The Ultimate Guide to ISO 14001

Do you want your organisation to do its part to protect the planet?

This guide will tell you everything you need to know, whether you simply want to learn about ISO 14001 or successfully achieve certification for your organisation.

Find out all about ISO 14001, how it can benefit your organisation, and how you can achieve certification.

ISO 14001 is an environmental management standard created by the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO).

It is a set of requirements to help organisations create an effective Environmental Management System (EMS). This allows them to benchmark and identify ways to improve their current environmental performance.

An EMS includes a set of processes that help your organisation to manage its environmental impact. Establishing these processes reduces your negative impact on the environment and moves your organisation towards more sustainable operations.

If a problem does occur, an EMS will outline what must be done to combat the error. It will also clarify what must be done to analyse what happened and reduce the risk of it reoccurring.

With awareness of environmental concerns growing yearly, people expect more from the businesses they work for and interact with. If your organisation can’t demonstrate that it is taking significant steps to reduce its environmental impact, it may fall behind more sustainable competitors.

Growing concerns around waste disposal, air quality, use of non-recyclable materials, and climate change will likely lead to changes in regulations and customer attitudes.

While ISO 14001 isn’t mandatory, it showcases your organisation’s concern for its environmental impact. Achieving certification can make your company more attractive to environmentally conscious customers and partners, opening up new markets and opportunities, particularly in tenders that require ISO 14001 certification, and attracting sustainability-focused investors.

According to our research:

• 58% of organisations sought certification to meet client demand for compliance.
• A quarter of companies have successfully won more business after achieving ISO 14001.
• A further 15% have been able to tender for previously unavailable work.
• A fifth of respondents were more successful at winning tenders after becoming ISO 14001-certified.

Read about how ISO 14001 helps sales.

There are many benefits to achieving ISO 14001 certification. You can read more about the benefits of ISO 14001 here and learn more about the meaning of ISO 14001 and its place in your organisation. Some of the many benefits include:

Reduced operational costs

Reviewing your business, equipment and processes may help identify wasteful working practices. Investments in new equipment, product redesign, process changes and staff training may all help to eliminate waste materials, as well as time, energy and effort.

Environmental improvement can lead to cost savings and environmental benefits. Savings in one area could be redeployed to invest in improved technology, such as improved boilers, renewable energy schemes and insulation, to make additional savings elsewhere.

Improved industry and public reputation

ISO 14001 certification is an independently assessed verification that your organisation operates responsibly and sustainably. It can help reassure your customers that their money supports an organisation doing its part to protect the planet.

Abi Wilson, HSQE Manager from ClearView Communications said:

“The customers we serve, such as local authorities and the health care sector, place high importance on their suppliers to show their environmental practices and social sustainability policies. As such, we wanted to show our commitment to our customers by implementing a certified management system.”

Maintaining compliance with environmental regulations

Maintaining compliance with environmental regulations is important for an ISO 14001-certified EMS as this helps organisations meet legal requirements and avoid penalties.

This commitment can strengthen an organisation’s reputation as a responsible and sustainable business and build trust with stakeholders.

Win new business

No matter how much evidence your competitors provide to show their minimised environmental impact and improved sustainability, it will struggle to rival your ISO 14001 certification.

That’s because ISO 14001 certification has an international reputation in environmental management, making it particularly credible when tendering for public sector or large company work. ISO 14001 gives you a marketing edge over your competitors, proving that you take a more serious and sensible attitude toward sustainability. ISO 14001 could be the difference between winning and losing that vital contract.

Since achieving ISO 14001 certification, Lynsey McClelland, Administrative Manager at Hi-Tec Building Services said:

“We have greater opportunities and can now apply for larger tenders and projects that we may not have been able to do before.”

Find out more about the business benefits of ISO 14001.

ISO standards are reviewed and revised for changing technology, regulations and business practices.

EMS help organisations to optimise environmental performance while meeting legal requirements. ISO 14001:2015 was published in September 2015 and has built upon the basic principles of the previous ISO 14001:2004, with a number of key differences, as highlighted in the table below.

In February 2024, ISO introduced an additional Climate Action Amendment to ISO 14001:2015, which required organisations to assess climate change as a relevant issue and consider it in the EMS. The change emphasises the importance of addressing climate-related impacts and aligning with global commitments.

ISO plans to release a revision of ISO 14001, expected in 2025, focusing on clarifying existing requirements and addressing climate change more explicitly.

If you want to create as much positive environmental change as possible in your organisation, you could also consider insisting that your own suppliers are ISO 14001 certified.

Read more about this in our article, ISO 14001:2015 Asks Managers to Lead the Way

ISO 14001 outlines the requirements for developing an Environmental Management System. It aims to meet organisational goals by providing a way to organise people, resources, and processes. This results in increased resource efficiency and reduced waste, which can aid profitably.

