An ISO 14001 certificate proves that your environmental management system has been measured against a best practice standard and found compliant. Issued by a third party certification body/registrar, the certificate lets customers know they can trust that you are actively minimizing the environmental impacts of your company’s processes, products, and services.

ISO 14001 lays forth a best practice for proactive management of the environmental impact of your organization.

ISO 14001 was first released in 1996 and revised in 2004 and is the world’s most recognized and used framework for environmental management systems. It is generic and applicable to any type of organizations, large or small, and within any business sector. ISO 14001 is based on the two concepts of continual improvement and regulatory compliance.

Gradually growing greener
The standard requires organizations to identify all environmental impacts and associated aspects. Furthermore to define environmental objectives and implement actions for improved performance to improve processes in prioritized areas with significant aspects. ISO 14001 lays forth a best practice for proactive management of the environmental impact of your organization. When you have an ISO 14001 certified environmental management system you go beyond mere compliance. Your focus becomes continual improvement.

Elements of the standard
It contains the core elements for an effective environmental management system. It can be applied to both service and manufacturing sectors. The main elements of the standard are:

• environmental policy

• planning

• implementation and operation

• checking and corrective action

• management review

Where do I go from here?
For third party certification, you need to implement an effective environmental management system complying with the requirements of the standard. The first step is to get on the road to certification.