It's tough to be a good environmental citizen in a global economy. You might manage your own home or business in an environmentally responsible way, but what about that company you buy widgets from? It might manufacture its widgets as far away as Mexico, Malaysia or Romania.

You can't go half way around the world to check out the environmental practices of your widget supplier, but the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) can. The Swiss-based ISO, which includes representatives from scores of countries in both the developing and the developed world, is preparing a set international standards for environmental management. The standards are collectively called ISO 14000.

"It's a process, a series of standards to help enterprises meet their environmental management needs," explains George Mackenzie-Grieve, Head of Environmental Protection for Environment Canada in Whitehorse. "What it amounts to is an environmental management system, much the same as a financial management system or a human resources management system."

What it will mean to the customer is assurance that any company with ISO 14000 accreditation is an environmentally responsible citizen of its country of origin.

Developing international standards is a tricky business. The ISO has no authority to dictate environmental law to sovereign nations, so it has had to develop standards and procedures that can be adapted to a variety of very different national laws. The standards must also apply to any kind or size of company, providing any product or service.

At the same time, the ISO 14000 standards must be strong enough that customers can be sure an accredited company is making a significant contribution to environmentally-friendly and sustainable development.

In order to give customers that assurance, ISO 14000 accreditation requires passing an independent environmental audit, conducted by an ISO registrar. To keep the accreditation, companies will have to undergo periodic re-audits.

The ISO 14000 program is still in the early stages of implementation. It has been under development since 1991, but the first documents outlining the standards and procedures came out only last fall. More are expected over the next three years.

"As of last March, only one Canadian company had achieved ISO 14000 accreditation," says Mackenzie-Grieve. "It's a large chemical company in southern Ontario."

That number should grow as information about the process spreads and procedures to achieve accreditation are put in place. In May 1997, for example, Canadian Standards Association began setting up a system for certifying Canadian ISO 14000 auditors, which will make it easier for Canadian companies to get ISO 14000 accreditation.

The ISO 14000 system is completely voluntary. However, it could become a powerful influence on international environmental behaviour if customers begin to look for and demand the ISO 14000 stamp on goods they purchase.

The voluntary registration system has worked with an ISO-developed system of standards for quality in product manufacture. That system -- ISO 9000 -- is rapidly becoming a necessity for companies that want to trade internationally. The organization hopes that the ISO 14000 standards and procedures will gain the same kind of international acceptance.

"The ISO 14000 stamp means that businesses are good environmental managers, that they've looked at their product on a life-cycle basis, from manufacture to disposal," says Mackenzie-Grieve. "It relates to the whole global sustainable development initiative that's going on."

For more information about ISO 14000, call the Environmental Protection Branch, Environment Canada, Whitehorse.