ISO 14001
ISO 14000 Family Environmental Management Standards
ISO 14001 is the world’s most widely implemented environmental management system standard. It helps organizations of any size or type to improve their environmental performance and achieve continual improvement by putting in place a framework that addresses the entire life cycle of a product – from extraction, through processing and manufacturing to use, followed by final disposal – as well as associated services. It also allows companies to highlight their system’s strengths and provides a foundation for continuous improvement by setting requirements, targets, and objectives that take account of relevant legal requirements.
Environmental Management Systems
An environmental management system ISO 14001( EMS ) is a structured framework for identifying and controlling current and future key environmental impacts and for ensuring compliance with environmental legislation. An EMS can be used as a powerful tool to identify opportunities for improvement and cost savings, by continuously reducing the environmental impacts of an organization’s activities and products.
ISO 14001 is the international standard that sets out requirements for an EMS. As per ISO.ORG “There are more than 300,000 certifications to ISO 14001 in 171 countries around the world.”
ISO 14001 is applicable to any organization, regardless of its activity or sector. It can be used by manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers; transport operators; service providers; local authorities, and government agencies. Organizations that have integrated environmental aspects into their other management activities could find the standard especially useful.
The standard’s structure provides flexibility and allows organizations to tailor their EMS to meet their individual needs and circumstances while maintaining a balance between control and performance orientation.
ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management System
The latest version of the standard is ISO Standard 14001:2015 and was published in September 2015. The new edition fully aligns with other management system standards within the family (
ISO 14001: What does it do and Who is it for?
ISO 14001 is a certification standard that specifies the criteria for an environmental management system and may be certified. It outlines a framework for establishing an effective environmental management system that a business or organization can follow.
It can reassure company officials and employees, as well as external stakeholders, that environmental impact is being measured and improved. It may be used by any type of organization, regardless of its sector or activity.
What do the Standards in the ISO 14000 Family cover?
ISO 14000 is a worldwide organization that develops global standards for the environmental protection, industrial ecology, and energy efficiency industries. The ISO/TC 207 Technical Committee and its various subcommittees develop the ISO 14000 family of standards.
The ISO 14001 standard establishes criteria and recommendations for environmental systems, which is part of the ISO 14000 series. Other family members focus on particular methods such as audits, communications, labeling, and life cycle analysis, among other things.
What are the Benefits of ISO 14001?
ISO 14001 certification can provide your organization with a number of benefits.
Sustainability: These standards work together to create an efficient and sustainable system for businesses, customers, and the environment.
Security: Your company will benefit from the increased trust when consumers see that it is following best practices in environmental management.
Compliance: ISO 14001 helps you to reduce the risk of legal penalties and fines, as well as lawsuits.
Financial: ISO 14001 certification can boost your company’s credibility and attract new customers. It also makes it easier to win contracts over less sustainable competitors. Training ISO 14000 offers a variety of training options that can prepare your staff to carry out environmental audits and assessments.
ISO 14001:2015 is divided into seven sections, each containing several clauses that reflect the requirements of the standard. The structure enables organizations to tailor their EMS according to their individual needs and circumstances while maintaining a balance between control and performance orientation. ISO 14001:2015 is suitable for all types of organizations, regardless of their activity or sector.
The structure of ISO 14001 standard is as follows:
Scope establishes what environmental aspects are covered by your EMS and includes a clause on compliance with legislation and other requirements. Clause 0.1 states that “ISO 14001 addresses all of an organization’s environmental aspects, including those relating to both the organization and any of its products or services throughout the life cycle, from procurement to disposal.”
Scope Clause 0.1 Executive Summary This clause briefly outlines why an EMS is needed and provides a general description of the requirements that your company must meet in order to achieve ISO 14001 certification. Clause 0.3 states that “The organization shall establish, implement, maintain and continuously improve an effective environmental management system to ensure continual satisfaction of legal and other requirements within the organization’s sphere of influence.”
