Environmental gap analysis according to ISO 14001:2004 in mineral water bottling plant in Morocco

In order to keep themselves competitive and to protect their brands and reputation,food processing plants need to manage risks,show corporate responsibilities and abide by the demands of their clients. in this context,iso 14001,in reference to environmental management,could contribute to the sustainable development of food industries activities. before implementing a management system in a company,a diagnosis its initial situation is necessary to have the global view needed prior addressing implementation action plan. this study aims to show used method and results of an initial gap analysis according to iso 14001:2004 -environmental management system- requirements in a company specialized in bottling of mineral water. this company is iso 9001: 2008 certified and plans to get iso 14001: 2004 certification. to conduct the initial diagnosis,a checklist,developed by washington state department of ecology,gathering all requirements of the standard in the form of questions was used as a tool. the overall compliance rate was limited to 30%. this rate varies between 0 and 78% from an element to another. explanation for this variation is given for each element of the standard.