ISO 14001:2015 is published now

Introduction

ISO 14001, Environmental Management System, as one of the most popular management system standard with about 300000 certificates globally issued every year is published now. ISO 14001 was the first standard which restructured based on High Level Structure (HLS) aligned with other two standards ISO 9001, quality management system and ISO 45001, occupational health and safety management system which are expected to be published in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

The key positive changes in this version include:

• More emphasis on strategic environmental management through understanding organisation’s context and its interested parties’ needs and expectations
• More emphasis on leadership and its commitment
• More emphasis on supply chain and the life cycle of the products and services and their environmental impacts from development up to end-of-life treatment or disposal.
• More effective communication strategy to improve internal and external communication
• More flexibility on documentation and required documented procedures
• More focus on proactive measures in order to enhance environmental protection

Structure of ISO 14001:2015

Aligned with the High-Level Structure (HLS), ISO 14001:2015 is structured as:

1. Scope
2. Normative Reference
3. Terms & Definitions
4. Context of the Organisation
5. Leadership
6. Planning
7. Support
8. Operation
9. Performance Evaluation
10. Improvement

The framework of ISO 14001:2015

Aligned with other management system standards, the framework introduced in the new version is integrated into the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) model to emphasize the importance of the process approach and continual improvement. The below figure depicts the integration of the PDCA and ISO 14001:2015 framework.

How ISO Consulting Services can help you

Please fill out the Questionnaire or contact us if you need our hands to assist you in the journey of transition to the new version of the standard. We will help you assess the gaps between your existing system and the requirements of the new version and also assist you in filling the gaps and getting ready for ISO 14001 certification.