Chemical Companies See Beneficial Results From ISO 9000 Registration

Abstract

ISO 9000 standards have taken force worldwide. Although ISO 9000 standards are just five among the thousands of standards issued by the 48-year-old International Organization for Standardization (ISO), their impact cannot be ignored. This year, updated and slightly modified ISO 9000 standards are expected to be published. By the end of the decade, more significant changes—to broaden concepts and update the standards relative to marketplace and technology needs—are anticipated. Although there will be some effect from these changes, even bigger events are in the making. In June 1993, ISO created Technical Committee 207 (TC 207) to begin work on new standards for environmental management systems (EMS). The standards' ramifications worldwide, and to the chemical industry, which has become heavily involved in their development, will be great. TC 207's activities are being scrutinized closely and will continue to be into 1995 when the first environmental standards are expected to be published. Companies wit...