ISO 14001 Environmental Management System
ISO 14001 Environmental Management System
ISO 14001 is an internationally recognized standard that provides information on the requirements for an effective Environmental Management System. The standard has been prepared in a delicate balance between increasing the profitability of organizations and reducing their impact on the environment. With the participation of the entire organization, it will be possible to realize both objectives.
What is included in ISO 14001?
- General requirements
- Environmental policy
- Implementation planning and operation
- Control and corrective actions
- Management review
This will enable you to identify the environmental aspects of your business and their impact on the environment, as well as to have more information about the environmental regulations relevant to your organization. The next steps are to work towards the realization of the objectives you have set for the management system with regular reviews. As Vericert, we periodically review the system you have implemented and if it complies with the standard.
Who is the standard suitable for?
The impact of organizations on the environment is becoming more and more important every day. Sensitivity to environmental issues is intensified by pressure from governments, chambers of commerce, social media, non-governmental organizations, customers, employees and stakeholders. Therefore, ISO 14001 is an adaptable and applicable standard for every organization. To give examples of these organizations;
- From single-site organizations to multinational corporations
- From high-risk companies to low-risk companies
- From manufacturing companies to public institutions and companies producing services
- It can be different organizations from sub-industry manufacturers to supplier companies
The benefits of ISO 14001 Certification for your organization will be as follows;
- You will be able to demonstrate that you comply with and participate in national and international laws and obligations
- You will be able to demonstrate your environmental sensitivity to your stakeholders
- You will be able to show your innovative and forward-investing identity in the eyes of your customers and employees
- Make it easier for you to reach new customers and partners
- You will be able to better manage your environmental risks
- You will be able to reduce your responsibilities to society and your insurance premiums
- You will be able to increase your corporate awareness and reputation
How will you start implementing ISO 14001?
First, you should assess the environmental impacts of your organization. You can then prioritize these impacts and determine how to reduce them. The next step is to define the boundaries of your management system and document procedures that meet the requirements of ISO 14001. If your organization has ISO 9001, you meet many of the requirements for ISO 14001.
After creating your system, you should conduct internal audits to ensure that your system is working. Setting targets in line with your Environmental Policy and measuring and improving them will be an indicator that your system is working.
ISO 14001 Initial Certification Audit
Once all requirements for ISO 14001 have been met, it is time to conduct an external audit. This audit should be conducted by a 3rd party independent and accredited audit organization such as Vericert.
The audit starts with a review of your documentation prepared by our Certification Unit (this is often referred to as Phase 1). In this process, it is also assessed how your organization evaluates environmental impacts and whether your environmental objectives are measurable and achievable. It then continues with a field audit by our auditors at your premises at a later date. In this audit, the implementation of your procedures is evaluated and records are reviewed (this is often referred to as Stage 2).
After a successful audit, your ISO 14001 certificate is issued. The contiunity of your system is maintained through surveillance audits conducted once or twice a year by Vericert auditors.
Build ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and ISO 9001 Systems together
These 3 systems have many elements in common. These are management review, document control, corrective actions and training. All of these can be combined to form an integrated system. Integrated systems not only allow companies to use resources effectively, but also provide great advantages in costs by preventing repetition of work.
