ISO 14001:2015 Finally Released: Environmental Management Systems

The long anticipated update to ISO 14001 on environmental management systems has finally been released. It is one of the most widely used and influential environmental management standards with over 300,000 certificates issued worldwide every year. It replaces ISO 14001:2004, which has now been resigned to the archives.

So what can we expect from the new ISO 14001:2015?

ISO 14001:2015 Update – Main Revisions

The International Standards Organisation (ISO) state that the new version considers better the wider impacts of business, including external aspects. In this regards, it now includes life cycle thinking, so to take into account the full life cycle impact of products and services. As an active proponent of life cycle thinking (including carbon footprinting and life cycle assessment) we are particularly glad about this addition to ISO 14001:2015.

The main improvements are cited by ISO as:

• Life cycle thinking, so to consider each stage of a product or service. Starting with the development, all the way through to end-of-life
• Larger commitment from leadership
• Stronger alignment with strategic direction
• More protection for the environment, through proactive initiatives
• Stronger communication requirements, driven through a communications strategy

At Circular Ecology we welcome these revisions. They ensure that more of the environmental impacts of an organisation are considered, the addition of life cycle thinking extends analysis deeper into the supply chain, and stronger requirements from leadership, as well as for communications, provides for more effective implementation and environmental impact reductions.

If you would like to discuss ISO 14001:2015 with us please contact us.