ISO 14001:19962.3environmental condition indicatorECIspecific expression that provides information about the local, regional, national or global condition
12、of theenvironmentNOTE “Regional” may refer to a state, a province, or a group of states within a country, or it may refer to a group ofcountries or a continent, depending on the scale of the condition of the environment that the organization chooses to consider.2.4environmental impactany change to t
13、he environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organizationsactivities, products or servicesISO 14001:1996ANSI/ISO 14031-199922.5environmental management systemEMSthe part of the overall management system that includes organizational structure, planning activiti
14、es,responsibilities, practices, procedures, processes and resources for developing, implementing, achieving, reviewingand maintaining the environmental policyISO 14001:19962.6environmental objectiveoverall environmental goal, arising from the environmental policy, that an organization sets itself to
15、 achieve, andwhich is quantified where practicableISO 14001:19962.7environmental performanceresults of an organizations management of its environmental aspectsNOTE 1 Environmental performance is defined differently in this International Standard than in ISO 14001:1996 andISO 14004:1996.NOTE 2 In the
16、 context of environmental management systems, results may be measured against the organizationsenvironmental policy, objectives and targets.2.8environmental performance criterionenvironmental objective, target, or other intended level of environmental performance set by the management ofthe organiza
17、tion and used for the purpose of environmental performance evaluation2.9environmental performance evaluationEPEprocess to facilitate management decisions regarding an organizations environmental performance by selectingindicators, collecting and analysing data, assessing information against environm
18、ental performance criteria,reporting and communicating, and periodically reviewing and improving this process2.10environmental performance indicatorEPIspecific expression that provides information about an organizations environmental performance2.10.1management performance indicatorMPIenvironmental
19、performance indicator that provides information about the management efforts to influence anorganizations environmental performance2.10.2operational performance indicatorOPIenvironmental performance indicator that provides information about the environmental performance of anorganizations operations
20、2.11environmental policystatement by the organization of its intentions and principles in relation to its overall environmental performancewhich provides a framework for action and for the setting of its environmental objectives and targetsISO 14001:1996ANSI/ISO 14031-199932.12environmental targetde
21、tailed performance requirement, quantified where practicable, applicable to the organization or parts thereof, thatarises from the environmental objectives and that needs to be set and met in order to achieve those objectivesISO 14001:19962.13interested partyindividual or group concerned with or aff
22、ected by the environmental performance of an organizationISO 14001:19962.14organizationcompany, corporation, firm, enterprise, authority or institution, or part or combination thereof, whether incorporatedor not, public or private, that has its own functions and administrationNOTE For organizations
23、with more than one operating unit, a single operating unit may be defined as an organization.ISO 14001:19963 Environmental performance evaluation3.1 General overview3.1.1 EPE process modelEnvironmental performance evaluation (EPE) is an internal management process that uses indicators to provideinfo
24、rmation comparing an organizations past and present environmental performance with its environmentalperformance criteria. EPE, as detailed in this International Standard, follows a “Plan-Do-Check-Act” managementmodel. The steps of this ongoing process are the following:a) Plan1) planning EPE;2) sele
25、cting indicators for EPE (the process of selecting indicators may include both choosing fromexisting indicators and developing new indicators).b) DoUsing data and information which includes:1) collecting data relevant to the selected indicators;2) analysing and converting data into information descr
26、ibing the organizations environmentalperformance;3) assessing information describing the organizations environmental performance in comparison with theorganizations environmental performance criteria;4) reporting and communicating information describing the organizations environmental performance.c)
27、 Check and ActReviewing and improving EPE.ANSI/ISO 14031-19994Figure 1 provides an outline of EPE, with references to the numbers and titles of relevant clauses in thisInternational Standard. Annex A provides supplemental guidance to support EPE.Figure 1 Environmental performance evaluation3.1.2 Ind
28、icators for EPEThis International Standard describes two general categories of indicators for EPE:Gb7 environmental performance indicators (EPIs); andGb7 environmental condition indicators (ECIs).There are two types of EPI:Gbe Management performance indicators (MPIs) are a type of EPI that provide i
29、nformation about managementefforts to influence the environmental performance of the organizations operations.Gbe Operational performance indicators (OPIs) are a type of EPI that provide information about the environmentalperformance of the organizations operations.ANSI/ISO 14031-19995ECIs provide i
30、nformation about the condition of the environment. This information can help an organization to betterunderstand the actual impact or potential impact of its environmental aspects, and thus assist in the planning andimplementation of EPE.The decisions and actions of an organizations management are c
