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ISO 14001 is an international standard created and published by the ISO organisation (for more information about ISO refer to our “What is ISO“ blog)

According to ISO – “A standard is a document that provides requirements, specifications, guidelines or characteristics that can be used consistently to ensure that materials, products, processes and services are fit for their purpose”. Most ISO Standards relate to technical product compliance. However the most popular standards are the management related standards of which ISO 14001 is the second most important, with over 300,000 Certified organisations worldwide.

ISO 14001 title is “Environmental management systems – Requirements with guidance for use”. The Standard is intended to provide organisations with the elements of an effective environmental management system (EMS). The Standard is to support environmental protection and prevent pollution in balance with socio-economic needs. The Standard can be used both by Companies to manage better their Environmental impact but also by Assessors from Certification Bodies.

Any organisation needs to meet its environmental and legal requirements consistently to survive and hopefully flourish long-term. ISO 14001 significantly assists this by:

• Identifying legal & other requirements
• Assessing the impact of Company operations and determining appropriate controls both for normal operations and for emergency / incidents
• Identifying and implementing improvements
• Monitoring against the Organisation’s environmental targets and aims
• Externally checked by Assessor from a Certification Body like BSI or NQA or TUV

To find out more and find out how ISO 14001 could benefit your business, please contact us or download Steps to Accreditation.