4 Governance of ISO 9000 and ISO 14000

摘要

4.1 Introduction The ecosystem surrounding ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 is quite complex, global, and diverse: as of 2012, over 1.1 million ISO 9000 certificates have been issued in 180 countries and over 250,000 ISO 14000 certificates in 158 countries (ISO Survey, 2012). The diversity of certified firms is astonishing: they include large multinationals as well as SMEs and micro SMEs; for-profits, non-profits and government agencies; organizations operating globally, others focusing on domestic or regional markets. Certified firms can be in manufacturing, services, health, tourism or education, to name but a few of the sectors. With this global spread and diversity, a key challenge is to ensure that the ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 standards are used consistently over time, across the globe, and across participating industries, while simultaneously allowing for appropriate sensitivity to local contexts and for gradual improvements to the standards over time. This is the task of the governance system surrounding ISO 9000 and ISO 14000.