THE EAST LONDON Industrial Development Zone has met the conditions for ISO 14001 environmental standard certification, according to environmental manager Mervin Olivier. “Our auditors KPMG have confirmed that the East London IDZ conforms to the international ISO 14001 standards,” he says. The KPMG report now goes to the international standards body before the certificate can be officially handed over. Environmental controls and adherence to ISO 14001 standards have been built in right from the start of the planning process for the East London IDZ, according to Olivier. The IDZ has developed an environmental design manual to guide engineers, architects, planners and engineers working on the East London Industrial Development Zone (ELIDZ). A construction environmental management plan has also been developed to limit the environmental impact of construction activities. Potential investors will have to submit to a tenant review procedure to help the ELIDZ Determine whether they will comply with South African environmental legislation and current environmental best practice, says Olivier. The ELIDZ has set itself the goal of ensuring that emissions from the zone do not exceed 50 per cent of the current maximum limit under South African legislation. “This means that if, say, you are permitted to emit 100 parts per million of sulphur into the atmosphere, our limit will be 50 per cent,” he says. These limits will apply to the whole zone rather than individual factories. ELIDZ ceo Peter Miles says the ISO 14001 certification will help with marketing the zone. “The IDZ is one of the first industrial areas in Africa to receive ISO 14001 certification. This certification will help attract investors to the zone,” he says. Miles points out that there is a great deal of pressure in the industrialised countries for their manufacturers to become more environmentally conscious. A number of European investors demand that international environmental standards are in place before they will actually invest, he says. "I think that for the European, American and the Japanese, in particular, being environmentally friendly is becoming very important because their markets are demanding that they be so," he says. Potential tenants who do not meet the environmental standards of the zone will not be accepted.