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EMS Lesson 3

ISO and ISO 14001 establish standards for environmental management systems to help organizations improve environmental performance. ISO 14001:2015 specifies requirements, including making environmental management a strategic priority, gaining leadership commitment, implementing proactive initiatives, and considering life cycles. It aims to enhance environmental performance, comply with regulations, and achieve objectives. The updated standard facilitates integrating environmental management into other systems and responding to trends like climate change.

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108 views3 pages

EMS Lesson 3

ISO and ISO 14001 establish standards for environmental management systems to help organizations improve environmental performance. ISO 14001:2015 specifies requirements, including making environmental management a strategic priority, gaining leadership commitment, implementing proactive initiatives, and considering life cycles. It aims to enhance environmental performance, comply with regulations, and achieve objectives. The updated standard facilitates integrating environmental management into other systems and responding to trends like climate change.

Uploaded by

Joey Klifford
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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LESSON 3

ISO 14001 AS AN INTERNATIONAL STANDARD FOR EMS

TOPICS
1. What are ISO and ISO 14001?
2. ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management System - Requirements

LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
1. Describe ISO and ISO 14001; and
2. Enumerate and explain the different requirements for ISO
14001:2015.

TOPIC 1: WHAT ARE ISO AND ISO 14001?

ISO means International Standards Organization or International Organization for


Standardization. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a worldwide
federation of national standards bodies from some 140 countries, one from each
country. ISO is responsible for the development of ISO 14001.
ISO 14001 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.
ISO 14001:2015 specifies the requirements for an environmental management
system that an organization can use to enhance its environmental performance. ISO
14001:2015 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.
ISO 14001:2015 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
include:

 enhancement of environmental performance;


 fulfilment of compliance obligations;
 achievement of environmental objectives.
ISO 14001:2015 is applicable to any organization, regardless of size, type and
nature, 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. ISO 14001:2015 does not state specific environmental performance criteria.

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ISO 14001:2015 can be used in whole or in part to systematically improve
environmental management. Claims of conformity to ISO 14001:2015, however, are not
acceptable unless all its requirements are incorporated into an organization’s
environmental management system and fulfilled without exclusion.
Other ISO standards that look at different types of management systems, such as
ISO 9001 for quality management and ISO 45001 for occupational health and safety, all
use a High-Level Structure. This means that ISO 14001 can be integrated easily into any
existing ISO management system. ISO 14001 is suitable for organizations of all types and
sizes, be they private, not-for-profit or governmental. It requires that an organization
considers all environmental issues relevant to its operations, such as air pollution, water
and sewage issues, waste management, soil contamination, climate change mitigation
and adaptation, and resource use and efficiency. Like all ISO management system
standards, ISO 14001 includes the need for continual improvement of an organization’s
systems and approach to environmental concerns. The standard has recently been
revised, with key improvements such as the increased prominence of environmental
management within the organization’s strategic planning processes, greater input from
leadership and a stronger commitment to proactive initiatives that boost environmental
performance.
All ISO standards are reviewed and revised regularly to make sure they remain
relevant to the marketplace. ISO 14001:2015 will respond to the latest trends, including
the increasing recognition by companies of the need to factor in both external and
internal elements that influence their environmental impact, such as climate volatility
and the competitive context in which they work. The changes also ensure that the
standard is compatible with other management system standards.

TOPIC 2: ISO 14001:2015 REQUIREMENTS

ISO 14001:2015 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, such as sustainable resource use and climate change mitigation
• A focus on life-cycle thinking to ensure consideration of environmental aspects
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.
A number of resources, including the ISO 14001 checklist for small business,
provide detailed guidance on how to use the standard, but here are a few tips to get you
started:
Tip 1 – Define your objectives. What do you want to achieve with this standard?

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Tip 2 – Get the buy-in from senior management. It is essential that the leaders of your
organization support the objectives of an effective environmental management system
and are committed to the process.
Tip 3 – Get a good overview of existing processes and systems that are relevant to your
environmental impact. This will form the basis of your environmental management
system and allow you to more easily identify any gaps.
The ISO 14000 family comprises a number of standards that complement ISO
14001, some of which are listed below. You can also find more information in the
brochure Environmental management – The ISO 14000 family of International
Standards, a basic introduction to the ISO 14000 series of standards.
• ISO 14004 provides guidance on the establishment, implementation,
maintenance and improvement of an environmental management system and its
coordination with other management systems.
• ISO 14006 is intended to be used by those organizations that have
implemented an environmental management system in accordance with ISO 14001, but
can help integrate eco-design into other management systems.
• ISO 14064-1 specifies principles and requirements at the organizational level
for the quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and removal.

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