What is ISO 14001 certification

ISO and its standards

ISO stands for International Organization for Standardization.  ISO is an NGO ( Non Governmental Organization ) Which involves in developing internal standards such as ISO 9001 Quality management system, ISO 14001 Environmental management system, ISO 45001 Occupational health and safety management system, ISO 22000 Food safety management system, ISO 27001 Information Security management system. ISO is accepted by 165 countries world wide. These standards are developed by the Respective technical committees and experts from all around the world and it is agreed upon by all the members of ISO before its release.

What does ISO 14001 deals with ?

ISO 14001 is environmental management systems. The Environmental management systems or (EMS) deals with the management of environmental impacts created by the activities in an organization and aims to control ( reduce or eliminate ) it. The ISO 14001 does this by implementing the process approach and PDCA ( Plan do check act ) in all of the activities. Moreover the ISO 14001 is an standard based on the High Level structure involving the risk management in all aspects of the implementation and maintenance of ISO 14001.

The core process of ISO 14001 is the Aspect and impact study of all the process adhered in the organization. Aspect impact study is an practical document of the environmental impacts. It quantifies the impact created by each aspects in the activities and makes the management to take action by prioritization of critical impacts.

ISO 14001 involves in management of the environmental effects created by an organization by implementing proper controls at every stages of the process. Each process is with its own input, value addition activities, and its output . By controlling the process at all stages the impacts created to the environment can be managed and monitored by the performance indicators of each process.

ISO 14001 and its revision

ISO 14001 was 20 years old and was first published in 1996. The third edition was published in September 2015. It includes a number of new concepts as well as the use of a common ISO framework for management systems.

The ISO 14001 International Accreditation Forum has defined a three-year time frame for organisations with accredited certifications to switch to ISO 14001: 2015.

ISO rules require periodic review of standards. This is to ensure that relevant standards continue to adapt the changes in stakeholder expectations and the technological developments.

 

A justification study (ISO / TC 207 / SC 1 N 845) was prepared to improve the 2011 ISO 14001. The study is based on the following principles such as Market relevance, Compatibility, Ease of Use etc

The ISO 14001: 2015 revision command (dated 23.01.2012) provided the following:

1) The review is based on ISO-approved requirements and High Level Structure (HLS) guidelines for Management System Standards (MSS) and similar text, common terms and basic definitions.

2)The review takes into account the final report of the ISO / TC 207 SC 1 Study Group "Future Challenges for EMS"

3) The revision will ensure that the basic principles of ISO 14001: 2004 are maintained and developed, as well as maintaining and improving existing requirements.

 

In 2010, the Future Climate Change Study Group released a report outlining eleven climate-related topics related to the program:

1) to be part of the development and responsibility of the community

2) involves (improving) environmental performance

3) includes compliance with legal and other external requirements

4) connecting to a global (strategic) business management

5) integration of conformity assessment

6) facilitating participation of small organisations

7) given the environmental impact of the value chain / supply chain

8) consider involvement of all stakeholders

9) managing of common systems or subsystems (greenhouse gases, electricity)

10) external communications (including product information)

11) involving in international policy agendas

From these eleven results a revised technical definition of ISO 14001 has been developed.

The new standard is based on Annex SL - a new high-level structure (HLS) that carries the same framework for all management system standards. This helps maintain consistency, aligns various standards of the management system, provides sub-clauses that are consistent with higher-level structures, and applies a common language across all standards.

 

The main changes to the proposed standard are:

1) Focus on leadership

2) Focus on risk management

3) Emphasis is placed on measuring and changing objectives

4) Communication and awareness

5) Fewer prescribed requirements

6) Increased focus on life cycle perspective

ISO 14001 :2015 Standard

Clause 1 : Scope

This clause relates to the coverage of the standard to help organisations achieve the intended outcomes of its EMS.

Clause 2 : Normative reference

There are no normative references, for example other additional requirements in other standards, that have to be considered.

Clause 3: Terms and definition

This clause refers to the important terms and definition included in the ISO 14001 Standard

Clause 4: Context of the organization      

It establishes the context of the EMS and how the business strategy supports this.

Clause 5: Leadership

This clause is all about the role of “top management” which is the person or group of people who directs and controls the organization at the highest level.

Clause 6 : Planning

This focuses on developing and implementing a strategic plan, rather than a process that addresses all the factors and risks associated with it.

Clause 7 : Support

This clause is all about providing resources, training, and communication to the EMS

Clause 8: Operation

This clause deals with the execution of the plans and processes that enable the organisation to meet their environmental objectives.

Clause 9: Performance evaluation

This is all about measuring and evaluating your EMS to ensure that it is effective and it helps you to continually improve

Clause 10: Improvement

This clause requires organizations to determine and identify opportunities for continual improvement of the EMS


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