Quality management, environmental management maturity, green supply chain practices and green performance of Brazilian companies with ISO 14001 certification: Direct and indirect effects

This study aims to test a new conceptual model based on the relationship between quality management (QM), environmental management maturity (EMM), adoption of external practices of green supply chain management (GSCM) (green purchasing and collaboration with customers) and green performance (GP) with data from 95 Brazilian firms with ISO 14001. To our knowledge, such links and relationships are not simultaneously identified and tested in the literature. The results indicate the validation of all of the research hypotheses. This paper highlights that an improvement in green performance will require attention to quality management, environmental management maturity, and green supply chain. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quality management, environmental management maturity, green supply chain practices and green performance of Brazilian companies with ISO 14001 certification: Direct and indirect effects (Reprint from vol 67C, pg 39-51)

This study aims to test a new conceptual model based on the relationship between quality management (QM), environmental management maturity (EMM), adoption of external practices of green supply chain management (GSCM) (green purchasing and collaboration with customers) and green performance (GP) with data from 95 Brazilian firms with ISO 14001. To our knowledge, such links and relationships are not simultaneously identified and tested in the literature. The results indicate the validation of all of the research hypotheses. This paper highlights that an improvement in green performance will require attention to quality management, environmental management maturity, and green supply chain.

Um estudo sobre a relação do sistema de gestão ambiental ISO 14001 com a adoção de procedimentos de produção mais limpa em empresas industriais brasileiras

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Does ISO 14001 work in Brazil?

As a result of increasing global awareness about the importance of the environment, depletion of natural resources and legal pressures for companies to manage their processes in a sustainable manner, ISO 14001 systems have been gaining increasingly more importance in the organizational scenario. These elements are even more critical in emerging nations due to less awareness and fewer demands by governments and the population in relation to environmental issues. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to verify the benefits and difficulties of Environmental Management Systems based on ISO 14001 at industries in the state of São Paulo - Brazil (an emerging country) by conducting a survey to subsidize the proposal for actions in the public, academic and private sectors to promote the use of this standard of reference and strengthen its results in Brazil. A questionnaire was sent to 194 companies from the National Institute of Metrology, Standardization and Industrial Quality database. 69 answered, representing a return rate of 35.36%. The main benefits identified are related to the development of preventive environmental actions, reduction in the consumption of power, water, gas and fuel oil, and a positive influence on other internal management processes. The main difficulties are related to cost increases from ISO 14001 management systems and the constant changes in environmental legislation in Brazil. Some actions are proposed at the end of the analyses to intensify the use and improve the results of this standard, such as changes in government legislation and its collective development and implementation in industries. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Best practices for the implantation of ISO 14001 norms: a study of change management in two industrial companies in the Midwest region of the state of São Paulo - Brazil

Among the difficulties found in the implementation of ISO 14001 systems, resistance to change can always be found. It is mainly a consequence of the hurry to change, loss of focus, concentration of decision making at the level of top management, arbitrary imposition of objectives and results, faulty communication, and the absence of motivational and financial incentive for change.Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to present best practices with respect to the management of organizational change due to the implementation of ISO 14001 norms in two industrial companies in the Midwest region of the State of São Paulo - Brazil. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Benefícios e dificuldades da gestão ambiental com base na ISO 14001 em empresas industriais de São Paulo

O principal objetivo deste trabalho é verificar, por meio de uma pesquisa tipo survey, os benefícios e as dificuldades da adoção de Sistemas de Gestão Ambiental ISO 14001 em empresas industriais do Estado de São Paulo. Para tal, um questionário foi enviado para 194 empresas constantes da base de dados do INMETRO (Instituto Nacional de Metrologia, Normalização e Qualidade Industrial) e respondido por 69 delas, representando uma taxa de retorno de 35,36%. Duas hipóteses foram estabelecidas para realização do estudo: uma enunciando os potenciais benefícios e outra as dificuldades da gestão ambiental com base na norma NBR ISO 14001. Estas hipóteses foram parcialmente comprovadas. O artigo está estruturado da seguinte forma: introdução, sistema de gestão ambiental, norma NBR ISO 14001, método de pesquisa, apresentação e análise dos resultados, conclusão e referências bibliográficas.

Treinamento ambiental em organizações com certificação ISO 14001: estudo de múltiplos casos e identificação de coevolução com a gestão ambiental

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Implantação de sistemas de gestão ambiental ISO 14001: uma contribuição da área de gestão de pessoas

Os sistemas certificáveis de gestão ambiental, como a norma ISO 14001, têm sido uma opção cada vez mais utilizada pelas organizações para equacionarem suas demandas ambientais, padronizarem seu processo produtivo, reduzirem custos de produção e melhorarem sua imagem. Entretanto, seu processo de implantação em indústrias gera mudanças significativas na cultura e estrutura destas empresas e devem ser devidamente consideradas por gestores e consultores. Pelo exposto, o principal objetivo deste artigo é apresentar práticas, sistematizadas à luz da teoria com especial contribuição da área de gestão de pessoas e com base em dois estudos de caso, para implantação de sistemas de gestão ambiental ISO 14001 em empresas industriais. Para tanto, foram realizados dois estudos de caso: um em uma empresa de baterias automotivas e outro em uma empresa moveleira. Os dados foram coletados a partir de entrevistas semiestruturadas com os gestores diretamente responsáveis por estes sistemas e com colaboradores-chave, observação in loco e análise de documentos. Ao final do artigo são apresentadas sugestões de práticas relacionadas aos seguintes elementos: alta direção, gestão de pessoas, comitê de gestão ambiental, missão e políticas, treinamento e comunicação.

