ISO 14001 was developed to provide a management system to help organisations reduce their environmental impact. The standard provides the framework for organisations to demonstrate their commitment to the environmental by:
The standard is generic and does not apply to any particular industry or business sector. It provides a strategic framework that can be used to meet internal and external objectives for Environmental Management.
By achieving ISO14001 certification you will be able to clearly demonstrate your commitment to reducing waste and recycling materials where appropriate. The benefits to your organisation will not just be in cost savings, they may also prove beneficial when tendering for new business.
It is becoming more and more important to demonstrate that organisations are thinking about their environmental impact and putting in place systems that will not only benefit the environment but will also reduce costs and improve efficiency within the organisation.
The benefits of showing conformance to the ISO 14001 standard are numerous:
Having a well-defined Energy Management System (EMS) framework will provide your organisation with a systematic approach to compliance. In some cases regulatory bodies are more flexible with companies with performance and public accountability records.
In addition, Officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) have indicated that certification may lead to a reduction in the number of inspections required for obtaining permits. In unique circumstances, the EPA has reduced fines on the condition that financial resources are put into better practices, including compliance to ISO 14001.
Through the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), ISO 14001 is expected to become a prerequisite for doing business worldwide. Experts say that it is the market forces, which will drive acceptance of the new global environmental standards.
ISO 14001 is also compatible with other management standards such as ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and ISO 27001.