Monday, December 30 2024

News on the standard ISO 14001 version 2015: environmental management system

13/10/2023

The ISO 14001 2015 standard is now published. The requirements can be found in COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) 2017/1505, Annex II part B.

You can buy the standard from BSI here.

The three pillars of sustainable development remain the balance between:

  • the society
  • environment and
  • the economy

The ISO 14001 environmental management system as the environmental pillar of sustainable development requires:

  • to comply with obligations
  • to prevent pollution
  • to be in capacity to respond to emergencies

A more comprehensive discussion is requested related to:

  • the supply of raw materials
  • treatment at end of life
  • the control of impacts associated with the use of products
  • environmental performance and the criteria and indicators to be used

 

ISO 14001 version 2015 requirements and comments

See also the quiz "ISO 14001 version 2015 requirements"

T 17 ISO 14001:2015 readiness and enjoy free demo without registration

T 37 ISO 14001:2015 readiness and enjoy free demo without egistration

T 67 ISO 14001:2015 training package readiness and internal audit

 

1. THE CLAUSES ARE 10 USING THE NEW "HIGH-LEVEL STRUCTURE":

1. Scope

2. Normative references

3. Terms and définitions

4. Context of the organisation (P)

5. Leadership (P, D, C, A)

6. Planning (P)

7. Support (D)

8. Operation (D)

9. Performance evaluation (C)

10. Improvement (A)

2. THE NEW ANNEXES:

  • Annex A (Informative) Guidance on the use of this International Standard
  • Annex B Correspondence between ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 14001:2004

3. THE RISK APPROACH (Rsik-based thinking) IS THE GREAT NEWS

The term risk is used 40 times. The expression risks and opportunities is used 30 times.

4. THE TERMS in Clause 3 are 34, in the version 2004 they were 20

The new terms (for this standard):

  • audit
  • competence
  • compliance obligations
  • conformity
  • documented information
  • effectiveness
  • environmental condition
  • indicator
  • legal requirements and other requirements
  • life cycle
  • management system
  • measurement
  • monitoring
  • objective
  • outsource
  • performance
  • process
  • requirement
  • risk
  • risks and opportunities
  • top management

5. THE environmental MANUAL AND PROCEDURES ARE NO MORE MANDATORY BUT THERE ARE HOWEVER REQUIREMENTS TO:

  • maintain documented information (procedures) - 8 times (version 2004 - 12 procedures):
    • scope of the EMS (sub-clause 4.3)
    • environmental policy (sub-clause 5.2)
    • risks and opportunities (sub-clause 6.1.1)
    • environmental aspects (sub-clause 6.1.2)
    • compliance obligations (sub-clause 6.1.3)
    • environmental objectives (sub-clause 6.2.1)
    • process control (sub-clause 8.1)
    • emergency situations (sub-clause 8.2)
  • retain documented information (records) - 9 times (version 2004 - 17 records):
    • competence of persons (sub-clause 7.2)
    • communication (sub-clause 7.4.1)
    • necessary for the effectiveness of the EMS (sub-clause 7.5.1)
    • of external origin (sub-clause 7.5.3)
    • inspection results (sub-clause 9.1.1)
    • evaluation of compliance (sub-clause 9.1.2)
    • audit programme and results (sub-clause 9.2.2)
    • conclusions of the management review (sub-clause 9.3)
    • nonconformities, corrective actions and results (sub-clause 10.2)

6. THE VERB SHALL IS PRESENT 180 TIMES IN CLAUSES 4 TO 10

In the 2004 version it was 165 times

7. THE expression PREVENTIVE ACTION IS DROPPED

Now, the environmental management system is considered as a global prevention tool

8. NEW CLAUSES:

  • Context of the organization
  • Leadership
  • Planning
  • Support
  • Operation
  • Performance evaluation
  • Improvement

9. SOME terms are replaced:

  • documented procedure and record by documented information
  • target by indicator
  • supplier by external provider (organization)

10. New points:

  • the EMS takes into account the strategy and sustainable development
  • risk-based thinking is added. The impact of internal and external issues are taken into account. Risks and opportunities are addressed
  • leadership and top management commitment toward the EMS is reinforced
  • requirements on evaluation and improvement of environmental performance (what, when, how)
  • added requirements on life cycle, to be taken into account into the design and development process of products and services
  • control of outsourced processes
  • reinforced importance on internal and external communication

11. DETAILS OF THE NEW CLAUSES AND SUB-CLAUSES:

  • Introduction
    • 0.1 Background
    • 0.2 Aim of an environmental management system
    • 0.3 Success factors
    • 0.4 Plan-Do-Check-Act approach
    • 0.5 Contents of this International Standard
  • 1 Scope
  • 2 Normative references
  • 3 Term and définitions
    • 3.1 Terms related to organization and leadership
    • 3.2 Terms related to planning
    • 3.3 Terms related to support and operation
    • 3.4 Terms related to performance evaluation and improvement
  • 4 Context of the organization
    • 4.1 Understanding the organization and its context
    • 4.2 Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties
    • 4.3 Determining the scope of the environmental management system
    • 4.4 Environmental management system
  • 5 Leadership
    • 5.1 Leadership and commitment
    • 5.2 Environmental policy
    • 5.3 Organizational roles, responsibilities and authorities
  • 6 Planning
    • 6.1 Actions to address risks and opportunities
      • 6.1.1 General
      • 6.1.2 Environmental aspects
      • 6.1.3 Compliance obligations
      • 6.1.4 Planning actions
    • 6.2 Environmental objectives and planning to achieve them
      • 6.2.1 Environmental objectives
      • 6.2.2 Planning actions to achieve environmental objectives
  • 7 Support
    • 7.1 Resources
    • 7.2 Competence
    • 7.3 Awareness
    • 7.4 Communication
      • 7.4.1 General
      • 7.4.2 Internal communication
      • 7.4.3 External communication
    • 7.5 Documented information
      • 7.5.1 General
      • 7.5.2 Creation and updating
      • 7.5.3 Control of documented information
  • 8 Operation
    • 8.1 Operational planning and control
    • 8.2 Emergency preparedness and response
  • 9 Performance evaluation
    • 9.1 Monitoring, measurement, analysis and evaluation 
      • 9.1.1 General
      • 9.1.2 Evaluation of compliance 
    • 9.2 Internal audit
      • 9.2.1 General
      • 9.2.2 Internal audit programme
    • 9.3 Management review
  • 10 Improvement
    • 10.1 General
    • 10.2 Nonconformity and corrective action 
    • 10.3 Continual improvement

12. COMMENTS

  • no process mapping requirement
  • no requirement for staff satisfaction
  • the motivation and commitment of staff are not covered but only awareness is present (§ 7.3)
  • the term stakeholder is not used but sustainable development is mentioned in the introduction