What is ISO 14001?
ISO 14001: 2015 is an internationally agreed standard that sets out the requirements for an environmental management system.
It helps organizations improve their environmental performance through more efficient use of resources and reduction of waste, gaining a competitive advantage and the trust of stakeholders.
What is an environmental management system?
An environmental management system helps organizations identify, manage, monitor and control their environmental issues in a holistic manner. Like other ISO management systems, it uses a High-Level Structure. This means it can be integrated easily into any existing ISO management system. It also includes the need for continual improvement of an organization’s systems and approach to environmental concerns.
ISO 14001:2015 Certificate
ISO 14001 has recently been revised, with key improvements such as:
- Greater input from leadership
- A stronger commitment to proactive initiatives that boost environmental performance
- The increased prominence of environmental management within the organization’s strategic planning processes.
What benefits will it bring to my business or organization?
Users of the standard have reported that ISO 14001:2015 Certificate helps:
- Demonstrate compliance with current and future statutory and regulatory requirements.
- Increase leadership involvement and engagement of employees.
- Improve company reputation and the confidence of stakeholders through strategic communication.
What are the key improvements?
ISO 14001:2015 Certificate now requires:
- Environmental management to be more prominent within the organization’s strategic direction
- A greater commitment from leadership
- The implementation of proactive initiatives to protect the environment from harm and degradation
- A focus on life-cycle thinking, to consider the environment from development to end-of-life
- The addition of a stakeholder-focused communication strategy
It also allows for easier integration into other management systems thanks to the same structure, terms and definitions.
I am certified to ISO 14001:2004. What does this mean for me?
Organizations are granted a three-year transition period once the revision has been published to migrate to the new edition of the standard. After this period, if third-party certification is desired, you will have to seek certification to the new version.
For further information and guidance, refer to the International Accreditation Forum’s transition planning guidance document at www.iaf.nu.
