Download or read book Voluntary Environmental Management System (EMS) ISO 14001 Certification in the Lebanese Food Industrial Sector written by Rabih Ibrahim Fayad and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In today's global economy, export markets are becoming more competitive and dema nding to meet a multitude of mandatory international standards, stringent enviro nmental regulations, and expectations of consumers who are becoming more aware a bout environmental issues. These factors have important implications for Lebanes e industries interested in accessing and competing in the international market. The implementation of an Environmental Management System (EMS) following ISO 140 01 standards integrates continual environmental improvement in the industry oper ations and business decision making and demonstrates a commitment to sustainable development and compliance. The ISO 14001 EMS certification is becoming a neces sity for organizations to overcome non-tariff trade barriers or "green barrier" and improve international competitiveness. Despite the increasing acceptance of the ISO 14000 standards worldwide, the adoption of the standard in Lebanon has b een rather slow. In addition, little is known about its applicability and potent ial for such voluntary standardized code in the food sector. To fill this gap, this study attempted to investigate and examine the drivers, b arriers and incentives to adopt a voluntary EMS following ISO 14000 standards by the Lebanese food industry. A questionnaire survey was developed and administer ed to a representative number of food industrial enterprises. Survey results wer e processed and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and correlations between variables were examined. The findings revealed a significant lack of knowledge about the standard among food industries. A mechan ism to promote the adoption of voluntary EMS in the national regulatory system d oes not exist. Economical factors are perceived as the main drivers to adopt the standard, external factors are the main barriers and economical and organizatio nal factors are the main incentives to assist in adopting the standard. The food industries are more concerned with quality and safety issues than environmental issues. They are less likely to voluntarily adopt ISO 14001 EMS before acquirin g a TQM certification (e.g. ISO 22000) as a quality assurance or until the ISO 1 4001 certification gains more popularity within the international food sector.