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ISO 14001 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
FOR UNIVERSITIES: A CASE STUDY AT HO CHI MINH CITY
UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY IN VIETNAM

Trần Thị Tường Vân
1
và Lê Thị Hồng Trân
2
1
Khoa Môi trường và Công nghệ sinh học, Trường đại học Kỹ thuật Công nghệ TP.HCM
2
Khoa Môi trường, Trường đại học Bách khoa – Đại học quốc gia TP.HCM

TÓM TẮT
Theo xu hƣớng hiện nay, vấn đề bảo vệ môi trƣờng trong giáo dục đại học ngày
càng đƣợc quan tâm nhiều hơn. Thực tế là, các hoạt động đa dạng diễn ra trong trƣờng
đại học sẽ dẫn đến những tác động trực tiếp và gián tiếp nghiêm trọng đến môi trƣờng.
Sự suy giảm và ô nhiễm môi trƣờng gây bởi các trƣờng đại học dƣới dạng tiêu thụ
nguyên liệu, năng lƣợng và thải bỏ chất thải thông qua các hoạt động dạy học và nghiên
cứu, cung cấp các dịch vụ hỗ trợ và từ các khu cƣ trú. Ngoài ra, với sứ mệnh đào tạo
của mình, trƣờng đại học còn có vai trò quan trọng trong công tác giáo dục nâng cao
nhận thức về bảo vệ môi trƣờng cho cộng đồng. Một giải pháp quản lý môi trƣờng thích
hợp là thiết lập hệ thống quản lý môi trƣờng (HTQLMT) và tiến đến đạt chứng nhận
ISO 14001 cho trƣờng đại học. Bài báo đề cập đến nghiên cứu điển hình tại trƣờng đại
học Kỹ thuật Công nghệ TP.HCM (HUTECH) – là đề tài đầu tiên trong nƣớc nghiên
cứu xây dựng HTQLMT theo ISO 14001 cho nhóm đối tƣợng trƣờng đại học. Bài báo
đã xác định các khía cạnh môi trƣờng đáng kể, các mục tiêu và chỉ tiêu môi trƣờng cho

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etc. Faculty of Environment and Biotechnology develops more types of environmental
communication such as Environment and Human contest, Greentech club, Environment and Human
general subject, etc.
That was also the general condition of most universities in Vietnam at present. In our country,
the issue of environmental protection in higher education is not paid adequate attention. There is no
specialized environmental management personnel in universities, and of course, an environmental
management system (EMS) has not been established. None of the domestic universities has already
implemented ISO 14001 standard. Number of researches and documentation on this topic is still
very small.
Meanwhile, in the world, the integration of environmental aspects and sustainable
development in higher education have been carried out very early, a lot of studies and
documentation on this issue have been made. Many universities have committed themselves to
associate the concept of environment and sustainability into lecture halls and in all their activities.
The number of universities around the world who have been established an EMS and get ISO 14001
certification is significantly increasing. There are many studies about EMS of university
(Delakowitz et al., 2000; Noeke, 2000; University of Missouri Rolla, 2000; Dahle et al., 2001; EPA,
2001; Michael, 2002; University of North Carolina, 2003; University of Texas M.D. Anderson
Cancer Center, 2004; Savely et al., 2006; and Lraeme et al., 2007). The ISO 14001 standard has
been implemented by a large number of universities in Europe and USA, such as the University of
Gävle in Sweden, the Glamorgan University in UK, the University of Applied Science Hochschule
Zittau / Görlitz in Germany, the University of Missouri Rolla and the University of Texas in USA.
This number is much larger if it is included universities that have an EMS, or integrate
environmental issues and sustainability into training.
Michael Shriberg (2002) found that The University of Michigan Housing Division‘s
(Housing) study on creating an EMS based on sustainability develops a rationale for organizational
alignment with sustainability and assesses leading edge practices. The study recommends altering

some serious direct and indirect impacts on the environment. The environmental pollution and
degradation caused by universities in form of energy and material consumption via activities and
operations in teaching and research, provision of support services and in residential areas could be
considerably reduced by an effective choice of organizational and technical measures. Although
many environmental protection measures can be seen at some universities, but a more systematic
and sustainable approach to reducing the negative impacts of those activities and making the
campuses more sustainable, is generally lacking. Therefore, this study proposes a framework of a
more suitable approach to achieving campus sustainability that could remedy the limitations of the
current environmental management practices in universities and ensure more sustainability through
the integration of three strategies, namely: university EMS; public participation and social
responsibility; and promoting sustainability in teaching and research.
Therefore, the goal of this paper is to orient an ISO 14001 EMS for HUTECH in order to
improve the environmental protection at university. From that point, the result of this study has
been formed the basis of more researches into establishing an EMS according to ISO 14001 for
other domestic universities later on.

