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Loading ...A Computer Waste Bill for Rio Grande do Sul
Friday, October 2nd, 2009A bill on information technology (IT) waste has been introduced in the state legislative of the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) that is similar to a law adopted in 2008 by its neighbor, Paraná. The bill would require producers, distributors and vendors of “informatic equipment” to create and maintain programs for […]
A New Recycled Content Standard for Paper/Board in Brazil
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009As more and more public administrations (municipal, state, federal) in Brazil mandate the procurement and use of recycled paper, whether by law or green procurement policy, the pulp and paper industry has seen the writing on the wall and asked Brazil’s technical strandards-setting body, the Brazilian Association of Technical Norms (ABNT), to formulate a Brazilian […]
Draft ISO Standard on Corporate Social Responsibility Published
Monday, September 14th, 2009From the International Organization for Standardization (ISO): Future ISO 26000 standard on social responsibility published as Draft International Standard The future International Standard ISO 26000, Guidance on social responsibility, has reached an important phase in its development with its publication as a Draft International Standard (DIS). A five-month balloting period (from 14 September 2009 to […]
What the Other Guy Blogs About: ISO 26000 on CSR
Thursday, August 27th, 2009Consumers International’s (CI) blog has an interesting take — surprisingly positive — on the negotiations in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for an international standard on corporate social responsibility (CSR), which will be known as ISO 26000. I heartily recommend reading the blog post and browsing through CI’s materials on the negotiations history for […]
Toward Brazilian Environmental Norms for Electro-Electronics
Saturday, August 15th, 2009Several jurisdictions in Brazil — most notably the States of São Paulo (SP) and Mato Grosso (MT), and the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro (MRJ) — have recently adopted e-waste laws, and several states look interested in following suit (here, here and here). There’s rumors that the National Environment Council (CONAMA) will soon decide to […]
Toward an ISO Energy Management Standard
Wednesday, August 12th, 2009Last week in Rio de Janeiro and yesterday in São Paulo, Eletrobrás and the Brazilian Association of Technical Standards (ABNT) co-hosted workshops to try to get Brazilian business more actively involved in the process now underway in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to develop an international standard for energy management, ISO 50001. One of […]
Brazil Proposes Energy Labels for Buildings
Tuesday, March 24th, 2009Yesterday Brazil’s National Institute of Metrology, Standardization and Industrial Quality (Inmetro) published for public comment in the official gazette (the Official Daily of the Union – Diário Oficial da União) a draft administrative rule (portaria) on the award of certification labels for energy efficiency in public, commercial and service buildings. It is supplemented by an […]
Preparing for Accidents with Hazardous Substances
Monday, March 16th, 2009Recently I posted about about how Brazilian states are slowly taking up their responsibility under a 2004 federal decree to create state-level committees or commissions on the Prevention of, Preparation for and Response to Environmental Emergencies Involving Hazardous Chemicals Products (“P2R2”). I think perhaps I might have left the mistaken impressions that (1) Brazil had […]
Brazil Adopts New Battery Rules
Friday, September 12th, 2008Brazil’s National Environment Council (CONAMA) just replaced the country’s groundbreaking 1999 rules on the environmental management of batteries and piles (pilhas) with even tougher ones. Manufacturers should take note, since legislators and regulators in other Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) nations will. The original rules served as a reference point for many LAC policymakers, particularly […]
Minas Rewards Companies Getting ISO14001 Certification
Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008The State Environmental Policy Council (Conselho Estadual de Política Ambiental – Copam) of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais (MG) has adopted a new norm that MG officials hope will encourage more companies to get ISO 14001 certification of their environmental management system (EMS). The norm sets conditions under which enterprises subject to environmental licensing […]