ISO 14001:2015 - ENVIRONMENT SYSTEM MANAGEMENT

ISO 14001:2015 is an international standard for ENVIRONMENT SYSTEM MANAGEMENT

What is ISO 14001:2015- ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

The criteria for an Environmental Management System are laid out in ISO 14001:2015. (EMS). It does not specify environmental performance requirements, but it does lay out a framework that a firm or organization might use to put up an effective EMS. Any organization that wishes to enhance resource efficiency, minimize waste, and save expenses can use it. The use of ISO 14001:2015 can give firm management and staff, as well as external stakeholders, comfort that environmental effect is being measured and improved. ISO 14001:2015 can be combined with other management functions to help businesses achieve their environmental and economic objectives. ISO 14001:2015 is a voluntary standard with the goal of assisting businesses in continuously improving their environmental performance while adhering to all applicable laws. Organizations are in charge of creating their own goals and performance indicators with the standard assisting them in achieving their objectives and aims, as well as monitoring and measuring them. Rather than focusing on precise environmental performance indicators and targets, the standard emphasizes what a business must do to achieve these objectives.

Key Points of New Version?

1

Environmental management will play a bigger role in the organization's strategic plan.

2

The incorporation of a stakeholder-focused communication strategy

3

The implementation of proactive environmental activities, such as sustainable resource use and climate change mitigation to safeguard the environment from harm and damage.

4

A focus on life-cycle thinking to guarantee that environmental concerns are taken into account from development to end-of-life

ISO 14001:2015’s overall goal is to strike a balance between environmental preservation and pollution prevention and social and economic needs. The adoption of this standard, which requires organizations to define an environmental policy, targets, and procedures to meet the specified objectives and policy, can help them enhance their overall environmental performance.

ISO 14001:2015 is the very first environmental management standard to completely comply with Annex SL’s new principles (“High level structure and similar text for management systems, as well as common core management system terms and definitions”). It was created in response to criticism that current standards, while having many basic ingredients, are not properly aligned, making it tough for enterprises to rationalize their systems and interface and combine them.

Basic Elements of ISO 14001:2015

The eight key principles that form the fundamental characteristics of Quality Management:

Examining the company's environmental objectives.

Examining the environmental and legal implications.

Setting environmental goals and targets to reduce environmental consequences .

Creating programmes to achieve these goals and objectives.

Monitoring and evaluating progress in attaining the goals.

Assuring environmental awareness and competency among staff.

Examining the EMS's progress and making changes.

Creating Environmental Awareness among Society & Employees

Why ISO 14001:2015 is Important?

Here are some of the benefits of ISO 14001:2015- Environment Management System to the Business Enterprises:

BOOST YOUR IMAGE AND CREDIBILITY

Maintaining a good public image and improved community relations can help you improve your image and market share by convincing customers that you are committed to demonstrable management of your environmental consequences.

USE EVIDENCE-BASED DECISION-MAKING

By ensuring that you are making decisions based on reliable data, you may considerably boost the likelihood that your improvements will be successful the first time rather than requiring multiple efforts. You can remedy these improvement projects before they go “off the tracks” if you use this data to track your progress.

ENGAGE YOUR WORKFORCE

When given the choice between working for a firm that cares about the environment and one that does not, most people would choose the first. Employee focus and retention can be improved by involving them in a cooperative effort to lower your environmental footprint.

IMPROVE COST CONTROL

Cost reduction is something that all businesses are searching for. The EMS can help with this by conserving energy and input materials while avoiding events that could result in liability expenses for the firm, and improved environmental controls can help the company obtain insurance at a lower cost.

CREATE A CULTURE OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

By working toward better processes and fewer environmental impacts in a methodical way, you can improve your public image while also potentially lowering your costs, as mentioned above. When a culture of improvement is established, individuals are constantly looking for ways to improve their processes, making EMS maintenance simple..

Industries that need ISO 14001:2015 Certification

Any organization that wishes to build, upgrades, or maintain an environmental management system in accordance with its specified environmental policy and standards should adopt ISO 14001:2015. ISO 14001 is a generic management system standard, which means it applies to any firm looking to enhance and better manage its resources. This includes the following:

A

Small multi-national corporations to multi-national corporations

B

High-risk businesses to low-risk service businesses

C

All industry sectors, including both public and private

D

The manufacturing, processing, and service industries, which include local governments

E

Original equipment manufacturers and their suppliers are number five.

Certification Process

The certification process will include the following essential stages:

Initial evaluation is to determine whether the standard's mandatory requirements are being satisfied.

The second assessment entails analyzing the system's effectiveness and confirming that the management system is in place and working.

The corrective measures are evaluated at this point (if any). Following that, certifications are suggested.

An external panel reviews the files before making a certification decision.

The client is notified of the successful certification and a certificate is issued.

Verdict

Today, effective environmental management is based on recognising the positive value of environmental good practise being embedded throughout the business, rather than being compelled to take action in response to external pressures. Every business, big or small, has an impact on the environment, and ISO 14001:2015 certification can help.