Author(s)

M. A. Massoud, R. Tabcharani, R. Nakkash & D. Jamali

Abstract

This research aims to investigate the effectiveness of ISO 14001 standard in improving environmental performance and ultimately addressing the goals of sustainable environmental management. It is the first of its kind in Lebanon and adds to the existing knowledge by shedding light on a developing country where there is paucity of such studies. A multi-disciplinary research methodology combining the semi-structured interviews, documentary analysis and secondary data analysis was adopted. The findings of this research may be used to shape decisions by policy makers on the efficacy of international voluntary standards and its policy implications to economic development in general and sustainable development in Lebanon and developing countries as a whole. Consequently, industries may be more capable of justifying the expenses and efforts associated with ISO 14001 registration. Keywords: ISO 14001, environmental performance, improvement, Lebanon. 1 Introduction The ISO 14001 Environmental Management System (EMS) is a process of continuous development and improvement based on the \“plan-do-check-act” cycle. It provides a plan for establishing an official and methodical EMS. It helps an organization to achieve its own objectives through clearly determining \“what is going to be achieved”, \“who and how it is going to do it”, \“by when it is going

Keywords

ISO 14001, environmental performance, improvement, Lebanon.