(ISO: Geneva) -- ISO has published a new, updated brochure providing a basic introduction to “Environmental management—The ISO 14000 family of International Standards.”

The 12-page brochure is the latest edition of a successful publication first released in 1998, two years after the launching of the first standards in the ISO 14000 family. Since then, the ISO 14000 standards have achieved worldwide effects and the brochure gives a concise idea of how the family has evolved to provide comprehensive solutions to the range of environmental challenges facing business, government, and society today.

The brochure was authored by experts from ISO technical committee ISO/TC 207 on environmental management, which is responsible for the the ISO 14000 family. They point out that the ISO 14000 standards not only provide environmental benefits, but also significant tangible economic benefits, including the following:

• Reduced raw material/resource use
• Reduced energy consumption
• Improved process efficiency
• Reduced waste generation and disposal costs
• Utilization of recoverable resources

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