International standard ISO 14001 sets out the standards for an effective environmental management system (EMS). Rather than requiring an organization to meet certain environmental standards, it gives a framework for doing so.
ISO 14001 is part of the ISO 14000 family of environmental management standards and is a voluntary standard for enterprises to attest to. Using it in conjunction with other management systems standards, such as ISO 9001, can help organizations achieve their goals.
An environmental management system (EMS) is defined by ISO as a “component of the management system used to manage environmental elements, satisfy compliance duties, and address risks and opportunities.” As part of a PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) process, the ISO 14001 standard provides a framework for continuous improvement.
Anyone who wants to implement, upgrade, or maintain an environmental management system in accordance with their environmental policy and standards should use ISO 14001:2015. Standard requirements can be incorporated into any environmental management system, but the extent to which they are is dependent on the industry, environmental policy, product and service offerings, and location of a business. This standard is applicable to any business regardless of its size or location.
All enterprises, regardless of size, geography, industry, or sector, should implement ISO 14001:2015.
The ISO 14001 framework is divided into ten parts. First, the introduction, and then the requirements for the environmental management system may be found in the remaining seven sections. The following are the seven major sub-sections:
Section 4: Organizational context – In order to deploy an EMS, you must first gain a thorough understanding of your business. Internal and external issues must be identified, as well as stakeholders and their expectations. The EMS must also be defined, as well as the processes necessary to implement it.
Section 5: Management For senior management to be instrumental in implementing the EMS, leadership is required. By assuring environmental commitment, defining and disseminating the environmental policy, and allocating roles and duties throughout the firm, top management must demonstrate their commitment to the EMS.
Top management must also plan for the long-term viability of the EMS in Section 6. The EMS in the company must be examined for its risks and potential, and environmental improvement goals must be set and plans must be made to achieve these goals. It’s also important for the company to take into account all of the ways in which its processes interact with and affect the environment, as well as the legal and other commitments it must meet.
Section 7: Assistance – Management of all EMS resources, as well as requirements for competence, awareness, communication, and control of documented information, are part of the support segment (the documents and records required for your processes).
In Section 8: Operation, all parts of the environmental controls required by the organizational processes, as well as the necessity to detect potential emergency situations and plan actions so that you are prepared to respond should an emergency occur.
There are specific standards in this part to ensure that you can evaluate how well your EMS is doing. Monitoring and evaluating your operations, analyzing environmental compliance, conducting internal audits, and reviewing the EMS on a regular basis are all part of this process.
This section is about how to get better. Your EMS will get better and better as time goes on. Process nonconformity and corrective actions for processes must be assessed.
Using the elements in this section, an organization’s processes can be changed in order to spur and sustain improvements. This is based on the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle.
ISO 14001:2015 covers the following environmental management system issues at the highest level:
Customers, regulators, and governments are putting increasing pressure on businesses to lessen their environmental footprint. The best approach to demonstrate your company’s dedication to environmental stewardship is through ISO 14001 certification. Our ISO 14001 consultants can help your company not only satisfy its current legal duties, but also plan for future environmental legislation changes, minimize expenses, and improve its environmental reputation.
Making use of an environmental management system will help your firm stand out from the rest of the pack, which can lead to an increase in sales. Additionally, they’ll help your business save money by lowering its usage of garbage, electricity, and water.
Using the ISO 14001 framework has the following advantages:
A systematic strategy to resolve current and future legislation is provided by the ISO 14001 certification process.
Reduced energy use, waste reduction, enhanced recycling, and decreased raw material and consumable costs can all be managed and improved with the support of ISO 14001, an environmental management standard. Reactive methods, such as clean-ups and lawsuits, are less necessary, which decreases the risk of reputational harm and legal action.
When you’re called to tender, having your ISO 14001:2015 system professionally assessed gives you an advantage over companies that aren’t certified.
Obtaining ISO 14001:2015 risk management certification is a good way to show that you’re on top of environmental issues and making steady progress toward your goals.
Increasing raw material efficiency and improving performance in order to save costs are two of the many benefits ISO 14001 may bring.
Your quality, environmental and occupational health and safety management systems can be easily integrated with the ISO 14001:2015 standard because it has the same foundation as other management system standards.
Design and implementation of environmental management systems have been made easier by the adoption of ISO 14001, the international standard. The ISO (International Organization for Standardization) publishes the standard, which is an internationally recognized set of standards. ‘ISO 14001:2015’ is the name given to the most recent revision of the environmental management system criteria, issued in 2015. When it came time to disclose the standard and update it, the majority of member countries agreed on it before it was made public and accepted by a majority of countries around the world.
ISO 14001 certification has been steadily increasing since the end of 2017, according to an ISO 14001 certification survey conducted at the end of 2017.
An ISO 14001 certification can help any business, no matter how big or small it is (industrial, manufacturing, service, or trade-related).
Review and Decision encompass; granting, denying, maintaining, renewing, suspending, restoring, or withdrawing certification; increasing or limiting the scope of certification; and removing or suspending certification.
You must be audited every three years to maintain your certification under the Environmental Management Standard. However, if you switch from the 2004 version to the 2015 version during your certification cycle, the three-year cycle is not restarted. The September 2018 deadline for organizations certified to the 2004 standard to upgrade to the new standard.
Contact us today to get a free, no-obligation quote from our business development team. We’ll put out a detailed price based on your specifications and come to an agreement on it.
Inspeed Global has been involved in the creation of environmental management standards, assessments, and certifications. As part of the ISO 14001:2015 standard’s development, LRQA’s technical experts have first-hand knowledge of its requirements and the rationale behind them. Your environmental concerns and possibilities will be addressed by experts in your industry because our assessors have been picked for their sector-specific experience.
