Analysis of the affinity of the principles of corporate governance to the ISO 14001 environmental management system standard

Abstract The purpose of this research is to analyze the adherence of the NBR ISO 14001 standard to the Brazilian Institute of Corporate Governance Code of Best Corporate Governance Practices. The perspective established in the research interprets the existence of synergy between management supported by the Environmental Management Systems standard and the Code of Best Corporate Governance Practices. The research analyzed the contents of 177 environmental audit reports, performed by a certification company, which involved a set of 139 companies certified by NBR ISO 14001. It then related the requirements of the environmental management system with the elements present in the IBGC code. It identified the adherence to several requirements in common between the two systems analyzed, thus indicating the adequacy of establishing synergy in actions, and in the information held by both, providing benefits to the organization. Environmental auditing data indicate that companies have more difficult-to-handle items related to operational control, emergency preparedness and assessment of compliance with legal and other requirements. This is important information in the context of corporate governance, since it indicates potential risks that must be eliminated in order to guarantee the perenniality of the organization.