ISO
14001:2015
ISO 14001 is the international standard that
specifies requirements for an effective environmental management system (EMS). It provides a framework
that an organization can follow, rather than establishing environmental
performance requirements.
Part of the ISO 14000
family of standards on environmental management, ISO 14001 is a
voluntary standard that organizations can certify to. Integrating it with other
management systems standards, most commonly ISO 9001,
can further assist in accomplishing organizational goals.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) defines
an environmental management system as “part of the management system used to
manage environmental aspects, fulfill compliance obligations, and address risks
and opportunities.” The framework in the ISO 14001 standard can be used within
a plan-do-check-act (PDCA) approach to continuous improvement.
WHO SHOULD USE THE ISO 14001:2015 REVISION?
ISO 14001:2015 should be used
by any organization that wishes to set up, improve, or maintain an
environmental management system to conform with its established environmental
policy and requirements. The requirements of the standard can be incorporated
into any environmental management system, the extent to which is determined by
several factors including the organization’s industry, environmental policy,
products and service offerings, and location.
ISO 14001:2015 is relevant to
all organizations, regardless of size, location, sector, or industry.
What topics does
ISO 14001:2015 cover?
At the highest level, ISO
14001:2015 covers the following topics with regard to environmental management
systems:
·
Context of the organization
·
Leadership
·
Planning
·
Support
·
Operation
·
Performance evaluation
·
Improvement
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF ISO 14001:2015?
Using ISO 14001:2015 has many
benefits for organizations with environmental management systems. Organizations
and companies find that using the standard helps them:
·
Improve resource efficiency
·
Reduce waste
·
Drive down costs
·
Provide assurance that environmental impact is being measured
·
Gain competitive advantage in supply chain design
·
Increase new business opportunities
·
Meet legal obligations
·
Increase stakeholder and customer trust
·
Improve overall environmental impact
·
Manage environmental obligations with consistency