ISO 14001:2015: Environmental management systems — Requirements with guidance for use
ISO 14001:2015 is an International Standard published from ISO which specifies the requirements for an environmental management system that any organization can use to implement into its system and enhance its environmental performance.
ISO 14001:2015, the EMS standard is intended for use by any organization seeking to manage its environmental responsibilities in a systematic manner that contributes to the environmental pillar of sustainability.
Getting ISO 14001:2015 Certification from Euro Veritas, UK (accreditated from BAR-UK) helps an organization achieve the intended outcomes of its environmental management system, which provide value for the environment, the organization itself and all relevant interested parties.
Consistent with the organization's environmental policy, the intended outcomes of an environmental management system as per ISO 14001:2015 includes:
• enhancement of environmental performance;
• fulfilment of compliance obligations;
• achievement of environmental objectives.
ISO 14001:2015 is actually applicable to any organization, regardless of size, type, complexity of processes 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. ISO 14001:2015 does not state specific environmental performance criteria.
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 (this means that all clause are applicable, and there are no exclusions permitted) are incorporated into an organization's environmental management system and fulfilled without exclusion.
ISO 14001 Version 2015 is an internationally agreed standard that sets out the requirements for an environmental management system. It helps organizations to conduct Environmental Aspect / Impact analysis and hence improve their environmental performance through more efficient use of resources and reduction of waste, gaining a competitive advantage and the trust of all relevant interested parties.
What is an environmental management system?
An environmental management system wrt. ISO 14001:2015 helps organizations identify, manage, monitor and control their environmental issues in a “holistic” manner. ISO 14001:2015 standard like 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- Annex SL. This means that ISO 14001:2015 can be integrated easily into any existing ISO management system. ISO 14001:2015 is suitable for organizations of all types and sizes, be they private, not-for-profit or governmental, anyone who has any relation with Land, Air or Water. It requires that the 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.
ISO 14001:2015 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 and prevent 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
What benefits will it bring to your business or organization?
As per the experience of Euro Veritas, UK (accreditated from BAR-UK), there can be many reasons why an organization should take a strategic approach to improving its environmental performance. Users of the standard have reported that ISO 14001:2015 helps:
• Demonstrate compliance with current and future statutory and regulatory requirements
• Prevent Pollution
• Conduct Environmental Aspects and Impacts Analysis
• Increase leadership accountabilities and involvement and engagement of employees
• Improve company reputation and the confidence of stakeholders through strategic communication
• Achieve strategic business aims by incorporating environmental issues into business management
• Provide a competitive and financial advantage through improved efficiencies and reduced costs
• Encourage better environmental performance of suppliers by integrating them into the organization’s business systems
• 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- regulatory & statutory requirements
• Increase stakeholder and customer trust
• Improve overall environmental impact
• Manage environmental obligations with consistency
Should I be certified to ISO 14001 ?
Accredited certification to ISO 14001:2015 from Euro Veritas, UK (accreditated from BAR-UK) is not a requirement, and organizations can get many benefits from using the standard without going through the accredited certification process. However, third-party certification – where an independent certification body eg. Euro Veritas, UK (accreditated from BAR-UK) audits your practices against the requirements of the standard – is a way of signaling to your buyers, customers, suppliers and other stakeholders that you have implemented the standard properly. What’s more, for some organizations, it helps to show how you meet National Environmental Laws and regulatory or contractual requirements.
How do I get started with ISO 14001:2015?
Tip 1 – Define your objectives. What do you want to achieve with this standard?
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.
Tip 4 – Check if your industry already has this standard- with some of your competitors.
Tip 5 – Hire a Consultant to do the following:
• Documentation- Manuals, Procedures etc
• Aspect / Impact Analysis and Risk / Opportunity Assessment
• Training to personnel
• Guidance towards Implementing the standard
• Documentation and Implementation of Operational Controls
• Conducting an Internal Audit
• Conducting a MRM
Tip 6 – Call Euro Veritas, UK (accreditated from BAR-UK) to conduct the audit and get certified.
