ISO 14001 Environmental Management System
Let’s set aside the politicized discussions around Climate Change. Climate change is nothing new. It has been happening since the dawn of time. It’s caused extinction-level events, mass migrations of species, etc.
What caused it is yesterday’s news. The only thing that matters is this: Do we need to be concerned? And if so, can we do anything about it?
Prudence is a good quality. We don’t know for sure if we’re in trouble. We also don’t know for sure we’re not.
The risk of being wrong is, well, undesirable. We will always be weighing short term benefits of an economic activity against potential long term environmental damage. We won’t always get those decisions right. But ignoring the possibility we’re wrong won’t either.
What is ISO 14001?
ISO 14001 is the international standard that outlines what is required of an “effective” environmental management system (EMS). At best, it’s an attempt to minimize our business’s contribution to environmental damage. At worst, it’s good custodianship of our environment.
Rather than being a strict performance requirement, ISO 14001 is a framework that companies can follow to minimize their environmental footprint.
The framework guides organizations in achieving their environmental goals through regular evaluation and improvement of their environmental performance. Like everything else in management, that which is measured gets managed towards your goals.
We can consider ISO 14001 as simply a way to do “as little damage as necessary” in our business.
ISO 14001 focuses on a few key areas:
- Production of hazardous chemicals and pollutants
- The complete life cycle of products and services provided by organizations
- How products and services impact the environment through their lifecycle
- Disposition and/or recycling
How does it benefit Organizations?
- Emphasizing awareness on reducing waste and the carbon footprint of your business
- Lowering operating costs through lower energy and insurance costs, and lowering taxes
- Minimizing legal costs due to potential environmental issues
- Minimizing reputational damage due to environmental conflicts
- Giving a business the credentials to participate in environmental growth markets looking for environmental awareness
- Adding environmental value to clients’ and delivery partners’ products and services by their environmental policies.
What are the requirements?
There are 6 components (clauses) out of 10, that an organization needs to implement for Environmental Management System. These are:
- Context of the organization
- Leadership
- Planning
- Support
- Operation
- Performance Evaluation
- Improvement
If an organization has implemented a formal “quality management system” (such as ISO 9001), then ISO 14001 can be implemented by integrating it with the existing management system.
How can T-Next help my business gain ISO 14001 Certification?
Our role is to support and guide your business through implementation and certification. Our strength is providing Right-Sized solutions for our clients, appropriate for their size, budget, culture, and stage in growth and development.
Our experienced consultants will help your find gaps in your organization and provide strategies to fill those gaps. This will be supported with documentation of business processes and training of employees. The standard is aimed at the betterment of the environment. It can be implemented in any production or service industry.
Once the standard has been implemented and adopted by an organization, a referral will be made to an IAF approved certification body to confirm your organization’s qualifications for certification and award of ISO Certification. T-Next continues as your partner, guide, and facilitator throughout this process to ensure your certification.
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