Introduction to ISO 14001

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Introductory Insights into ISO 14001

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Content
What is ISO 14001?
Why go for ISO 14001?
How it works?

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What is ISO 14001?

Environmental issues have become more and more significant in recent past in light of
global warming and continuously deteriorating environmental conditions. With increasing
peer and regulatory pressure, there is paradigm shift in the way organizations are looking
at the environmental issues. Minimizing the impact on the environment is considered as a
responsibility rather than an obligation. But there is fundamental need of having such
system which emanates from the philosophy that its moral responsibility of individuals and
organizations to meet their needs without compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their own needs. Hence sustainability is cornerstone of an environment management
system. Precisely for the same reason, ISO 14001, an environmental management
standard has been developed by International Standards Organization. It provides
guidelines for environment management system and applies to those environmental
aspects which the organization has control and over which it can be expected to have an
influence. Current version being used is ISO 14001:2004, which is revised version since
the launch in 1996. An EMS meeting the requirements of ISO 14001:2004 is a
management tool enabling an organization of any size or type to:

✦ Identify and control the environmental impact of its activities, products or services
✦ Improve its environmental performance continually
✦ Implement a systematic approach to setting environmental objectives and targets,
achieve these and demonstrate that they have been achieved.

Why go for ISO 14001?

ISO 14001:2004 is a tool that can be used to meet internal objectives:
➡ Provide assurance to management that it is in control of the organizational processes
and activities having an impact on the environment
➡ Assure employees that they are working for an environmentally responsible
organization.
ISO 14001:2004 can also be used to meet external objectives:
➡ Provide assurance on environmental issues to external stakeholders – such as
customers, the community, and regulatory agencies

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➡ Comply with environmental rules and regulations
➡ Support the organization's claims and communication about its own environmental
policies, plans, and actions
➡ Provides a framework for demonstrating conformity via suppliers' declarations of
conformity, assessment of conformity by an external stakeholder - such as a business
client
The systematic ISO 14001:2004 approach requires the organization to take a hard look at
all areas where its activities have an environmental impact. And it can lead to benefits like
the following:
➡ Reduced cost of waste management
➡ Reduction in waste generation through process improvements
➡ Savings in consumption of energy and materials
➡ Lower distribution costs
➡ Improved corporate image among regulators, customers and the public
➡ Framework for continual improvement of environmental performance.

How it works?
The intention of ISO 14001:2004 is to provide a framework for a holistic, strategic
approach to the organization's environmental policy, plans and actions. ISO 14001:2004
gives the generic requirements for an environmental management system. The underlying
philosophy is that whatever the organization's activity, the requirements of an effective
EMS are the same. ISO 14001 preaches the environment management system which
operates on PDCA cycle. It is an continual improvement technique which has been
integrated in ISO 14001 requirements. PDCA cycle for ISO 14001 requirements is
discussed in brief as follows.

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PLAN DO
๏ Formulation of environment policy ๏ Implementation and operations
๏ Commitment of top management ๏ Structure and responsibilities
๏ Aspect and impact analysis assignment
๏ Gap analysis ๏ Capacity build up through training
๏ Regulatory requirement and ๏ Documentation process
assessment implementation
๏ Environmental objectives, targets, ๏ Operations control establishment
and programmes ๏ Emergency planning
๏ Programme criteria and intent

ACT CHECK
๏ Review by top management ๏ Monitoring and measurement
๏ Management review ๏ Evaluation of compliance
๏ Corrective action and ๏ Record keeping and
improvement points documentation
๏ Continual improvement ๏ Internal auditing
๏ Checking and corrective action
๏ Measurement and evaluation

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