ISO 14001 as a driving force for sustainable development and value creation

• Purpose – The aim of this paper is to examine whether the process of organisational change inimplementing the environmental quality standard ISO 14001 can act as a driving force for sustainabledevelopment (SD) and value creation. Design/methodology/approach – The paper first presents an analysis of the concepts of: the ISO14000 environmental management system (EMS); SD; values-based value creation; and service quality.These concepts are then applied in a case study of organisational change at Flu¨gger AB (Sweden), acompany that has undergone a comprehensive transformation process based on ISO 14001 over aperiod of more than ten years. Findings – The study reveals that ISO 14001 certification can be used as an active tool for promotingcomprehensive organisational changes leading to SD and value creation. Research limitations/implications – The single case-study design of the present research doesnot enable empirical generalisations to be made. Future research in this area should focus ongeneralising the present findings by studying the development and integration of values-basedthinking in other empirical settings. Practical implications – The study provides useful insights into the successful adoption of ISO14000 EMS as an active tool for SD and value creation. Originality/value – The paper makes an original contribution to the study of holistic organisationalchange by explicitly linking the adoption of an EMS with values-based thinking and sustainability.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Ekonomi och näringsliv -- Företagsekonomi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Economics and Business -- Business Administration (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Environmental management

Sustainable development

Quality standards

Corporate social responsibility

Organizational change

Sweden

Företagsekonomi

Business Administration

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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