Research Article
ISO 14001 – experiences, effects and future challenges: a national study in Austria
Elisabeth Schylander,
André Martinuzzi,
Corresponding Author
Elisabeth Schylander
Division of Quality and Environmental Management, Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87 Luleå, Sweden
Division of Quality and Environmental Management, Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87 Luleå, SwedenSearch for more papers by this authorAndré Martinuzzi
Department for Environmental Economics and Management, Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration, A 1090 Vienna, Austria
Search for more papers by this authorElisabeth Schylander,
André Martinuzzi,
Corresponding Author
Elisabeth Schylander
Division of Quality and Environmental Management, Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87 Luleå, Sweden
Division of Quality and Environmental Management, Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87 Luleå, SwedenSearch for more papers by this authorAndré Martinuzzi
Department for Environmental Economics and Management, Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration, A 1090 Vienna, Austria
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
More than 60000 organizations worldwide have implemented environmental management systems (EMSs). About 800 of them are located in Austria. As Austria was one of the leading countries in promoting the EU scheme EMAS, and as there has been no specific study on Austrian experiences with ISO 14001, the purpose of this study is to describe the experiences with and effects of ISO 14001 in Austria. The results show that ISO 14001 often leads to reduced environmental impact, especially in the area of waste. A strong driving force behind implementation is the expected improvement of an organization's image. The average repayment time on an investment in an EMS is less than two years. Legal compliance tends to be difficult to implement, but on the other hand it works well in daily practice. To develop an EMS into a sustainability management system, the two most important challenges are to improve coordination between the EMS and the organization's strategies and to synchronize the EMS with central value chains. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
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