Compliance withISO 14000 certificationseries highlights adherence with environmental management standards developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ISO one of the world's principal voluntary standards development bodies. The ISO 14000 certification standards are designed to provide an internationally recognized framework for environmental management, measurement, evaluation and auditing.
International Standards- ISO 14001 intended to provide organizations with the elements of an effective environmental management system (EMS) that can be integrated with other management requirements and help organizations to achieve environmental and economic goals
This International Standard specifies requirements for an environmental management system to enable an organization to develop and implement a policy and objectives which take into account legal requirements and information about significant environmental aspects. It is intended to apply to all types and sizes of organization and to accommodate diverse geographical, cultural and social conditions. The overall aim of this International Standard is to support environmental protection and prevention of pollution in balance with socio-economic needs.
What’s in ISO 14001:
General requirements
Environmental policy
Planning implementation and operation
Checking and corrective action
Management review
This means you can identify aspects of your business that impact on the environment and understand those environmental laws that are relevant to your situation. The next step is to produce objectives for improvement and a management programme to achieve them, with regular reviews for continual improvement. We can then periodically assess the system and, if compliant, register your company or site to ISO 14001.
Who is it relevant to?
Environmental impact is becoming an increasingly important issue across the globe, with pressure to minimize that impact coming from a number of sources: local and national governments, regulators, trade associations, customers, employees and shareholders. Social pressures are also building up from the growing array of interested parties, such as consumer, environmental and minority non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academia and neighbors.
So ISO 14001 is relevant to every organization, including:
Single site to large multi-national companies
High risk companies to low risk service organizations
Manufacturing, process and the service industries; including local governments
All industry sectors including public and private sectors
Original equipment manufacturers and their suppliers
This International Standard is based on the methodology known as Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA). PDCA can be briefly described as follows.
Plan :establish the objectives and processes necessary to deliver results in accordance with the organization's environmental policy.
Do :implement the processes.
Check :monitor and measure processes against environmental policy, objectives, targets, legal and other requirements, and report the results.
Act :take actions to continually improve performance of the environmental management system to achieve ISO 14001 organizations requires followings-
Establish an appropriate environmental policy.
Identify the environmental aspects arising from the organizations past, existing or planned activities, products and services, in order to determine the environmental impacts of significance.
Identify applicable legal requirements and other requirements, to which the organization subscribes.
Identify priorities and set appropriate environmental objectives and targets.
Establish a structure and programs to implement the policy and achieve objectives and meet targets.
Facilitate planning, control, monitoring, preventive and corrective actions, auditing and review activities to ensure both that the policy is complied with and that the environmental management system remains appropriate Be capable of adapting to changing circumstances.
Benefits
Advantages of ISO 14001
-Process improvement -Environmental cost reduction -Better relationships with regulators -Better relationships with insurers, investors, and financial markets -Product improvement -Marketing advantages -Better control of liabilities -Regulatory burden -Protection of company image and name -Demonstration of responsible management
Certifying your company's environmental management system to ISO 14001 means that a third party has assessed that it meets the requirements set out in the standard.
Certification to ISO 14001 allows you to:
Demonstrate a commitment to achieving legal and regulatory compliance to regulators and government
Demonstrate your environmental commitment to stakeholders
Demonstrate an innovative and forward thinking approach to customers and prospective employees
Increase your access to new customers and business partners
Better manage your environmental risks, now and in the future
Potentially reduce public liability insurance costs
Enhance your reputation
For particular industries, pressure is now being exerted by many large organizations, such as original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) who expect their suppliers to adopt environmentally-friendly practices and may mandate ISO 14001 certification as a licence to operate.
If you want to take the implementation and certification of an EMS slowly, the BS 8555 STEMS scheme allows you to phase the management system in and assess how you’re performing at each step on the path. Once completed, it still results in achieving ISO 14001 certification.
Steps to Certification
Implementing a management system of any kind is a significant undertaking for any organization. However, there are some common tools you can use and a common process to follow during implementation and the route towards certification.
We offer a comprehensive range of services to help businesses understand and implement the internationally recognized environmental standard ISO 14001. These build on the requirements of ISO 14001 by breaking down the requirements into manageable steps:
1. Choose the standard Initially you should read ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems - Specification with guidance for use. Download our free guidance document for your immediate reference. Talk to us - we can provide you with information and support in finding the right solution for your company.
2. Develop your environmental policy Your environmental policy will state your commitment to compliance with legal and regulatory demands, continual improvement and the prevention of pollution. You should make this policy available to your customers and the public.
3. Review and produce objectives At this stage you should identify the elements of your business that impact on the environment, establish access to relevant environmental legislation and regulations and produce objectives and targets for environmental improvement and a management programme to achieve them.
4. Workshops and Consulting Once you have assembled a team and agreed your strategy it’s crucial to get understanding and involvement from the top down. Our workshops offer a comprehensive program of courses for each key step, which can be tailored to a company’s size and needs. 5. Implementation and assessment As an accredited certification body our Client Managers can check in with you at key stages to ensure your implementation is running smoothly and to identify any gaps or areas for improvement. The initial registration to ISO 14001 involves a two-stage assessment process, including a document review and a site visit. You should arrange the initial assessment with your registrar. It's often a good idea to include a pre-assessment, designed to act as a practice assessment. Following the two-stage initial assessment, the assessor will determine whether you should be recommended for registration.
6. Certification and beyond Once the assessment has been successfully completed, you will receive a certificate of registration, clearly explaining the scope of your management system. The certificate is valid for three years, and your assessor will visit you regularly to help you make sure you remain compliant, and support you in the continual improvement of your systems.
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