What is the relationship between conformity assessment for environmental management standards and government regulation?

Many governments are beginning to recognize the limits to "command and control" environmental regulation, and some have expressed interest in environmental management standards as a complement to regulation. While some governments have taken a "hands off" approach, and have let the marketplace itself promote the use of these standards, other governmental bodies have tried to form links between voluntary standards and mandatory regulation.

ISO 14001 requires organizations to establish and maintain procedures to:

1. identify and have access to relevant legislation and regulations.
2. ensure that its legislative records are applicable to its business activities.
3. ISO 14001 also provides the ideal management structure to centrally store and maintain permits, licenses, authorizations, etc.

Voluntary Environmental Standards will provide a basis for governments to meet international obligations through forums of environmental protection and management that are alternatives to the traditional command and control model.

They do so without infringing on national sovereignty or inhibiting the ability to compete. Standards have the potential to reduce regulation-making and enforcement burden on governments, as the cost of both development and conformity assessment is borne by the private sector.

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