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Environmental Management Systems and Environmental Protection: Can ISO 14001 Be Useful Within the Context of Apec?

At the July 1996 Ministerial Meeting on Sustainable Development, the environment ministers of the Asia Pacific Economic Corporation's (APEC's) 18 members agreed to promote ISO 14000, which involves voluntary action by industry to establish environmental management systems (EMSs) and to commit to ongoing improvements in environmental performance. This article analyzes the potential role of the ISO 14001 EMS and related standards in the context of the economies of APEC. It summarizes the genesis and content of the standards and then focuses on aspects that are particularly salient within the APEC context: performance, information generation, and market access. It concludes that ISO 14001 alone will not necessarily lead to improvement in environmental outcomes in the region. The final section explores some options for incorporating ISO 14001 as one element of a larger framework for environmental protection, international cooperation, and sustainable development in APEC.