ISO 14000 FAMILY OF STANDARDS
ISO 14001 is the most popular standard of the ISO 14000 family, which also includes standards such as the following:
• ISO 14004:2016 - Environmental Management Systems - General Guidelines On Implementation
• ISO 14006:2011 - Environmental Management Systems - Guidelines For Incorporating Eco-design
• ISO 14015:2001 - Environmental Management - Environmental Assessment Of Sites And Organizations (EASO)
• ISO 14020:2000 - Environmental Labels And Declarations - General Principles
• ISO 14031:2013 - Environmental Management - Environmental Performance Evaluation - Guidelines
• ISO 14040:2006 - Environmental Management - Life Cycle Assessment - Principles And Framework
• ISO 14050:2009 - Environmental Management - Vocabulary
• ISO 14063:2006 - Environmental Management - Environmental Communication - Guidelines And Examples
• ISO 14064-1:2018 - Greenhouse Gases Part 1
• ISO 19011:2018 - Guidelines For Auditing Management Systems
Mandatory documents and records required by ISO 14001:2015- Some of the mandatory documents required by ISO 14001:2015 include:
• Scope of the EMS (clause 4.3)
• Environmental policy (clause 5.2)
• Risk and opportunities to be addressed and processes needed (clause 6.1.1)
• Criteria for evaluation of significant environmental aspects (clause 6.1.2)
• Environmental aspects with associated environmental impacts (clause 6.1.2)
• Significant environmental aspects (clause 6.1.2)
• Environmental objectives and plans for achieving them (clause 6.2)
• Operational control (clause 8.1)
• Emergency preparedness and response (clause 8.2)
Some Mandatory records include:
• Compliance obligations record (clause 6.1.3)
• Records of training, skills, experience and qualifications (clause 7.2)
• Evidence of communication (clause 7.4)
• Monitoring and measurement results (clause 9.1.1)
• Internal audit program (clause 9.2)
• Results of internal audits (clause 9.2)
• Results of the management review (clause 9.3)
• Results of corrective actions (clause 10.1)
Some examples of Non-mandatory documents might include:
• Procedure for determining context of the organization and interested parties (clauses 4.1 and 4.2)
• Procedure for identification and evaluation of environmental aspects and risks (clauses 6.1.1 and 6.1.2)
• Competence, training and awareness procedure (clauses 7.2 and 7.3)
• Procedure for communication (clause 7.4)
• Procedure for document and record control (clause 7.5)
• Procedure for internal audit (clause 9.2)
• Procedure for management review (clause 9.3)
• Procedure for management of nonconformities and corrective actions (clause 10.2)
What are the practical steps to becoming ISO 14001 certified from Euro Veritas, UK (accreditated from BAR-UK)?
What is ISO 14001:2015 certification? There are two types of certification: certification of a company’s environmental management system against the ISO 14001 requirements, and certification of individuals (as Auditors, or Lead Auditors) to be able to audit against the ISO 14001:2015 requirements. This section discussed the steps for a company to implement an ISO 14001 environmental management system and have it certified.
ISO 14001 certification for your company from Euro Veritas, UK (accreditated from BAR-UK) involves implementing an EMS based on the ISO 14001:2015 requirements taking help from a reputed consultant- (Contact Euro Veritas, UK (accreditated from BAR-UK) for a list of approved consultants in your area), and then hiring a recognized certification body like Euro Veritas, UK (accreditated from BAR-UK) to audit and approve your EMS as meeting the requirements of the ISO 14001 standard.
Starting with all levels of management support and identifying the legal requirements for the EMS, you will need to start with defining your environmental policy, environmental aspects, and environmental objectives and targets, which together define the overall scope and implementation of the environmental management system. Along with these, you will need to create the mandatory and additional processes and procedures necessary for your organization’s operations. There are several mandatory processes that need to be included, and others to be added as the company finds them necessary.
This creation of documents and records can be done internally by your company, or you can get help through hiring a consultant or purchasing standard documentation.
Once all of the processes and procedures are in place, you will need to operate the EMS for a period of time. By doing this, you will be able to collect the records necessary to go to the next steps: auditing and reviewing your system and becoming certified.
