Four Steps to Identify and Evaluate Environmental Aspects

What is an environmental aspect?

An environmental aspect is an element of an activity, product or service that interacts, or can interact, with the environment. For example, detergent in wastewater from vehicle washing is an aspect; potential water pollution is the associated impact.

The table illustrates the relationship between activities, aspects and impacts.

An environmental impact is a change to the environment resulting from an environmental aspect.

The following steps provide a basic, systematic approach to identifying, assessing and managing environmental aspects.

1. Define the EMS scope

Before assessing aspects and impacts, define the boundaries and applicability of the environmental management system. It may cover the whole organisation or a clearly defined part, taking account of its activities, products, services, authority and ability to control or influence. The scope must not be used to exclude significant aspects or evade compliance obligations. Consider all activities, products and services within the established scope.

2. Identify environmental aspects

Activities include core business processes and production stages. Supporting services can include boilers, heating and cooling, and maintenance; services can also be a business’s main offering. Products are the goods supplied to the market. Product-related aspects may include excessive packaging or recyclability at the end of use.

Establish a process for identifying environmental aspects and determining which have, or could have, significant impacts. Keep documented information up to date and consider new or changed activities, products and services, normal and abnormal conditions, and reasonably foreseeable emergencies.

Aspects can be direct, where the organisation exercises control, or indirect, where it can exert influence. Examples include waste managed at its own premises, contractor waste handling and aspects connected with suppliers or customers. Consider both control and influence from a life-cycle perspective; this does not automatically require a detailed life-cycle assessment.

Study how activities, products and services interact with the environment. Consider, for example, emissions to air, discharges to water and land, raw-material use, waste, natural-resource consumption and effects on biodiversity.

Review all relevant functions within the EMS scope, not only core production or service delivery. Maintenance areas, offices, canteens, heating and cooling, parking, contractors and suppliers may also create environmental impacts.

Different techniques can help build a complete inventory, including value-chain analysis, process-flow mapping, materials identification and reviews of legal requirements.

Involve a cross-functional team representing the main areas of the operation.

For each activity, product or service, list the associated aspects to build an overall register or matrix of aspects and impacts.

3. Evaluate significant environmental aspects

Significance evaluation helps prioritise the aspects needing the most attention. It does not allow the organisation to ignore other applicable obligations or controls. Determine significance using established criteria and retain the basis for the decision.

Significant environmental aspects are a major focus of the organisation’s environmental management system.

The assessment method depends on the organisation’s type, nature and complexity. When determining significance, consider:

• Potential environmental harm.
• The scale and frequency of the aspect.
• Its importance to interested parties.
• Relevant environmental legal requirements.

Establish significance criteria through a systematic review of aspects and their actual and potential impacts.

4. Manage significant environmental aspects

For each significant aspect, establish suitable responsibilities, competence and awareness arrangements, operating procedures, checklists or maintenance schedules. The original article linked these to ISO 14001:2015 clauses 5.3, 7.2, 7.3 and 8.1. Match controls to the aspect’s nature and risk, and integrate them into routine work.

An EMS can become more complicated than necessary. Identifying environmental aspects correctly at the start saves time and helps the organisation gain practical benefits from the system.

These steps explain the environmental-aspect assessment approach discussed in the original ISO 14001:2015 article. For current implementation, also review the applicable edition and the organisation’s transition arrangements.

References

ISO 14001:2026 — ISO update