Framework of the standard for projecting integrated eco-management

This work directs itself to the researchers and practitioners as well and has a double motivation:

1.      improving the decision-making performance in food industry;

2.      stimulating the extension of management system's certification process to a growing number of organizations in the food industry, as a result of a decrease in costs for programming, implementing and monitoring.

Based on solid theoretical, methodological and practical arguments, the authors propose, for the first time, projecting an integrated eco-management system based on the ISO 14001 standard and on the EMAS Regulation. This platform insures a better integration of the other five standards targeted by the food industry organizations (EN 16001, ISO 9001, ISO 22000, ISO 26000, SA 8000) than the platforms currently in use for projecting an integrated management system (ISO 72 and ISO 9001).

Although the research and predictions presented in this work are targeting the food industry, the eco-management integrated system proposed by the authors is, due to its content and shape, applicable to any economic organization, no matter the field.

Through all of the above, this work offers a practical answer to some of the sustainable development problems.