ISO 14001 Standard

1. ISO 14000 Control of documents

ISO 14000 Control of documents

Control of environmental management system documents is important to ensure

2. Possible information sources for determining environmental aspects and environmental impacts

Possible information sources for determining environmental aspects and environmental impacts

3. Initial environmental review

An organization with no existing environmental management system should assess its current position with regard to the environment by means of a review. The aim of this review should be to consider the environmental aspects of the organization’s activities, products and services as a basis for establishing its environmental management system.

4. Methods of examining existing environmental management

Methods that can be used to examine existing environmental management practices and procedures include:

5. Environmental policy

An environmental policy establishes the principles of action for an organization. It sets the level of environmental responsibility and performance required of the organization, against which all subsequent actions will be judged. The policy should be appropriate to the environmental.

6. Prevention of pollution solutions

Prevention of pollution can be incorporated into the design and development of new products and services, as well as into the development of associated processes. Such strategies can, for example, help an organization to conserve resources and reduce waste and emissions associated with products and services.

7. Instructions of environmental policy

Instructions of environmental policy
The environmental policy should recognize that all activities, products and services within the defined scope of an organization’s environmental management system can cause impacts on the environment.

8. ISO 14000 Planning

Planning is critical to the fulfillment of an organization’s environmental policy and the establishment, implementation, and maintenance of its environmental managementsystem. An organization should have a planning process that includes the following elements:

9. Identifying environmental aspects

To identify and have an understanding of its environmental aspects, an organization should collect quantitative and/or qualitative data on the characteristics of its activities, products and services such as inputs and outputs of materials or energy, processes andtechnology used, facilities and locations, transportation methods and human factors.

10. Determining significant environmental aspects

Significance is a relative concept; it cannot be defined in absolute terms. What is significant for one organization may not be significant for another. Evaluating significance involves applying both technical analysis and judgment by the organization.

11. Legal requirements

Legal requirements of ISO 14000
Legal requirements refer broadly to any requirement or authorization that is related to an organization’s environmental aspects as issued by a governmental authority (including international, national, state/provincial and local authorities) and has legal force.

12. Other requirements

Depending on its circumstances and needs, an organization may subscribe voluntarily to requirements, other than legal requirements, that apply to the environmental aspects of its activities, products and services. Such other environmental requirements, if applicable, can include

13. Setting objectives and targets

In setting objectives and targets, an organization should consider several inputs.

14. Performance indicators

Performance indicators of ISO 14000 (KPIs)
Progress towards an objective can generally be measured using environmental performance indicators.

15. Environmental responsibilities of management levels

1. Establish overall direction
2. Develop environmental policy
3. Develop environmental objectives, targets and programs
4. Monitor overall environmental management system performance
5. Assure compliance with applicable legal
6. requirements and other requirements to which the organization subscribes

16. ISO 14000 communication

1. General guidance — Communication
An organization should establish, implement and maintain procedures for communicating internally and externally on its environmental policy, performance or other information, based on its own needs and the needs of interested parties.

17. Environmental training

Types of training include raising awareness of the importance of environmental management.

18. ISO 14000 Documentation

a) statements of policy, objectives and targets,
b) description of the scope of the environmental management system,
c) descriptions of programs and responsibilities,
d) information on significant environmental aspects,
e) procedures,

19. Operational control of ISO 14000

An organization needs to apply some type of operational controls to meet its environmental policy commitments, achieve its objectives and targets, comply with applicable legal requirements and other requirements to which the organization subscribes and manage its significant environmental aspects.

20. Emergency preparedness and response

It is the responsibility of each organization to establish (an) emergency preparedness and response procedure(s) that suits its own particular needs.

21. Monitoring and measurement

An organization should have a systematic approach for measuring and monitoring its environmental performance on a regular basis. Monitoring involves collecting information, such as measurements or observations, over time. Measurements can be either quantitative or qualitative.

22. Evaluation of compliance

ISO 14000 Evaluation of compliance
An organization should establish, implement and maintain a procedure for periodically evaluating its compliance with the legal requirements that are applicable to its environmental aspects, as part of its commitment to compliance. The organization should record the results of this evaluation.

23. Control of records

Records provide evidence of the ongoing operation and results of the environmental management system. A
key characteristic of records is that they are permanent and are, typically, not revised.

24. Review of the environmental management system

An organization’s top management should, at intervals that it determines, conduct a review of its environmental management system to evaluate the system’s continuing suitability, adequacy and effectiveness. This review should cover the environmental aspects of activities, products and services that are within the scope of the environmental management system.

25. ISO 14000 Opportunities for improvement

An organization should continually evaluate its environmental performance and the performance of its environmental management system processes to identify opportunities for improvement. Top management should be involved directly in this evaluation through the management review process

ISO 14000 & Environment

International ISO standards facilitate trade, spread knowledge, and share technological advances and good management practices.

