ISO 14001

1. Scope
This International Standard outlines requirements for organizations to establish an environmental
management system, aiming to enhance environmental performance and contribute to
sustainability. It's designed for organizations seeking to manage environmental responsibilities
systematically. The standard helps achieve outcomes such as improved environmental performance,
meeting compliance obligations, and reaching environmental objectives. It applies universally
regardless of organization size or type, covering environmental aspects across activities, products,
and services within a lifecycle perspective. Notably, it doesn't specify environmental performance
criteria and requires full incorporation of its requirements for claims of conformity.

2. Normative References
There are no normative references.

3. Terms & Definitions

Terms related to organization and leadership

Terms related to planning

Terms related to support and operation

Terms related to performance evaluation and improvement

4. Context of the Organization

Section 4 of ISO 14001:2015 outlines key aspects of contextualizing the environmental management
system (EMS) within the organization:

**Understanding the organization and its context (4.1)**: The organization identifies internal
and external issues relevant to its purpose and the EMS's intended outcomes, including
environmental factors affecting or affected by the organization.

**Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties (4.2)**: The organization
identifies relevant interested parties, their needs, expectations, and compliance obligations related
to the EMS.

**Determining the scope of the EMS (4.3)**: The organization defines the boundaries and
applicability of the EMS considering internal and external issues, compliance obligations,
organizational units, activities, and authority to control or influence. The scope is documented and
accessible to interested parties.

**Establishing the EMS (4.4)**: The organization establishes, implements, maintains, and
improves the EMS to achieve intended outcomes, including enhanced environmental performance.
This includes considering knowledge gained from understanding the organization's context and the
needs of interested parties.

These sections emphasize the importance of contextual understanding, stakeholder engagement,

and systematic management to achieve environmental objectives.

5. Leadership

In Section 5 of ISO 14001:2015, leadership's role in environmental management is outlined:

**Leadership and commitment (5.1)**: Top management is accountable for the EMS's
effectiveness, ensures alignment of environmental policy and objectives with organizational strategy,
integrates EMS requirements into business processes, provides necessary resources, communicates
the importance of effective environmental management, ensures achievement of EMS outcomes,
directs and supports staff, promotes continual improvement, and supports other management roles
in demonstrating leadership.

**Environmental policy (5.2)**: Top management establishes, implements, and maintains an

environmental policy appropriate to the organization's purpose and context. This policy addresses
environmental impacts, provides a framework for setting objectives, commits to environmental
protection and compliance, and emphasizes continual improvement. The policy is documented,
communicated, and available to interested parties.

**Organizational roles, responsibilities, and authorities (5.3)**: Top management ensures

clear assignment and communication of responsibilities and authorities within the organization. This
includes responsibility for EMS conformity and reporting environmental performance to top
management.

6. Planning

Section 6 of ISO 14001:2015 focuses on planning within the environmental management system
(EMS):

**Actions to address risks and opportunities (6.1)**: The organization establishes, implements,
and maintains processes to address risks and opportunities related to environmental aspects and
compliance obligations. This includes identifying significant environmental aspects, determining
compliance obligations, and planning actions to address these aspects and obligations.

**Environmental objectives and planning to achieve them (6.2)**: The organization

establishes environmental objectives considering significant environmental aspects, compliance
obligations, and risks and opportunities. Objectives are measurable, monitored, communicated, and
updated as needed. The organization plans actions to achieve these objectives, determining what
will be done, resources required, responsibilities, timelines, and evaluation methods.

These sections emphasize proactive planning to address environmental risks and opportunities and
achieve environmental objectives within the EMS.
 7. Support

Section 7 of ISO 14001:2015 covers various aspects related to resources, competence, awareness,
communication, and documented information within the environmental management system (EMS):

**Resources (7.1)**: The organization determines and provides necessary resources for
establishing, implementing, maintaining, and improving the EMS.

**Competence (7.2)**: The organization ensures that personnel affecting environmental

performance have the necessary competence through education, training, or experience. It
determines training needs, takes appropriate actions, and retains documented evidence of
competence.

**Awareness (7.3)**: The organization ensures that personnel are aware of the environmental
policy, significant environmental aspects, their contribution to EMS effectiveness, and the
implications of non-conformance.

**Communication (7.4)**: The organization establishes, implements, and maintains processes for
internal and external communication relevant to the EMS, including content, timing, recipients, and
methods. It ensures consistency and responds to relevant communications, retaining documented
information as necessary.

**Documented Information (7.5)**: The EMS includes required documented information and
additional documents deemed necessary by the organization. Documented information creation and
updates follow appropriate identification, format, review, and approval processes. Controlled
documented information is made available, protected, preserved, and managed for changes,
including retention and disposition. External origin documented information essential for EMS
planning and operation is identified and controlled as appropriate.

8. Operation

Section 8 of ISO 14001:2015 addresses operational planning and control, as well as emergency
preparedness and response within the environmental management system (EMS):

**Operational planning and control (8.1)**: The organization establishes, implements, controls,
and maintains processes to meet EMS requirements and implement actions identified in Sections 6.1
and 6.2. This includes establishing operating criteria, implementing controls, managing planned
changes, controlling outsourced processes, addressing environmental requirements throughout the
product/service lifecycle, and maintaining documented information.

**Emergency preparedness and response (8.2)**: The organization establishes, implements,

and maintains processes to prepare for and respond to potential emergency situations identified in
Section 6.1.1. This includes planning actions to prevent or mitigate adverse environmental impacts,
responding to actual emergencies, testing response actions, reviewing and revising processes and
actions, providing relevant information and training, and maintaining documented information.
 9. Performance Evaluation

Section 9 of ISO 14001:2015 outlines requirements for monitoring, measurement, analysis,

evaluation, compliance evaluation, internal audits, and management review within the
environmental management system (EMS):

**Monitoring, measurement, analysis, and evaluation (9.1)**: The organization determines

what needs to be monitored and measured, establishes methods and criteria for evaluation, ensures
calibrated equipment is used, evaluates environmental performance and EMS effectiveness,
communicates relevant information, and retains documented information.

**Evaluation of compliance (9.1.2)**: The organization establishes processes to evaluate

compliance obligations, determining evaluation frequency, taking corrective actions as needed, and
maintaining knowledge of compliance status, retaining documented evidence.

**Internal audit (9.2)**: The organization conducts internal audits at planned intervals to ensure
EMS conformity and effectiveness. This includes establishing an audit program, defining criteria and
scope, selecting auditors, conducting audits, reporting results to relevant management, and retaining
documented information.

**Management review (9.3)**: Top management reviews the EMS at planned intervals,
considering various factors such as previous actions, changes in internal and external issues,
environmental performance, resource adequacy, feedback from interested parties, and opportunities
for improvement. Outputs include conclusions, decisions for improvement, changes to the EMS,
actions for unachieved objectives, integration improvements, and implications for strategic direction,
retaining documented information as evidence of review results.

10. Improvement

Section 10 of ISO 14001:2015 focuses on improvement processes within the environmental

management system (EMS):

**Opportunities for improvement (10.1)**: The organization determines improvement

opportunities and implements necessary actions to achieve EMS objectives.

**Nonconformity and corrective action (10.2)**: When nonconformities occur, the organization
reacts to them by controlling and correcting the issue, evaluating the causes to prevent recurrence,
implementing corrective actions, reviewing their effectiveness, and making changes to the EMS if
necessary. Documented information is retained to evidence nonconformities and corrective actions.

**Continual improvement (10.3)**: The organization commits to continually improving the EMS to
enhance environmental performance, focusing on improving its suitability, adequacy, and
effectiveness.