ISO 14001 is a standard that guides companies in implementing an effective environmental management system. Furthermore, ISO 14001 certification can assure stakeholders, employees, and the public that a company is committed to controlling its environmental impacts.
With its certified environmental auditor (CEA), Enviropass can assist you in every step of your ISO 14001 implementation and maintenance. We perform regulatory monitoring and environmental compliance audits (ECA) across the USA and Canada.
The ISO 14001 Environmental Management System (EMS) can be implemented in virtually any organization to manage environmental aspects. Before earning the ISO 14001 certification from an external auditor, you must comply with every applicable section of the ISO 14001 standard.
Thanks to the support of its Certified Environmental Auditor (CEA) by the AQVE, Enviropass can help you implement, maintain, or audit your environmental management system every step of the way in the following fields:
In short, ISO is an international organization located in Geneva, Switzerland. Its mission is to provide standards of the best-recognized practices to various industries worldwide. The objective is to enhance transparency, trust, and trade worldwide.
The ISO 14000 family focuses on environmental management. The ISO 14001 standard of the family is probably the best known.
Specifically, ISO 14001 – Environmental management systems – gives practical guidance on organizations’ environmental aspects and impacts.
Various organizations have implemented ISO 14001 environmental management systems worldwide: manufacturers, service providers, farms… even municipalities!
Just like ISO 9001 on quality, ISO 14001 follows the Deming Wheel principles, with the P-D-C-A approach:
With ISO 14001, apply the PDCA system to the environmental interactions of the organization.
Chiefly, the 4 PDCA steps are iterative and tend to the organization’s continuous improvement. They apply to its activities, products, and services within a predefined scope.
To comply with the ISO 14001 standard, the organization should, among other elements, achieve the following milestones:
Above all, the environmental aspects are the backbone of an ISO 14001 Environmental Management System.
Namely, environmental aspects describe the interaction of the organization with at least one of the environmental elements, which are:
Significantly, an environmental aspect must cause at least one impact and be well detailed for all an organization’s activities, sub-activities, and tasks, in every type of situation: normal, abnormal, or an emergency. Some of these activities are temporary, while others are permanent.
Here is a non-exhaustive list of activities to consider when listing environmental aspects:
Once listed, the environmental aspects of every activity are associated with their environmental impacts. Typically, companies manage them via a so-called aspects matrix, which shows:
The Annex A of ISO 14004 standard – Environmental management systems — General guidelines on implementation gives insightful examples of the aspects in a matrix.
The environmental aspects must also cover:
Considering the finished goods is particularly important if the organization is a manufacturer of any type.
Interestingly, the latest version of the ISO 14001 standard requires that you consider the product life cycle (PLC). The idea here is to evaluate every environmental impact that stems from a specific product, throughout its life.
To illustrate, here is an example of electronic equipment, showing how PLC is related to environmental aspects:
Stages of life (examples) | Associated requirements (examples) |
|---|---|
Design | |
Choice of materials | |
Materials extraction | |
Parts production and assembly | Environmental certificates of authorization |
Finished product use | |
Final disposal |
Enviropass has developed unique expertise in the ISO 14001 certification and product requirements like RoHS and REACH.
Ask for a free online Enviropass consultation!
Three types of audits are required to maintain a certified ISO 14001 environmental management system:
Note that businesses must conduct these audits periodically, and auditors should meet the highest standards, such as:
Such standards provide principles and guidance on how to conduct an environmental audit.
Enviropass can assist you with a Certified Environmental Auditor. Contact Enviropass!
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