[Theme of the month] June - Green Certification Programsby Anghy Aquino | 23-06-2022 15:13 |
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 ISO 14001 certification in Peruvian mining Just as there are irresponsible mining companies that have polluted valuable ecosystems in Peru for many decades, there are also formal mining companies that have been concerned about the environment and deserve to be applauded and recognized for the great work they have been doing to implement good environmental practices in the mining areas of my country and obtain environmental certifications. Among the main ones are Antamina, Antapaccay, and Yanacocha, mining companies that obtained the ISO 14001 certification. ISO 14001 is an international standard created by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) that helps companies identify and manage, through standards and tools, the environmental risks that may arise in the course of their activities. For example, in a mining company, the implementation of ISO 14001 can greatly reduce the occurrence of environmental risks such as spills and emissions thanks to the environmental management plan that this standard requires a company to have. The environmental management plan must include environmental goals, steps to achieve the defined goals, assigned duties, training, documentation, and a system to measure progress and address possible obstacles and changes. Antamina, considered the mining company with the best corporate reputation in Peru due to its good environmental, social, and labor practices, first obtained ISO 14001 certification in 2005 and recertifies every three years. Antamina states that thanks to the implementation of ISO 14001, its environmental performance has improved in all areas and it has managed to optimize its consumption of water, electricity, and paper.  Certificación ISO 14001 y Nuestro Desempeño Ambiental. Antamina. (2021, June 21). Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://www.antamina.com/iso-14001/ The main goal of Antamina's environmental management plan is to minimize the possible impacts that its operations may generate on the environment, so the main actions being taken to achieve this goal are to constantly monitor the quality of air, water, soil, aquatic life, vegetation, and fauna; restore areas degraded by its operations; revegetate and reforest; manage solid waste; carry out environmental audit and inspection programs for all its employees; use water rationally, etc.  Certificación ISO 14001 y Nuestro Desempeño Ambiental. Antamina. (2021, June 21). Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://www.antamina.com/iso-14001/  Certificación ISO 14001 y Nuestro Desempeño Ambiental. Antamina. (2021, June 21). Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://www.antamina.com/iso-14001/ The implementation of ISO 14001 has brought many benefits, not only for the environment but also for some companies such as Antamina, which were able to minimize certain costs. For the sake of the environment, I hope that many more companies, not only mining ones, start implementing this standard in their organizations. Reference materials: ¢¯Qué es la norma ISO 14001 y para qué sirve? Eurofins Envira. (2020, March 27). Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://envira.es/es/la-norma-iso-14001-sirve/ ¢¯Qué es la certificación ISO 14001? Home. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://www.fao.org/3/ad818s/ad818s08.htm Certificación ISO 14001 y Nuestro Desempeño Ambiental. Antamina. (2021, June 21). Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://www.antamina.com/iso-14001/ |