31、losely related to the performance of itsoperations. Figure 2 illustrates the interrelationships among an organizations management and operations, and thecondition of the environment, noting the type of indicator for EPE related to each of these elements.Figure 2 Interrelationships of an organization
32、s management and operationswith the condition of the environment3.1.3 Use of EPEManagement commitment to implement EPE is essential. EPE should be appropriate to the size, location, and typeof the organization and its needs and priorities. EPE should be cost-effective and part of the regular busines
33、sfunctions and activities of an organization. The information generated by EPE can assist an organization to:Gb7 determine any necessary actions to achieve its environmental performance criteria;Gb7 identify significant environmental aspects;ANSI/ISO 14031-19996Gb7 identify opportunities for better
34、management of its environmental aspects (e.g. prevention of pollution);Gb7 identify trends in its environmental performance;Gb7 increase the organizations efficiency and effectiveness;Gb7 identify strategic opportunities.Internal reporting and communication of information describing the organization
35、s environmental performance isimportant to assist employees in fulfilling their responsibilities, thereby enabling the organization to achieve itsenvironmental performance criteria. Management may also report or communicate such information to otherinterested parties.An organizations EPE should be r
36、eviewed periodically to identify opportunities for improvement.3.2 Planning EPE (Plan)3.2.1 General guidanceAn organization should base its planning of EPE (including the selection of indicators for EPE) on:Gb7 the significant environmental aspects that it can control and over which it can be expect
37、ed to have an influence;Gb7 its environmental performance criteria;Gb7 the views of interested parties.NOTE Clause A.2 of this International Standard provides guidance on identifying the views of interested parties in thecontext of EPE.In planning EPE, the organization can also consider:Gbe the full
38、 range of its activities, products and services;Gbe its organizational structure;Gbe its overall business strategy;Gbe its environmental policy;Gbe information needed to meet its legal and other requirements;Gbe relevant international environmental agreements;Gbe environmental costs and benefits;Gbe
39、 information needed for analysis of financial effects related to environmental performance;Gbe the need for consistent information related to its environmental performance from year to year;Gbe information about the local, regional, national or global condition of the environment;Gbe cultural and so
40、cial factors.The financial, physical and human resources needed to conduct EPE should be identified and provided bymanagement.ANSI/ISO 14031-19997Depending on its capabilities and resources, the initial scope of an organizations EPE may be limited to thoseelements of its activities, products and ser
41、vices given highest priority by management. Over time, the initial scopeof EPE can be widened to address elements of an organizations activities, products and services that have notbeen previously addressed.The identification of an organizations environmental aspects is an important input in plannin
42、g EPE. Thisinformation typically is developed in the context of an environmental management system. Guidance on identifyingsignificant environmental aspects in the context of environmental management systems can be found in ISO 14001and ISO 14004 (see Bibliography). An organization with an environme
43、ntal management system in place shouldassess its environmental performance against its environmental policy, objectives, targets and other environmentalperformance criteria.An organization without an environmental management system may use EPE to assist in identifying environmentalaspects which it w
44、ill treat as significant and setting criteria for its environmental performance. To determinesignificant environmental aspects, such an organization should consider:Gb7 the scale and nature of material and energy usage;Gb7 emissions;Gb7 risks;Gb7 the condition of the environment;Gb7 the possibility
45、of incidents;Gb7 legal, regulatory and other requirements to which the organization subscribes.For most organizations, the review of environmental aspects will focus on the organizations operations, asdescribed in Figure A.1.Practical Help Box No. 1Examples of approaches to identify environmental as
46、pects and their relative significance in the contextof EPE, for organizations without environmental management systemsGb7 Identify activities, products and services of the organization, the specific environmental aspects and therelative significance associated with them, and the potential impacts re
47、lated to significant environmentalaspects.Gb7 Use information about the condition of the environment to identify activities, products and services of theorganization that may have an impact on specific conditions.Gb7 Analyse the organizations existing data on material and energy inputs, discharges,
48、wastes and emissionsand assess these data in terms of risk.Gb7 Identify the views of interested parties and use this information to help establish the organizationssignificant environmental aspects.Gb7 Identify activities of the organization that are subject to environmental regulation or other requ
49、irements, forwhich data may have been collected by the organization.Gb7 Consider the design, development, manufacturing, distribution, servicing, use, re-use, recycling anddisposal of the organizations products, and their related environmental impacts.Gb7 Identify those activities of the organization having the most significant environmental costs or benefits.Whether it has an environmental management system or not, an organization should plan EPE in conjunction withthe setting of its environmental performance criteria, so that the sele