METHODS
The study is based on the following methods:
 A domestic and foreign literature review concerning the establishment of an university EMS
(ISO 14001).
 A survey of the reality of environmental management at HUTECH.
 To take advice from expert in EMS (ISO 14001).
 To analyse, synthesise and compare the surveyed data and documentation.
 PDCA methodology was developed by Deming: the Deming Cycle with 4 steps (Plan-Do-
Check-Act) is applied to ISO 14001 EMS.
 Risk Assessment Matrix (Tran, 2008) was used to identify the significant environmental
aspects in HUTECH: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

standard (2 points)
Major: exceed the
standard (3 points)
+ To assess risk (R)
Risk (R) = Frequency (F) x Effect (E)
R = 1 - 4 points: no need to concern
R = 5 - 9 points: significant environmental aspect
to be controlled and improved

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meetings and other routine meetings as standing agenda
items rather than set up other meetings, when possible.

- Identifying legal requirements
+ Having a procedure in place provides assurance that a
process exists for tracking, implementing and updating
legal requirements and best practices. Many colleges and
universities use a compliance calendar tool.

- Reviewing operations and
identifying activities that may
affect the environment
+ Examples include hazardous waste handling, energy
usage, etc. Activities are used to determine significant
aspects (‗‗activities, products or services that can interact
with the environment‘‘ ).


needed to have a formal EMS in place such as those to
minimize deviation from the environmental policy,
objectives and targets, to identify ‗‗operating criteria,‘‘ to
control significant environmental aspects, to ‗‗identify
potential for and respond to emergency situations, and for
preventing and mitigating the environmental impacts that
may be associated with them,‘‘ to correct environmental
non-conformances, and to manage and store
environmental records.
+ Environmental emergency procedures, should include
how to handle environmental releases.
+ In performing routing inspections and after various
incidents, issues that need resolving (non-conformances)
will be noted, thus it is important to have procedures in
place to resolve these issues that may have an
environmental impact.

- Training and communication
+ Training must be tailored to institution and different
stakeholders at the institution to increase support and buy
in.
+ A communications log may be used to track
communications, particularly external communications
with regulators. In most cases, established communication
plans and methods may be used.
Phase
III
- Auditing by internal and external
parties
+ Internal audits are important but usually biased. It is

1. President
- To define the environmental policy.
- To appoint the environmental management representation.
- To provide finance and other necessary resources to establish and maintain the EMS
effectively.
- To approve the environmental handbook, environmental goals, environmental targets,
environmental management programs and other documentation of the EMS.
- To command and decide in emergency situations.
- To preside over the management review meeting, giving the final decision to maintain and
improve the EMS.
2. Environmental management representation
- To establish, to implement and to maintain the ISO 14001 EMS.
- To produce the environmental hanbook, environmental goals, environmental targets and to
submit them for the president‘s approval.
- To produce the environmental management programs in co-operation with the heads of the
units.
- To assign specific tasks to involved units and individuals.
-To write general procedures of the EMS, to manage related environmental documents and
records.
- To coordinate with other units in order to consider and evaluate environmental aspects of the
units.
- To organize the measurement and inspection of environmental goals and targets.
- To receive and to handle internal and external information on the environment.
- To plan the annual EMS internal audit for the whole campus.
- To report on the EMS performance and to propose opportunities for the EMS improvement.
- To provide facilities for the management review meetings.
3. Heads of departments and faculties

Science management-Staff
fostering

Deans of
Facuties
Chief
Training inspection
Dept
Chief
Planning – Finance
Dept
Chief
Materials –
Equipmen Dept Chief
Politics – Student
work Dept

Figure 1. Organisation chart of
HUTECH EMS
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- To assign tasks to staff of the unit in order to ensure the implementation, maintenance and
continuous improvement of the EMS.
- To identify and evaluate environmental aspects.
- To define the environmental goals and targets of the unit.

We determine to set up the ISO 14001 environmental management system and commit as follows:
1. To comply with environmental legal requirements in Vietnam and other requirements.
2. To save power, water and materials, as well as to reduce environmental pollution.
3. To aim to keep the environment clean:
- To make sure that the parameters of exhaust, wastewater and noise reach Vietnamese standards;
- To manage solid and hazardous waste;
- To ensure the work environment clean and airy.
4. To promote environmental education activities.
5. To improve the EMS continuously.
Our environmental policy shall be communicated to all employees and made available to the public and the
stakeholders.
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Table 3. Evaluation of HUTECH environmental aspects
Environmental aspect
Status
Quantity
Environmental impact
Environmental aspect
evaluation
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
F

 3
1
3

Office stationery
Normal
-

 3
1
3

Lab chemicals
Normal
-





3
1
3

Wastewater from labs
Normal
2,500 m
3
/yr


 

2
3
6
Significant
Domestic solid waste
Normal
1,200 ton/yr


 

