At the national and international level, interest has mushroomed in quality and environmental management systems. Having a quality management system helps a supplier ensure that he/she is able to produce products, which consistently conform to a given set of standards or expectations. Product quality depends on many variables, such as the caliber of the components or materials used; type of equipment used in design, production, handling, installation, testing and shipping; the equipment calibration and maintenance procedures employed; the training and experience of production and supervisory personnel; the level of "workmanship;" and sometimes the environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, level of dust particles) in the area where the product is produced. The process, organizational structure, procedures, and resources that suppliers use to control these variables to produce a product of consistent quality which meets defined specifications is called a quality system. The standards for quality systems that are best known and that are being adopted globally are the ISO 9000 standards.

Environmental management systems (EMS) are designed to provide a comprehensive approach, which can be used by businesses and other organizations to manage the impact of their activities on the environment. Environmental management system standards generally do not establish requirements for environmental compliance nor for specific levels of pollution prevention or performance (this being essentially the responsibility of the appropriate regulatory agency(s) and/or the organization's management). However, management system standards do establish a framework, which an organization can use to evaluate its performance against such levels. EMS standards, such as ISO 14001, generally stress identifying key environmental impacts (aspects) associated with the operations of an organization, setting targets and objectives for these aspects, and implementing the system via training and documentation of procedures. EMS standards, like ISO 14001, also require that the company implement a program to conduct internal audits of its EMS, to conduct periodic management reviews of the system's effectiveness, and to have a commitment to continual improvement of the EMS.

Recent publication of the first two international environmental management system standards (ISO 14001 and ISO 14004) is likely to increase awareness in the United States of the usefulness of management systems in overseeing and improving environmental performance.