Investigating the impact of ISO 14001 on waste minimisation within South Africa

Abstract

Waste and pollution emanating from industrial activities is a primary global concern, prompting industries to seek solutions to reduce environmental impacts. Among other proposed environmental measures to reduce environmental degradation, the ISO 14001 standard was established for reducing industrial pollution and waste. The ISO 14001 environmental management system (EMS) is a voluntary management standard that assists companies in enhancing environmental performance (EP). An investigation was conducted to find measures that ISO 14001-certified companies put in place to minimise process waste and pollution, as well as hurdles they experience regarding waste minimisation and their motive to certify to the standard. Data were collected following the completion of questionnaires sent electronically and in person to people working closely on environmental issues, safety, and production processes from 32 companies across different industries in four selected provinces (Gauteng, Mpumalanga, North West, and Limpopo Province). The primary motive for companies to certify to the ISO 14001 standard was environmental concern, and they considered pollution prevention measures such as environmental awareness, green procurement policies, materials substitution, and process modification as being important to reduce environmental impacts. The companies practised sustainable waste management, i.e., source separation, onsite and offsite waste recycling, and waste shipping for reuse for another production process to circulate waste longer in the economy.