Before we get into the discussion on the specifics of the ISO 14001 environmental management standard, let’s start with ISO and what it means. ISO stands for the International Organization of Standardization and they are recognised as the world leaders when it comes to setting the standards that businesses follow when developing their management systems. Having a well-defined path to follow makes it much easier for an organisation to achieve its management goals, which in turn goes a long way to helping the business to be successful.
What is ISO 14001?
ISO 14001:2015 is the most important of the standards that make up the ISO 14000 family. It provides an excellent framework that can be used by organisations of any size or structure, and outlines the components needed for an environmental management system or EMS. Any or all parts of the ISO 14001 standard are not in any way mandatory and are not meant to be used as a tool for enforcing environmental laws and regulations.
The environmental management system that is part of ISO 14001 is designed using the very powerful model called the Plan-Do-Check-Act or PDCA Cycle. Each of the steps is well defined and make it extremely easy to implement the system, regardless of the size of the business in question.
Benefits of ISO 14001
When it comes to running a business it is very important to have a plan in place to guide the company in order for it prosper. How it goes about this depends heavily on the management plan put in place. This is especially true when it comes to environmental concerns that affect a business.
More and more businesses both large and small have decided to take advantage of the many benefits that come from following the ISO 14001 standard. We’ve listed below some of the benefits an organization can gain when adopting this popular EMS.
- Develop better ways to use business resources more efficiently
- Identify and eliminate costly waste
- Help to reduce the overall costs of doing business
- Provide ways to measure environmental impact
- Design a strong supply chain to gain a competitive edge over the competition
- Improve the amount of new business being won
- Identify and meet legal obligations
- Build trust with stakeholder and customers
- Reduce the impact on the environment
- Develop a consistent way to manage environmental obligations
Combining multiple ISO management standards
The International Organization of Standardization established a wide range of standards used by many companies worldwide. Many of these companies combine two or more ISO management standards in order to maximise the benefits to their business. A couple of the most popular combinations would be ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. The benefits that are achieved by combining these two management systems can be significant.
World-class environmental management frameworks
Quality Management Systems deliver a comprehensive range of world-class environmental management frameworks, auditing, training and EMS software solutions to organisations wishing to reduce waste, improve regulatory compliance, minimise environmental impact and improve overall environmental performance.
If you would like to learn more about our environmental management systems, and how we can help you develop world-class processes please get in touch today.
Further reading…
More information about the ISO 14001 EMS … here →