ISO 14001:2015 (Environmental Management System)

ISO 14001:2015: All the stats, facts, data you'll ever need to know

Protecting our environment is very important. The organization is rapidly increasing and steps to save our environment are taken less. In order to maintain the balance between the organization and the environment, ISO 14000 standard was designed. In this topic let’s see the meaning of EMS, the benefits of ISO 14001, and the procedure for certification

ISO 14000 family standards are designed for environmental management systems. In that family, ISO 14001 version 2018 is high demand. International organization of standards created in order to decrease environmental effects occurs from business or organization.

What is an Environmental management system (EMS)

An environmental management system is a systematic approach with the help of standard it tries to reduce a negative impact on the environment which is happened by organizational behavior. It helps in the improvement of the organization's system.

This standard can be used by any organization irrespective of the nature of business or size or complexity of the organization.

The latest version of ISO 14001:2018 includes 10 clauses and these clauses are divided according to the Plan do check act approach.

10 clauses of ISO 14001:2018 are briefly explained below.

1). The scope of the environmental management policy of an organization must be even. It should aim at getting positive outcomes for the environment by focusing on improvement in business performance.

2). Numbers are used in clauses so that it is easy to identify.

3). These contain terms and conditions for the process of business such as planning, leadership, the process of operation, performance evaluation, and improvement suggestion.

4). There are many environmental issues that affect the organization both inside and out. It is required to list out the issues that affect the running of the business.

5). ISO standards suggest you list out duties and responsibilities of employees, top-level managers' guidance, and implementation of EMS of the organization.

6). This clause explains that the organization must plan to face any risk arising from examination in order to protect the organization from these factors.

7). The employees of an organization should know all the terms in EMS and make sure they work efficiently for the success of organizations and effectively.

8). This clause, explains how you should analyze which operations have an adverse effect on the environment, what measures should be taken to reduce it, and then there must be a written plan for it.

9). Implementing EMS is not enjoyable, evaluating the effectiveness is also required this can be done by an internal audit system, and suggestions are allowed.

10). ISO is mainly designed for organizations' consistent improvement, so it is the duty of EMS to implement new regulations, any changes in the version to the organization.

Getting ISO 14001:2015 Certified is simple. Let’s see how.
Mandatory Documents required for the ISO Certification Process

Scope of the EMS (clause 4.3)

Environmental Policy (clause 5.2)

Risks and opportunities to be addressed and procedures required(clause 6.1.1)

Criteria for Evaluation of Important Environmental Aspects (clause 6.1.2)

Environmental Aspects with Associated Environmental Effects(clause 6.1.2)

Significant Environmental Aspects (clause 6.1.2)

Compliance Obligations Document(clause 6.1.3)

Environmental Objectives and Plans for Achieving Them (clause 6.2)

Operational Control (clause 8.1)

Emergency Preparedness and Response(clause 8.2)

After obtaining the required documents, you need to follow these simple steps such as follows

1). The first step is the evaluation of the organization's policies, steps taken for environmental issues, management system by the internal audit team. The audit team will make sure that all the requirements are fulfilled by the organization and if it includes any issues it should be resolved.

2). Then you should start the preparation of necessary documents for the audit. Get thorough with clauses of the standard given above.

3). The next step is to appoint a certification body for auditing your organization's management system.

4). These chosen auditors will inspect the documents prepared whether it meets the requirements. They will suggest certain changes to be made.

5). After all the necessary changes are made, the certification body will do the final audit.

6). After all, the process is done and the certification body is satisfied it will provide you with a certificate.

Benefits of getting ISO 14001:2015 Certified

Certification acts as a proof for investors, customers, and the government that the organization is following the standard's principle. It helps you to stand out in the competition. Here are a few more benefits listed below.

It makes sure that the resources are used incorrect way. Helps in reducing wastage, costs of the organization.

It ensures both product and environment are maintained well.

It helps in improving your company's credibility which helps to attract more customers.

It acts as a supervisor for maintaining environmental conditions giving controlling the company's operations.

ISO 14001:2015 is the new version before the 2004 version was used by the organization. This new version was established in September 2018 and it is an improvised version of 2004 as it contains a better interactive system, better communication, easier decision-making process, more top management communication.

What can be costly for ISO 14001:2015 certification?

here is no specification for cost as it mainly depends on whom you select for the process, nature of your business, size of your business. Duration for obtaining ISO 14001:2015 certification. On average, the time taken for Certification can be from 6 months to 2 years.