University of Wisconsin - Extension

The University of Wisconsin-Extension Solid and Hazardous Waste Education Center (SHWEC) ( http://www.uwex.edu/shwec/ ) is planning an Environmental Management Standard (EMS) Pilot Training Project that will help Wisconsin manufacturers meet ISO 14001 certification standards.

"The goal is to develop a very condensed, low cost, practical training curriculum that companies throughout Wisconsin can attend to prepare themselves for ISO 14001 registration," explains Jack Annis, industrial recycling specialist. "The pilot project will be conducted with a small group of metal finishing companies who recently participated in another project with SHWEC and staff from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

ISO 14001 is an international standard on Environmental Management Systems. Many large companies are requiring their suppliers be ISO 14001 certified. "The Ford Motor Company, for example, has saved millions of dollars since becoming the first automaker to certify all of its manufacturing facilities worldwide to the ISO 14001 international standard on Environmental Management Systems in 1998," explains Annis.

"Ford also became the first US automaker to require ISO 14001 certification of all of its suppliers," Annis continues. "This applies to over 5,000 companies worldwide. Each supplier must certify at least one of its own facilities to ISO 14001 by the end of 2001 with all suppliers certified by the end of 2003."

Although the details of the training pilot project are not yet finalized, it is expected that companies would need to agree to a brief pre-training environmental assessment, attend at least two day-long intensive training sessions, develop their own written draft environmental management standard (EMS) and finally, a post-training environmental assessment.

The entire process is projected to take about 60-90 days. If the pilot project is successful SHWEC and the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership (WMEP) intend to provide the EMS training program on a regular basis sometime later this summer.

SHWEC is working in collaboration with the Wisconsin Department of Commerce, Department of Natural Resources and the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership on this project.