ISO 14000 Examines California Certification Standards for Environmental Performance

For Immediate Release (C-28-96)
Contact: Communications Office (916) 324-9670
August 14, 1996

555 Capitol Mall, Suite 525
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 324-9670
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SACRAMENTO -- At a meeting scheduled for September 3-6, 1996, in London, the ISO subcommittee responsible for determining Testing and Verification Standards for environmental claims will meet to review standards which were developed as part of Cal/EPA's certification program for environmental technology.

As the International Standards Organization moves toward formal adoption next month of the ISO 14000 series regarding environmental management systems for businesses California's environmental technology certification program is emerging as a leading model for determining baseline standards for verifying performance claims made by environmental technology manufacturers.

"California's leadership in developing a nationally recognized environmental technology certification program has caught the world's attention. Our agreement with Germany and the discussions we are having with Mexico and Canada served as the foundation for our work with the International Standards Organization. By adopting the California Environmental Protection Agency's (Cal/EPA) Certification Program as the world standard Californians can take great pride in the fact that we leading the way in the emerging environmental technology industry," Cal/EPA Deputy Secretary for Technology, Ann Heywood, said today.

The issue of environmental claims' in the environmental marketplace is an important one, and we look forward to sharing our program with the international community," said Dr. Robert Stephens, Deputy Director for Department of Toxic Substances Control's Science, Pollution Prevention and Technology program, who serves as chair of the ISO Task Group developing the Testing and Verification Standards for environmental claims. "A full review of California's Testing and Verification standard is welcome to ensure that we advance the most effective standards for consideration and approval by the ISO body," stated Dr. Stephens.

With the advent of ISO 14000, governments around the world are poised to adopt the standard as a tool for promoting and providing incentives for improved environmental performance. In the U.S., both federal and state environmental agencies are working on strategies as to how the standards may provide opportunities for companies and regulatory agencies to develop more flexible and effective regulatory schemes. Businesses from insurers setting premium rates to manufacturers seeing a competitive edge in the international marketplace are already well aware of and planning for adoption of the ISO 14000 standard.

"The goal now is to develop consensus with the private sector, trading partners, and other governments so that a voluntary worldwide standard for testing and verification will be set into place," Heywood concluded.

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