Cities,EnvironmentalManagementSystemsand-GDRC.docVIP

Cities, Environmental Management Systems and ISO 14001: A View from Japan Hari Srinivas and Makiko Yashiro United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan Paper prepared for the International Symposium on Sustainable City Development Seoul, South Korea – 6 and 7 October 1999 ABSTRACT: ISO 14001 defines a voluntary environmental management system (EMS). Used in conjunction with appropriate goals, and with management commitment, the standards help improve environmental performance and reduce negative impacts. They provide an objective basis for verifying claims about a local governments environmental performance in its day-to-day operations. Consumers, governments and companies up and down the supply and production chain are all seeking ways to reduce their environmental impact and increase their long-run sustainability. For local governments, the key goals are to be environmentally efficient, and serve as a model for resource-saving and replication. This paper explores the intersection of city governments, EMS and the ISO 14001 series. It outlines the justification for cities to implement an EMS for their day-to-day operations, and seek ISO 14001 certification. It also provides case studies of Japanese cities and prefectures (Shirai city, Itabashi ward of Tokyo, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and Gifu Prefecture) that have attempted ISO certification. Additional resources on ISO 14001 are also included in the Annex. Final version dated 27 September 1999.  Cities, Environmental Management Systems and ISO 14001: A View from Japan Hari Srinivas and Makiko Yashiro United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan 1.0 Introduction Since the bursting of the bubble economy in the late 1980s, urban governments in Japan have faced the triple challenge of retaining businesses and revitalizing the local economy, of reversing population flight and graying of the population, and of generating developmental and financial resources to create a quality of life that is desired by its citize