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Introduction to ISO 14001

Understanding ISO 14001

Population, resources and the environment have become major concerns for many countries and international organizations. Industrial activity has contributed to resource depletion and environmental pollution, ultimately affecting the quality of life of communities.

Environmental protection has therefore become an important objective in national policies and strategies. Following the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 1992, environmental issues gained greater attention across economic and social activities at national, regional and international levels.

In 1993, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) began developing the ISO 14000 family of environmental management standards. The aim was to promote a common approach to environmental management, improve measurement of environmental performance and facilitate international trade.

ISO 14001:2015 was published by the International Organization for Standardization in September 2015. Its full title is Environmental management systems — Requirements with guidance for use.

Environmental pollution concerns everyone. Businesses have a responsibility to contribute to environmental protection, and ISO 14001:2015 provides a framework to help them fulfil that responsibility.

The diagram below gives a historical overview of standards in the ISO 14000 family.

ISO 14031 — Environmental performance evaluation

Reading note: the original diagram incorrectly labels environmental performance evaluation as ISO 14021; the relevant standard is ISO 14031. ISO 14010, ISO 14011 and ISO 14012 are historical standards superseded by ISO 19011. The diagram is retained for comparison with the original material, not as a list of current editions.

Standards for evaluating organizations focus on environmental management systems in businesses and other organizations, including public bodies. They address:

• The commitment of top management and managers to implementation;
• Improvement of environmental policy;
• Measurement of environmental parameters and monitoring of environmental activities within the organization.

Standards for evaluating products establish common principles and approaches for assessing environmental aspects associated with products. They encourage organizations to consider environmental characteristics from design and material selection through to end-of-life disposal.

The ISO 14000 family is based on a systematic approach to environmental management.

Purpose of ISO 14001:2015

ISO 14001:2015 and the wider ISO 14000 family help organizations establish, maintain and continually improve their environmental management systems to protect the environment and prevent pollution arising from their activities.

ISO 14001:2015 helps organizations demonstrate environmental performance in a context of increasingly stringent environmental requirements, stronger government initiatives and growing interest in environmental protection and sustainable development from customers, partners, local communities, authorities and consumers.