ISO 14001 – Environmental Management System
ISO 14001 is an international standard on Environmental Management Systems (EMS) that assists organizations in identifying, prioritizing and managing their environmental risks as part of normal business practices.
The standard requires organizations to commit to protect environment, prevent pollution and minimize waste & maintain continual improvement as part of the management business cycle.
EMS certification assures full compliance towards its own environmental policy, both internally and externally.
It demonstrates organization’s commitment towards providing all resources required to control and reduce the environmental impacts of the organization’s products, services and activities.
This standard specifies the requirements for an environmental management system that an organization can use to enhance its environmental performance. This International Standard is intended for use by an organization seeking to manage its environmental responsibilities in a systematic manner that contributes to the environmental pillar of sustainability.
This standard helps an organization achieve the intended outcomes of its environmental management system, which provide value for the environment, the organization itself and interested parties. Consistent with the organization’s environmental policy, the intended outcomes of an environmental management system include:
- Enhancement of environmental performance;
- Fulfillment of compliance obligations;
- Achievement of environmental objectives.
This standard is applicable to any organization, regardless of size, type and nature, and applies to the environmental aspects of its activities, products and services that the organization determines it can either control or influence considering a life cycle perspective. This International Standard does not state specific environmental performance criteria.
This standard can be used in whole or in part to systematically improve environmental management. Claims of conformity to this standard, however, are not acceptable unless all its requirements are incorporated into an organization’s environmental management system and fulfilled without exclusion.
ISO 14001 – Benefits
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