Published under the designation of International Standards, ISO standards represent an international consensus on the state of the art in the technology or good practice concerned.

ISO has a multi-faceted approach to meeting the needs of all stakeholders from business, industry, governmental authorities and nongovernmental organizations, as well as consumers, in the field of the environment. ISO has developed:

1. Standards that help organizations to take a proactive approach to managing environmental issues: the ISO 14000 family of environmental management standards which can be implemented in any type of organization in either public or private sectors – from companies to administrations to public utilities.

2. ISO is helping to meet the challenges of climate change with standards for greenhouse gas accounting, verification and emissions trading, and for measuring the carbon footprint of products.

3. ISO develops normative documents to facilitate the fusion of business and environmental goals by encouraging the inclusion of environmental aspects in product design.

4. ISO offers a wide-ranging portfolio of standards for sampling and test methods to deal with specific environmental challenges. It has developed some 570 International Standards for the monitoring of such aspects as the quality of air, water and the soil, as well as noise, radiation, and for controlling the transport of dangerous goods. They also serve in a number of countries as the technical basis for environmental regulations.

Organizations around the world, as well as their stakeholders, are becoming increasingly aware of the need for environmental management, socially responsible behavior, and sustainable growth and development.

Accordingly, as the proactive management of environmental aspects converges with enterprise risk management, corporate governance, and sound operational and financial practices and performance, International Standards are becoming increasingly important for organizations to work towards common and comparable environmental management practices to support the sustainability of their organizations, products, and services.

Furthermore, governments and regulatory bodies are increasingly looking to ISO standards to provide a framework to ensure alignment and consistency both nationally and internationally.

ISO International Standards and related normative documents provide consumers, regulators and organizations in both public and private sectors with environmental tools with the following characteristics:

- Technically credible as ISO standards represent the sum of knowledge of a broad pool of international expertise and stakeholders

- Fulfill stakeholder needs as the ISO standards development process is based on international input and consensus

- Facilitate the development of uniform requirements as the ISO standards development process is built on participation by its national member institutes from all regions of the world

- Promote efficiencies when the same standards are implemented across markets, sectors, and/or jurisdictions

- Support regulatory compliance when the standards are used to meet market and regulatory needs

- Enhance investor confidence because the standards can be used for conformity assessment such as by audit, inspection or certification. This enhances confidence in products, services and systems that can be demonstrated to conform to ISO standards and provides practical support for regulation.

ISO standards developed for Environmental Management covers the following areas:

• Environmental management systems

• Environmental auditing and related environmental investigations

• Environmental performance evaluation

• Environmental labelling

• Life cycle assessment

• Environmental communication

• Environmental aspects of product design and development

• Environmental aspects in product standards

• Terms and definitions

• Greenhouse gas management and related activities

• Measuring the carbon footprint of products.

The ISO 14000 family of standards reflects international consensus on good environmental and business practice that can be applied by organizations all over the world in their specific context. The ISO family of standards includes:

- ISO 14001 is the world’s most recognized framework for environmental management systems (EMS) -that helps organizations to manage better the impact of their activities on the environment and to demonstrate sound environmental management. ISO 14001 has been adopted as a national standard by more than half of the 160 national members of ISO and its use is encouraged by governments around the world.

- ISO 14004, which complements ISO 14001 by providing additional guidance and useful explanations.

- Environmental audits are important tools for assessing whether an EMS is properly implemented and maintained. The auditing standard, ISO 19011, is equally useful for EMS and quality management system audits. It provides guidance on principles of auditing, managing audit programmes, the conduct of audits and on the competence of auditors.

- ISO 14031 provides guidance on how an organization can evaluate its environmental performance. The standard also addresses the selection of suitable performance indicators, so that performance can be assessed against criteria set by management. This information can be used as a basis for internal and external reporting on environmental performance.

- The ISO 14020 series of standards addresses a range of different approaches to environmental labels and declarations, including eco-labels (seals of approval), self-declared environmental claims, and quantified environmental information about products and services.

- ISO 14001 addresses not only the environmental aspects of an organization’s processes, but also those of its products and services. Therefore ISO has developed additional tools to assist in addressing such aspects. Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a tool for identifying and evaluating the environmental aspects of products and services from the “cradle to the grave”: from the extraction of resource inputs to the eventual disposal of the product or its waste. The ISO 14040 standards give guidelines on the principles and conduct of LCA studies that provide an organization with information on how to reduce the overall environmental impact of its products and services.

- ISO 14064 part 1, 2 and 3 are international greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting and verification standards which provide a set of clear and verifiable requirements to support organizations and proponents of GHG emission reduction projects.

- ISO 14065 complements ISO 14064 by specifying requirements to accredit or recognize organizational bodies that undertake GHG validation or verification using ISO 14064 or other relevant standards or specifications.

- ISO 14063 addresses environmental communication guidelines and examples, helps companies to make the important link to external stakeholders.

