Towards more sustainable management systems: through life cycle management and integration

The standards for management systems such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 are developing towards a higher degree of compatibility. At the same time, organisations increasingly integrate these systems. The paper discusses this development and presents different levels of integration. The aim is to suggest the next steps to take in order to improve an integration which promotes sustainable management. Product-oriented management and stakeholders are in focus and the standards for management systems and the need for a common integrated ISO standard are discussed. Finally, the need for changes in life style and needs is presented as crucial to the development of more sustainable management systems. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.