Análisis de los factores que afectan el desempeño ambiental de las empresas certificadas en ISO 14001

This paper analyzes the most relevant factors that affect the environmental performance of companies certified in ISO 14001. Based on literature review and structural analysis with the Micmac Godet methodology, we identify 30 factors that determine the efficacy of an organization’s environmental performance. The review shows that the implementation of the standard does not guarantee a proper functioning per se, since the Environmental Management System (EMS) depends on factors that are endogenous and exogenous to the organizations and require continuous and coherent maintenance policies over time. The structural analysis allows identifying nine key factors (training of staff, external pressures, maintenance of the EMS, the environmental maturity of the organization, legal requirements, management commitment, managers' stance towards the environment, performance indicators and fines and sanctions), being the maintenance of the system the most critical factor. We discuss some conceptual relationships among these relevant factors of interest for EMS managers, within a systemic perspective.