3
6
Significant
Hazardous chemical gases from labs
Normal
-




2
3
6
Significant
Exhaust from dynamo
Ab-normal
-




1
1
1

Normal
-




3
1
3

Fire risk
Urgent
-




1
4
4

Electricity risk
Urgent
- 
2
3
6
Significant
Note: Risk = F.E > 4: significant environmental aspect
(1): Air pollution; (2): Water pollution; (3): Soil pollution; (4): Noise; (5): Resource exhaustion; (6): Human health; (7): Others
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Table 4. HUTECH environmental goals and targets
Environmen-
tal aspect
Environmental
goal
Environmental target
Completion
time
Hazardous
chemical gases
from labs
To reduce, collect
and treat chemical
gases
To ventilate labs in order to comply with the
labor sanitation standards, issued together with

solid waste
from labs
To manage labs
hazardous solid
waste
To classify hazardous solid waste at source; To
contract with an unit in hazardous waste
treatment and disposal for the collection of
classified hazardous waste; To register
hazardous waste source at the Ho Chi Minh
City Department of Natural resources and
Environment
To Jun 2010
Environmental
education
To promote
environmental
education for the
whole campus
To add the subject ―Environment and Human‖
to the curriculum as a general course for other
majors; To incorporate sustainability into
research activities of lecturers and students; To
enhance communication activities on the
environmental topics
To Dec 2010
Proposal support solutions for the EMS at HUTECH
The following framework (Figure 2) is proposal integrated measures to support the EMS of
HUTECH.
Campus in

treatment
Wastewater collection and
treatment
Solid waste
management
Laboratory
planning
Figure 2. Framework of the proposed support solutions for HUTECH EMS

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Energy, water and materials efficiency
Additional cleaner production sollutions should be carried out at HUTECH for energy, water
and materials saving:
+ Energy efficiency
- To replace old fluorescent bulbs with energy - saving bulbs.
- To install electronic ballasts.
- To take natural light by using glass widespreadly in building.
- To fit up thermal insulation system for roof.
- To install additional ventilation fans for some places, especially for labs.
- To use lights, fans, air conditioners, office equipment and laboratory equipment effectively (turn
off equipments when not in use).
- To maintain regular air conditioner maintenance.
- To comply with the Vietnamese construction regulation QCXDVN 09:2005 on "Energy efficient
construction‖ and related legal documents for new buildings.
+ Water efficiency
- To repair plumbing problems, to install new valves for preventing leakage.
- To set up water circulation for cooling equipments in labs.
+ Materials efficiency

, etc.),
solvent, etc from fume hoods. Laboratory should be installed one piping system to collect chemical
vapor from hoods to one treatment system based on the adsorption principle.
In addition, some gases such as SO
2
, NH
3
, produced from reactions as well as chemical vapor in
labs should be reduced by ceiling and wall ventilation fans and a following complete ventilation
system.
+ Wastewater collection and treatment
Labs wastewater could be classified into three main types, including experiment fluid
(wastewater generated in the process of experiment), tool washing wastewater and domestic
wastewater.
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- The experiment fluid often contains acids, bases with low concentration: H2SO4, HCl,
NaOH and metal ions: Fe, Al, Mg, Ca; organic compounds, inorganic salts.
- The tool washing wastewater contains only a small amount of chemicals, but many
detergents (surface-active substances) with relatively high flow.
Each type of labs wastewater has different characteristics and flow, therefore, to separate
them is required for following appropriate treatment measures.
The first step: To separate wastewater
- To prepare containers for experiment fluid: containers must be labelled, such as used for
what experiment, etc.
- To install another pipeline to separate tool washing wastewater from domestic wastewater.
The second step: To treat wastewater
- For experiment fluid: To contract one capable unit of treating this kind of fluid for periodly
collection.

campus and in other areas.
- To promote communication activities in order to raise the community awareness of
environmental protection with the participation of the whole campus: green summer campaign,
channels, rivers, streets, markets cleaning campaigns, etc.
Environmental law compliance
- To register hazardous waste source at the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Natural
resources and Environment.
- To comply with the law on environmental impact assessment, environmental protection
commitment and environmental protection project.
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- To construct environmental protection regulations of the university based on observance of
the national environmental protection law, the related decrees of the Government, etc.
- To construct standards on sanitariness and environmental protection of the university based
on the national standards, the national and local technical regulations.
Environmental organizational structure
- To arrange at least one employee or department responsible for environmental management.
- To set up one environmental management committee with the personnel from other
departments: medical department, materials and equipment department, environment and
biotechnology faculty and other specialized faculties. When an environmental problem appears at
university, the committee will create an effective coordination between departments.
- To establish an EMS and to be certified to ISO 14001.

CONCLUSIONS
This paper results in an ISO 14001 EMS orientation for HUTECH with several support
solutions and represents the first study about this topic in Ho Chi Minh City as well as in Vietnam.
The ISO 14001 standard is known with the purpose of prescribing and implementing environmental
goals, policies, and responsibilities, as well as regular auditing of its elements. It is an approach to
deal with environmental problems that give responsibility to a university to implement

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