Environmental FAQ
What is ISO 14001?
It is an internationally recognised standard which specifies the
requirements for an environmental management system (EMS), this
must be externally certified and confirms that organisations are
meeting a set of standards based on continually improving in terms
of environmental performance.
Why do organisations want certification for ISO
14001?
It is important to an organisation for 3 main reasons:
- It will help continually improve their environmental
performance (including the identifying and meeting the requirements
of environmental legislation). ISO 14001 helps to measure, monitor
and improve the impact an organisation has on the environment,
making sure that their footprint is as small as possible.
- Being environmentally responsible is no longer something that
has to cost a lot, in fact, by adopting some of the measures
proposed in the ISO 14001 system organisations can save money.
- Gaining external recognition for what a business does is
important, especially amongst supply chains who also want to
demonstrate that they consider the ‘environment’ in their
procurement exercises.
How does it affect an organisation?
ISO 14001 will only be successful if all staff are involved and
play their part, from senior management down. Over time,
organisations should see a number of changes in the organisation,
for example, more efficient use of resources, cost savings,
increased training etc...
How does it work?
ISO 14001 is an ongoing system, based around a number of set
stages as outlined below. The main aim is to achieve 'Continual
Improvement' which is structured through a Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA)
model.
- An Environmental Policy has to be prepared, approved and
communicated by senior management.
- A team is usually set up to help establish systems and
paperwork that will form the basis of the submission for
certification.
- Information needs to be collected on environmental aspects and
their impacts on the environment.
- Targets must be identified to reduce impact on the environment
and improvements in environmental performance. As the system
progresses, the management team should report back in terms of how
the organisation is meeting these targets.
- Audits must be completed to ensure that the organisation is
doing what they say they would do.
- Performance must be reviewed by senior management and Directors
to make sure that progress is as they would hope.
- The final stage is external certification (although this is
optional) in order to give the system the seal of approval.