Corporates question ISO credibility

Different evaluation procedures adopted by accrediting agencies in certifying a company as ISO certified, have caused great damage to the credibility of the standard of Indian companies, speakers said at a brainstorming session on "ISO 14001: Myths and realities-How industries can derive the best" organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

Misuse of the certificate by some companies have put the entire family with ISO certificated companies to stake. Governing bodies are facing similar problem with the ISO 14001 standard, which is a voluntary international standard from environment management system (EMS).

To encourage companies going for this certification, the government of India (GOI) has decided to procure any good from only an ISO 14000 certified company in its coming national environmental policy, the draft of which has already been announced, said T Gupta, senior environmental engineer for planning, West Bengal Pollution Control Board.

He cited examples where ISO certificated company has failed to keep adequate environmental monitoring records, or follow up actions as prescribed by auditors and maintain treatment system in proper condition.

Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) has set target of achieving ISO 14001 certification for plants by March 2005, said T K Chakravarty, general manager (environment), SAIL.

"The main problem lies in presentation of the proper plan by middle management in front of the governing authority. In SAIL one can hardly find an occasion where a project pertaining to environmental improvement has been rejected", said Chakravarty.

"In present era of globalisation these are of immense importance as most developed countries rely on this kind of certifications, it not only increases the customers' confidence but also reduces surveillance procedures by legal authorities significantly", said P Kundu, regional head of DNV, an ISO certificate issuing company.