A study of the implementation of ISO 14001 environmental management system (EMS) standard in Hong Kong and the Asia Pacific region

Abstract

This study aims at investigating the current implementation trends and difficulties of the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System (EMS) encountered by local business firms. This study reviews the development history, current implementation trend and difficulties of the ISO 14001 EMS in certified companies and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Hong Kong. In addition, the current implementation progress in other Asian countries are also discussed and compared with the situation in Hong Kong. The surveys show that the level of environmental awareness in Hong Kong is generally low, especially in SMEs. Over half of the SMEs surveyed were not aware of ISO 14001 EMS, and most of them do not intend to implement the EMS standard in the near future. SMEs in this study typically encountered three major barriers to ISO 14001 implementation: (1) low environmental awareness within the organisation, including top management; (2) lack of resources, qualified and experienced environmental management personnel and (3) high implementation costs. The majority of certified companies are large corporations with a quality management system (e.g. ISO 9000) already in place. The major industrial sector for ISO 14000 EMS certification in Hong Kong is manufacturing, with the construction industry becoming more active in doing so. The main certification driving forces are to increase market share, show goodwill and act as a promotional tool. Hong Kong has found to be lagging behind in the ISO 14000 race (in terms of certifications) when compared with other Asian countries, like Japan and Korea. EMS training, employees / public communication and compliance with regulatory requirements are perceived as the main areas for further improvement. Recommendations are made to enhance the adoption of ISO 14001 EMS standard in local organisations, particularly SMEs.