Um estudo sobre os benefícios e dificuldades da gestão ambiental com base na Norma ISO 14001 em empresas industriais

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Análise do apoio dos sistemas de informação para as práticas de gestão ambiental em empresas com ISO 14001 - estudo de múltiplos casos

The purpose of this article is to identify the contributions of Information Systems (IS) for environmental management practices, as well as the opportunities and challenges in this relation. Thus, we performed two case studies with Brazilian enterprises certified ISO 14001, by conducting interviews, document analysis and direct observation. As results, we present the identification of the main contributions of information systems for environmental management practices in the studied cases, the verification that a more advanced stage regarding IS is a factor that implies a more effective contribution, besides finding challenges and opportunities in this relation. The main contribution of this research consists of the presentation of a framework that identifies the support of information systems for environmental practices.

Proposta de implementação da ISO 14001 em uma empresa química

Due to environmental concerns and the current legal requirements, companies are looking for ways to reconcile economic growth with environmental preservation. The purpose of this project is to show the stages of implementation of ISO 14001 in a chemical company and propose changes in chemical procedures creating goals to be achieved. In this paper, the study for the implementation of ISO 14001 is in Viapol ltda., where the lack of environmental management can cause enormous impact to the environment and may generate air, soil and water pollution. The project resulted in a mapping of all the processes and a broad survey of waste and emissions, generating proposals to change some of the processes and and creating programs to achieve the goals and objectives proposed in the Environmental Policy. Adopting an environmental management system (EMS), the company will reduce costs by decreasing the amount of raw material used, shooting down on waste disposal and the amount of it, and increasing productivity. By committing to the implementation of the EMS, companies will be demonstrating a proactive approach to environmental issues and enrich its image to consumers’ point of view

Um estudo sobre a influência do sistema de gestão ambiental ISO 14001 sobre a imagem de organizações industriais e o papel das relações públicas

The consumers' requirements are constantly growing, as well as the concern for the environment. Considering this change of scenario, industrial companies started paying more attention to environmental issues and decided to resort to solutions such as the adoption of the Environmental Management System based on the ISO 14001 model. It is believed that the adoption of this model changes the organizational image, both internally and externally. This possible change was the focus of this research, considering that many publics related to certified companies may have the wrong idea about what being a green company really means. The objective of this study is to verify, through a survey research, the relation between the Environmental Management System based on ISO 14001 with organizational image of Brazilian firms. At first, this paper presents a theoretical review on Environmental Management System, IS0 14001, Organizational image, green Marketing, Greenwashing and Public Relations. Next, the research method is presented, as well as the results obtained through theoretical study, the research application and data analysis, and a brief analysis of the Public Relations' role in the organizational environment at issue. Finally, it presents the results obtained by tabulating the questionnaires, analysis of related data, and consideration about these

Green teams: Understanding their roles in the environmental management of companies located in Brazil

Green teams are frequently considered in the state-of-the-art literature as an essential factor for companies aiming to implement and improve environmental management approaches and practices. However, most of the available literature on green teams is conceptual and theoretical by nature. Therefore, the main purpose of this article is to evaluate the main characteristics of green teams in Brazilian companies and to analyse the relationships between green teams and the maturity level of environmental management in those companies. Based on a conceptual background on corporate environmental management and green teams, a research was done in two complementary phases: a survey of 94 companies with ISO 14001 certification; and a multiple case study of four industrial companies. Survey results suggest that 82% of the studied companies have cross-functional green teams, i.e. involving various companies' departments; and 65% have functional green teams, i.e. individual department teams. The results of the case study suggest that the use of green teams is an instrument to the greening of companies with ISO 14001 in Brazil. The company with the most proactive and advanced environmental management is the same company which uses green teams more intensely. Green teams are especially necessary for implementing more technical environmental management practices, e.g. Life Cycle Assessment. Since this is one of the first studies analysing green teams, the results presented can be useful for companies and public policies aiming to implementation of environmental initiatives. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Treinamento ambiental em organizações brasileiras: estudo de múltiplos casos

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Um estudo sobre a certificação ISO 9001 no Brasil: mapeamento de motivações, benefícios e dificuldades

This work aims to identify the main motivations and difficulties faced by Brazilian companies to obtain ISO 9001 certification. The key quality management practices that provide support to this certification and the relationship with other types of systems, such as ISO 14001 (Environmental Management) and OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety Management System), were also investigated. A survey research was conducted with 191 companies. The main motivations for implementing ISO 9001 are the following: internal organization improvement, production efficiency increase, and brand reliability improvement. Employee resistance was the greatest challenge found during the implementation process. On the other hand, the main benefits identified were: quality processes improvement and increased employee awareness of quality. The results reveal that the most common quality programs and tools used are: 5S, brainstorming, and Ishikawa diagram, while the least common are SERVQUAL and QFD.