International ISO standards facilitate trade, spread knowledge, and share technological advances and good management practices.Published under the designation of International Standards, ISO standards represent an international consensus on the state of the art in the technology or good practice concerned.ISO has a multi-faceted approach to meeting the needs of all stakeholders from business, industry, governmental authorities and nongovernmental organizations, as well as consumers, in the field of the environment. ISO has developed:1. Standards that help organizations to take a proactive approach to managing environmental issues: the ISO 14000 family of environmental management standards which can be implemented in any type of organization in either public or private sectors – from companies to administrations to public utilities.2. ISO is helping to meet the challenges of climate change with standards for greenhouse gas accounting, verification and emissions trading, and for measuring the carbon footprint of products.3. ISO develops normative documents to facilitate the fusion of business and environmental goals by encouraging the inclusion of environmental aspects in product design.4. ISO offers a wide-ranging portfolio of standards for sampling and test methods to deal with specific environmental challenges. It has developed some 570 International Standards for the monitoring of such aspects as the quality of air, water and the soil, as well as noise, radiation, and for controlling the transport of dangerous goods. They also serve in a number of countries as the technical basis for environmental regulations.Organizations around the world, as well as their stakeholders, are becoming increasingly aware of the need for environmental management, socially responsible behavior, and sustainable growth and development.Accordingly, as the proactive management of environmental aspects converges with enterprise risk management, corporate governance, and sound operational and financial practices and performance, International Standards are becoming increasingly important for organizations to work towards common and comparable environmental management practices to support the sustainability of their organizations, products, and services.Furthermore, governments and regulatory bodies are increasingly looking to ISO standards to provide a framework to ensure alignment and consistency both nationally and internationally.ISO International Standards and related normative documents provide consumers, regulators and organizations in both public and private sectors with environmental tools with the following characteristics:- Technically credible as ISO standards represent the sum of knowledge of a broad pool of international expertise and stakeholders- Fulfill stakeholder needs as the ISO standards development process is based on international input and consensus- Facilitate the development of uniform requirements as the ISO standards development process is built on participation by its national member institutes from all regions of the world- Promote efficiencies when the same standards are implemented across markets, sectors, and/or jurisdictions- Support regulatory compliance when the standards are used to meet market and regulatory needs- Enhance investor confidence because the standards can be used for conformity assessment such as by audit, inspection or certification. This enhances confidence in products, services and systems that can be demonstrated to conform to ISO standards and provides practical support for regulation.ISO standards developed for Environmental Management covers the following areas:• Environmental management systems• Environmental auditing and related environmental investigations• Environmental performance evaluation• Environmental labelling• Life cycle assessment• Environmental communication• Environmental aspects of product design and development• Environmental aspects in product standards• Terms and definitions• Greenhouse gas management and related activities• Measuring the carbon footprint of products.The ISO 14000 family of standards reflects international consensus on good environmental and business practice that can be applied by organizations all over the world in their specific context. The ISO family of standards includes:- ISO 14001 is the world’s most recognized framework for environmental management systems (EMS) -that helps organizations to manage better the impact of their activities on the environment and to demonstrate sound environmental management. ISO 14001 has been adopted as a national standard by more than half of the 160 national members of ISO and its use is encouraged by governments around the world.- ISO 14004, which complements ISO 14001 by providing additional guidance and useful explanations.- Environmental audits are important tools for assessing whether an EMS is properly implemented and maintained. The auditing standard, ISO 19011, is equally useful for EMS and quality management system audits. It provides guidance on principles of auditing, managing audit programmes, the conduct of audits and on the competence of auditors.- ISO 14031 provides guidance on how an organization can evaluate its environmental performance. The standard also addresses the selection of suitable performance indicators, so that performance can be assessed against criteria set by management. This information can be used as a basis for internal and external reporting on environmental performance.- The ISO 14020 series of standards addresses a range of different approaches to environmental labels and declarations, including eco-labels (seals of approval), self-declared environmental claims, and quantified environmental information about products and services.- ISO 14001 addresses not only the environmental aspects of an organization’s processes, but also those of its products and services. Therefore ISO has developed additional tools to assist in addressing such aspects. Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a tool for identifying and evaluating the environmental aspects of products and services from the “cradle to the grave”: from the extraction of resource inputs to the eventual disposal of the product or its waste. The ISO 14040 standards give guidelines on the principles and conduct of LCA studies that provide an organization with information on how to reduce the overall environmental impact of its products and services.- ISO 14064 part 1, 2 and 3 are international greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting and verification standards which provide a set of clear and verifiable requirements to support organizations and proponents of GHG emission reduction projects.- ISO 14065 complements ISO 14064 by specifying requirements to accredit or recognize organizational bodies that undertake GHG validation or verification using ISO 14064 or other relevant standards or specifications.- ISO 14063 addresses environmental communication guidelines and examples, helps companies to make the important link to external stakeholders.