ISO 14001 Environmental Management System Standard
What is ISO 14001?
An environmental management system provides organisations with the systems to manage their environmental impacts and deliver organisational results in a sustainable manner. ISO 14001 certification is the internationally recognized standard to prove your company’s environmental management system meets all requirements and can be audited by an independent body.
Environmental sustainability is an enormous challenge for organizations of today.
Environmental sustainability is an enormous challenge for organisations of today. The legal structures have become complex and onerous. Organisations can operate efficiently only when they proactively manage the environmental impacts with their business processes.
This ISO standard for environmental management is suitable for organisations of all types and sizes. With this EMS in place, your business grows without hurting the environment in any way.
The ISO 14001 Certification Process
STEP 1
APPLICATION AND CONTRACT
STEP 2
OPTIONAL PRE-ASSESSMENT
STEP 3
STAGE 1 AUDIT
STEP 4
CERTIFICATION AUDIT
STEP 5
YEARS 2 & 3: CERTIFICATION MAINTENANCE
STEP 6
RE-CERTIFICATION
Improving Business’ Environmental Impact
There are three main reasons why ISO 14001 accreditation is a must for businesses:
- It provides a detailed framework for companies to manage their environmental responsibilities through setting objectives, targets and improving on their practices;
- It can help your business meet legal and regulatory requirements for environmental management;
- It is often a prerequisite of many customers and in some industries, like the building industry, it might be required to win work.
Who Can Get ISO 14001?
ISO 14001 certification is available not only for Environmental Management Systems but also for several specific environmental aspects like:
- Pollution Prevention
- Energy Management
- Environmental Labeling and Product Certification Systems
- Environmental Performance Evaluation, Auditing and Reporting Systems
- Risk Management Systems (e.g. Occupational Safety & Health)
You can implement an environmental management system to any level of detail, depending on your business and resources. For example, you may want a simple EMS that only has basic key performance indicators in place to help demonstrate responsibility. Or you might need a more extensive EMS which covers all aspects of environmental management within the organization.
Key Benefits of ISO 14001 Certification
Some of the key benefits consists of:
Meet all environmental compliance requirements, which supports expansion of your business
Reduce your environmental impact of business activities
Utilise resources in an efficient and effective manner
Improve profits through an improvement in efficiency