Organizational Requirements:
Conducting the Business Processes- Organizations must incorporate their EMS into their existing business processes. Clause 4.1 states that “The organization shall conduct the processes necessary for the EMS in an integrated manner. The organization shall identify any additional relevant processes that are needed for its EMS, including those related to environmental aspects of products and services supplied by other organizations.”
Organizational Requirements: Suppliers of Services- This clause includes requirements for effective supplier management. Clause 4.2 states that “The organization shall establish, document, implement and maintain a policy for managing its suppliers of services.”
Organizational Requirements: Contractors – An organization should ensure that it is clear about the environmental responsibilities of contractors who will be part of its EMS before contracting them. “The organization shall determine the environmental responsibilities of its contractors in the supply chain and include these responsibilities in contractual agreements.”
Organizational Requirements: Joint ventures – This clause applies to organizations that have established a joint venture or consortium. Clause 6.1 states that “The organization shall establish, document, implement and maintain a policy for managing environmental aspects of the joint venture or consortium.”
Organizational Requirements: Product-related Processes- ISO 14001:2015 is concerned with any process that you use to design, develop, produce, distribute, or service products and services. “The organization shall determine which product-related processes are important to the EMS and establish, document, implement and maintain a policy for managing these processes. These processes shall be selected on the basis of environmental aspects that are present in them.”
Organizational Requirements: Conducting Processes – ISO 14001 requires that “The organization shall determine which of its activities may have significant environmental effects and include them in the EMS. These processes shall be selected on the basis of their actual or potential adverse environmental impacts.”
Organizational Requirements: Customer-related Processes –This clause applies to all types of organizations, but maybe relevant to organizations involved in the design or maintenance of buildings, structures, roads, or other infrastructure. ISO 14001 states that “The organization shall determine which customer-related processes have an environmental impact and include them in the EMS. These processes shall be selected on the basis of environmental aspects that are present in them.”
Governance Requirements: Environmental Policy- states that “The organization shall establish, document and maintain an environmental policy.”
Governance Requirements: Responsibility, Authority, and Communication- This clause requires the organization to determine who within its management structure will be responsible for certain tasks and to ensure that this person has sufficient authority and access to resources (including information) to undertake them.
Governance Requirements: General Guidance on the EMS Documentation –Documentation is required to prove that EMS is effectively implemented, maintained, and audited. It also provides guidance on documenting systems other than EMS which are required by ISO 14001:2015 states that “The organization shall document the EMS in a systematic and orderly fashion.”
Governance Requirements: Documentation Content – EMS documentation, should be structured properly (majority of clauses are divided into headings), covering (justification of why you are doing it, your scope, policy statements, and other requirements) and who it is for (people dealing with the management system).
Governance Requirements: Distribution of the EMS Documentation – ISO 14001 requires the organization to determine who will receive copies of its EMS documentation. The clause also states that “The organization shall provide the EMS documentation to all interested parties. The organization shall determine how and when these distribution activities should be conducted.”
Governance Requirements: Content of the EMS Documentation – Sufficient level of EMS documentation is required (e.g., if you identify a process that has an environmental impact, then you need to document it in the EMS documentation).
Governance Requirements: Control of the EMS Documentation- it generally requires the organization to manage and maintain its EMS documentation, including by updating it when required.
Procedures and work instructions- EMS requires procedures and work instructions. ISO 14001 states that “The organization shall establish, document and maintain processes to monitor the EMS.” procedures required to addresses dealing with hazards, health impacts, environmental breaches, customer complaints, or lawsuits which are not common
Governance Requirements: Control of the EMS Documentation- EMS documentation should be controlled and distribution managed.
Governance Requirements: Operation of the EMS- Once implemented, EMS needs to be operated, including keeping records of systems status, conducting reviews, taking action to address issues identified, and initiating changes.
Governance Requirements: Performance Assessment- EMS assessment of the organization’s management system is performed through assessing effectiveness, identifying improvement opportunities, maintaining records of assessment results, and communicating assessment results.
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