(117a) Case Study on the Implementation of ISO 14001 at the Jordan Oil Refinery Co

The Jordan Petroleum Refinery Co. (JPRC) is the sole provider of all petroleum products for the local market in Jordan. The facility was commissioned in 1961 and has been operating under a concession agreement with the Government of Jordan. This agreement is about to end in 2007 and JPRC will be undergoing privatization. In 2005 the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) sponsored an ambitious program called Reuse for Industry, Agriculture and Landscaping (RIAL), aimed at extending Jordan's limited water resources through conservation, best practices and pollution prevention. A major component of RIAL is to assist in the retooling of industry stakeholders through pollution prevention and improving environmental performance through water conservation, recycling, and the reduction of wastewater through pollution prevention measures. JPRC was among a number of Jordanian enterprises that participated in a series of pilot programs that focused on improving water management and overall improvements of their environmental performance through the application on an integrated Environmental Management System (EMS) based on ISO 14001 standards. The exercise at JPRC resulted in the identification and implementation of a number of small to medium size pollution prevention investments that have conservatively saved the enterprise more than 1 million U.S. dollars in water, raw materials and improved productivity. Additionally, the technical assistance program has enabled JPRC to establish a formal Corporate Environmental Policy statement, develop an Environmental Action Plan with substantive goals and targets for improved performance, and to develop the framework for a formalized EMS. These achievements have provided further incentives for the enterprise to invest into formal registration of ISO 14001 using Lloyds of London. This paper reports on the approach to establishing the core elements of an ISO 14001 EMS program. The results on an Initial Environmental Review and a range of pollution prevention opportunities identified are presented.