ISO 14001 is the international standard for environmental management systems (EMS) and the most widely used EMS in the world, with over 360,000 ISO 14001 certificates issued globally.
ISO 14001 is the principal management system standard which specifies the requirements for the formulation and maintenance of an EMS. This helps to control your environmental aspects, reduce impacts and ensure legal compliance. Studies show that as much as 70% of total office waste is recyclable; however, only 7.5% reaches the recycling facility.
ISO 14001 is accompanied by ISO 14004 Environmental Management Systems – General Guidelines on principles, systems and support techniques. The standard covers issues such as the establishment, implementation, maintenance and improvement of an EMS.
Nearly any business can benefit from achieving certification to ISO 14001 standards. The certification is broad enough to offer significant benefits to organizations in any industry or sector, while still providing a specific framework for implementing relevant sustainable practices.
ISO 14001 has seen a 5.5% increase in worldwide certificates in 2020, showing the growth and importance of UKAS accredited certification in recent times. Statistics straight from the most recent
Benefits of Implementation
All “management ISO’s” have a similar fundamental benefit. They provide a framework of action that; if implemented appropriately, provides internal control. In the case of ISO 14001 the execution of the standard provides control for an organization’s activities, products or services and the interaction with the environment. This, in turn can increase the long term viability of the organization and where appropriate a higher regard for its asset value.
Whilst their other numerous benefits to achieving ISO 14001 (and some will be more appropriate depending upon what sector an organization operates) the following benefits are likely in most cases:
DEMONSTRATION OF LEADERSHIP
By testing environmental controls against the internationally recognized environmental Standard, an organization demonstrates ethical environmental leadership to their Stakeholders which includes customers, employees and Regulators.
The achievement of 14001 also provides assurance to a Board of Directors, Trustees or owners that there is management control regarding environmental risks inherent within an organization.
ECONOMIC BENEFIT
In a global market place where all sectors have to compete in some form or other, demonstration of ethical environmental leadership through “good environmental stewardship”, can be the deciding factor for being selected to supply the goods or services that an organization provides.
Having ISO 14001 also may give a Unique Selling Point (USP) that increasingly provides one of the fundamentals when promoting an organization. A fundamental part of the Standard is conformance to appropriate environmental regulatory requirements or other obligations that are deemed as important as a regulatory requirement.
A system which checks on adherence to legislation mitigates the risk of environmental liability prosecution. Whilst this is not a direct saving to an organization, the outcome of unregulated activities that deleteriously affect the environment will result in ever increasing fines.
Most organizations or businesses consume resources of one form or another. Whilst the Standard doesn’t direct an organization to measure something specifically, examining the resources that are consumed, for example energy, together with waste produced can lead to changes in use and fundamental savings.
INTERNAL AUDIT AND MANAGEMENT REVIEW
ISO 14001 provides the framework to check what controls have been put into place through the use of internal audit and provides a way in which to monitor and improve. A Management Review process then allows Top Management to take a “step back” and determine how well the system is working within the context of the organization and whether it requires modification to meet future changes in a process, resources or regulatory framework.
Internal audits and Management Reviews when combined with an audit from a certification body, such as NQA, provide assurance that the EMS is meeting the requirements of the organization and the ISO 14001 Standard.
Risk Based Thinking/Audits
The Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle for process improvement, as described above, corresponds to proven risk management approaches. Many organizations have the process of risk management as a fundamental process particularly around information technology, finance and occupational health and safety.
CONTEXT
The first step of implementing an EMS, as described below, is to gain an understanding the “context” of the organization or, paraphrasing, the macro issues that affect and are affected by an organization. As an organization is subject to a variety of influences, which can change, this can lead to risks in the form of potential threats and opportunities. Determining the risks that derive from this drives an organization to consider such changes or events, analyse their impacts and chances of an event occurring and then encouraging a planning or mitigation strategy.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS AND OPERATIONAL CONTROL
Following the determination of the macro issues, 14001 asks an organization to determine the aspects and impacts of activities, products and services in some form of risk assessment process. This analysis informs an organization where there are significant issues (risks or opportunities) that need careful management, where objectives need setting, controls that need designing or where and to what frequency internal audits need carrying out.
PLANNING - COMPLIANCE OBLIGATIONS
Surrounding the determination of aspects and impacts is the assessment of whether an organization is complying with their legal framework. The concept of maintaining knowledge and understanding of its compliance status has built in risk assessment principles so that an organization can determine its compliance status and, per se, understand where it is not
complying and therefore devise strategies to minimise the risk.
PLANNING - RISK AND OPPORTUNITIES
Those organizations that need further assistance in ensuring that their risk assessment process is comprehensive can look towards ISO 31000 Risk management - Principles and guidelines. This provides generic guidelines although it is not intended to promote uniformity of risk management across organizations. Of course, the design and implementation of risk management plans and frameworks will need to take into account the varying needs of a specific organization, its
particular objectives, context, structure, operations, processes, functions, projects, products, services, or assets and specific practices employed.
CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT
A risk based philosophy means that an organization can be better prepared for the impacts of uncertainty, which in turn means greater resilience. Moreover, risk-based thinking implicitly results in continual improvement, as an organization is always examining potential influences and changes.
Process Based Thinking/Audits
Some organizations that implement an EMS will look to integrate it with their Quality Management System (QMS). If this is the case, they will have heard of “process based” thinking. However, if not, it might be less understood how the process approach is applicable to the EMS requirements in ISO 14001:2015.
The ISO 9001 requirements for a QMS are founded on seven quality management principles, and one of these is the “process approach”. It is explained fully in the introduction of ISO 9001:2015, but as a paraphrased summation; a process approach is where more consistent results can be attained when consideration and management of activities are carried out as interrelated processes, which together, make up a system.
The process approach applies to an EMS because a comprehensive appreciation of an organizations processes and their interrelation needs to be known. The following are the main areas in an EMS where process thinking is attributable:
- Context
A comprehensive appreciation of processes needs to be understood when considering the macro environmental issues which interrelate between the organization and the environment.
- Environmental aspects and operational controls
In order to determine environmental aspects and impacts, risks and opportunities, an analysis of the inputs, activities and outputs needs to be determined. As part of the analysis the interactivity of one or more of the processes may need to be taken into account. If it is not, this environmental risk assessment may omit environmental aspects and impacts which in turn would result in no controls being devised. This could result in a deleterious impact upon the environment.
- Performance and monitoring
In order to determine how successful a process is the result of the process (good/bad) needs to be evaluated.
- Support/competence
In order to undertake a process, or a number of processes effectively, a person needs to be competent. When determining environmental competence needs, competence will need to be obtained or matched to the needs of the particular processes. If competence is not proven or appropriate to a particular process this could result in adverse environmental impact.
- Internal audit
The processes which comprise the EMS need to be systematically audited over a time and frequency to determine whether they perform effectively.
- Corrective action
A corrective action is an opportunity to correct a problem identified in an EMS. A process approach to this will start at root cause and finish at an appropriate and satisfactory sustainable solution.
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