ISO 14000 family comprises the international standards, technical reports, and guides for environmental management by organizations. They specify the requirements necessary to set up an environmental management policy, plan and implement environmental objectives, determine the impact of products or services on the environment, and conduct corrective actions and management reviews. By working towards ISO 14000 certification, organizations can reduce the negative impact of their processes on the environment (air, land, or water).
Some of the important standards in this family include:
ISO 14004: 2016 – Environmental management systems – general
guidelines on implementation.
ISO 14006: 2011 – Environmental management systems –
guidelines to incorporate eco-design.
ISO 14031: 2013 – Environmental Management – environmental
performance evaluation guidelines.
ISO 14064: 2006 – Greenhouse gases standards.
ISO 14020: 2000 – Environmental Labels and Declarations –
general principles.
Aim of ISO 14000 Standards
The ISO 14000 standards were developed as industries
recognized the need for standardization in the area of environmental
management. They aim to ensure that organizations promote effective
environmental management systems.
The first standard for environmental management systems was
the BS 7750 which was published in 1992. In 1996, ISO published the ISO 14000
family of standards, which was subsequently revised in 2004 and the latest
version available is 2015. ISO 14001 is the standard by which organizations can
get certified.
Benefits of ISO 14000
ISO 14000 certification has several benefits for
organizations, such as:
1. It helps meet legal obligations towards environmental
protection.
2. Resources are used more efficiently.
3. Waste is reduced.
4. Environmental impacts get measured.
5. Customer and stakeholder trust increases.
6. Environmental obligations are managed the right way.
ISO certifications are important for organizations because
they provide customers with evidence of the company’s commitment to quality.
The standards have a process-oriented approach and look at how processes
operate across departments and their interaction; they also help to focus on
the most critical of products and services and therefore, are an effective
check of the company’s quality management systems.