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ISO 14001 Environmental Management System

ISO14001

What is ISO 14001?

The ISO 14001 standard sets the international best practice for environmental performance management. It helps organisations create a standardized approach to managing their environmental and sustainability objectives.
ISO 14001 is a generic management system standard that can be applied to any business regardless of size, activity, or sector.  There are over 300,000 businesses in 171 countries with ISO 14001 certification and growing. Whether you are a small, single-site operator or a multi-national organisation, an ISO 14001 certification can offer you a competitive advantage.

All environmental infrastructure or facilities have been in place to improve the environmental issue, does it mean that we have complied to the requirement of ISO14001 standard and can be certified?

ISO14001 is not related to environmental infrastructure or facilities.  It is the environmental management system which is the focus on the continuous improvement on the activities of a corporate (namely staff, mechanism, physical resources and environment) with significant environmental aspect.  Through adopting the management system, the environmental aspects and impacts from the non-stop cycle activities have continuously improved.  Investment projects are appreciated initiatives, but it is not mandatory for ISO requirement.  The ISO 14001 standard requires appropriate and reasonable investment instead. 

Benefits of ISO 14001 Certification

A certified Environmental Management System (EMS) demonstrates your commitment to the environment across all levels of your organisation.

As the focus on environmental sustainability increases, many businesses are looking for ways to reduce their environmental impact, including choosing supply partners that share their values. An EMS helps you to systematically manage your environmental responsibilities and remain accountable.

The benefits of an ISO 14001 certified Environmental Management System include:

  • Achieving your environmental sustainability objectives

  • Improving your environmental performance

  • Demonstrating your commitment to environmentally sound practices

  • Meeting environmental sustainability requirements for tenders

  • Establishing a reputation as an environmentally conscious organization

  • Creating a marketing advantage for environmentally sustainable operations

  • Minimizing risk and reduce environmental incidents

  • Better using of resources and reduced waste

  • Reducing operating costs, leading to increased profits

  • Meeting altruistic and ethical obligations

ISO 14001 Environmental Management System Requirements

For the detailed requirement, you can purchase from the website of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) which develop and publish international standards or its authorities, ISO 14001 standard requires organisations to show that they:

  • conduct assessment on environmental aspects & impacts (or equivalent) to identify the potential environmental aspects and impacts for the organisation’s premises, processes and products

  • develop and monitor environmental objectives and targets

  • understand external & internal issues, and interested parties, relevant to the environment

  • develop an Environmental Management Policy declaring commitment to environmental sustainability

  • develop procedures to address environmental monitoring, where required

  • embrace environmental risks and opportunities throughout the business

  • ensure compliance with environmental related regulatory and customer requirements

  • ensure staff are competent and understand the environmental management system

  • monitor environmental performance

  • plan responses to emergencies and mitigate environmental damage

  • control environmental nonconformances and take corrective action for significant or repetitive nonconformances

  • conduct internal audits of the environmental management system

  • ensure responsible top management review the environmental management system.

How can we assist your organization to award ISO 14001 Certification?

Stage 1: Perform site visit and understand the organizational structure, style and culture of their operations, their existing documentation (e.g. manual, procedures or forms), resources and training you deployed.
Stage 2: Provide ISO requirement training to the responsible top management.
Stage 3: Discuss with the responsible top management to define the responsibilities of staff at all levels in your management system.
Stage 4: Identify potential environmental aspect and impact with you and coordinate with you to prepare the relevant control measure or response with associated training, documentation or resources.
Stage 5: Coordinate and define Management Policy and Objective or Goals with you according to ISO requirement
Stage 6: Establish necessary mechanism with associated resources and elaborate your management system documents in order to meet ISO requirement.  We will NOT provide a set of totally separated ISO procedures from your existing procedures that it will cause the difficulty in maintaining your management system or certification renewal.
Stage 7: Implement the approved procedures established in Stage 6 through training or briefing to the concerned staff. Among the trial period, any change is allowed to fit your needs or management style without deviating the ISO requirement.
Stage 8: Provide internal audit training to your audit team and perform the first internal audit with them to your management system together.
Stage 9: Perform management review to ensure your management system conforming the ISO requirement.
Stage 10: Select the certification body for certification.

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