The standard isn’t prescriptive – the results depend on the organisation’s goals, level of dedication and unique context.

ISO 14001:2015 has an entire clause dedicated to leadership, helping to foster commitment from the top down. This clause also includes setting out responsibilities and establishing an Environmental Policy.

The standard asks you to explain the context of the EMS and consider the issues, factors, and conditions that could influence or be influenced. It asks you to identify relevant interested parties and consider the compliance obligations you’re expected to meet so they can be appropriately managed.

Planning is a substantial clause in the standard. Environmental risks need to be defined, such as the impacts of fire, flood or loss of power. Environmental risks, opportunities and compliance obligations will be assessed with control measures mapped out, normally within the environmental aspects register.

Support is essential, and it involves defining responsibilities and roles and ensuring effective communication regarding the EMS. The operations clause includes planning actions to meet goals and managing risks, including establishing procedures for emergency situations.

Once things are in place, evaluation needs to begin. This clause sets up the monitoring and measurement of your performance. These are carried out as internal audits, and the results need to be shown in management reviews to demonstrate involvement.

Achieving certification involves demonstrating that you have implemented the necessary processes for an EMS that meets ISO 14001 standards.

Part of this involves providing your auditor with documented evidence of these processes. These documents include:

• Environmental Policy
• Environmental Aspects Register
• Environmental objectives and plans for achieving them
• Operational control procedures
• Procedure for emergency preparedness, response and business continuity
• List of interested parties and relevant legislation
• Competence records
• Evidence of communication
• Management review results
• Nonconformities and corrective action
• Monitoring performance information
• Compliance obligations record
• Internal audit programme and results

If that seems daunting, don’t worry – many organisations are surprised at how much they already have in place.

Find out more about the requirements of ISO 14001.

The ISO 14001 certification process involves two audits.

The Stage 1 audit evaluates your existing processes to identify any areas needing improvement.

The Stage 2 audit determines whether those areas have been improved and whether your EMS meets ISO 14001 standards.

Stage 1 audit

This involves reviewing your documented processes to establish if your EMS meets ISO 14001’s requirements.

The length of the assessment will depend on the size of your organisation and the industry you’re in – a timeframe will be given in advance.

Once the Stage 1 audit is complete, you’ll get a report detailing any areas (non-conformities) you’ll need to address to achieve ISO 14001 certification. Non-conformities fall into two categories: major and minor.

Stage 2 audit

This audit will confirm that you’ve addressed any non-conformities identified in the previous assessment. Your auditor will also take a look at your processes in action. They will hold a meeting with both managers and staff, and review the evidence of your internal audits and management reviews.

The auditor will then be able to determine whether the correct processes are in place and fully understood, and whether the appropriate checks and controls to mitigate the risk of an adverse environmental impact are present.

If all goes successfully, your auditor will recommend you for certification. Your certification body’s compliance department should review their recommendation, as required by UKAS. If your auditor identifies any further non-conformities, these will be included in a full report and must be addressed before you can receive your certification.

If the compliance department finds no areas of concern, they will confirm that your EMS meets the required standards and formally award certification.

Your ISO 14001 certification will remain valid for three years.

Maintaining your certification requires annual surveillance audits and recertification every three years to ensure your EMS still operates to the standards required by ISO 14001.

Annual surveillance audits

One reason ISO 14001 has such an excellent reputation is the requirement for ongoing improvement. As part of this, your certification body should conduct annual assessments to ensure that your EMS continues to meet the standards of ISO 14001.

Auditors examine all of the same areas they reviewed during the Stage 2 audit and any changes or new elements in your EMS.

Recertification

These annual audits help you to prepare for recertification, a process you’ll undergo every three years to refresh your ISO 14001 certification and affirm to your customers that your UKAS-accredited certification is being regularly reviewed and maintained.

Read our in-depth guide to the three-year ISO certification cycle.

The cost of ISO 14001 certification will vary depending on several factors. Perhaps the largest is how long it takes an auditor to complete their assessment – this time is derived from an industry-agreed calculator that takes into account the following:

• Staff numbers
• Number of sites
• Industry
• Complexity and risk

A small company might need only a few assessment days, while a larger, complex multi-site organisation incurs more costs over more days. Industry and complexity require qualified auditors, potentially increasing the budget.

Sampling can reduce certification time and cost by auditing a single representative site. Smaller SMEs can achieve ISO 14001 without external help, saving money, but they should assess resource impact through a cost-benefit analysis.

Organisations must also consider hidden and ongoing costs from certification bodies, like management and auditor travel fees. Ensure that you understand the length of the contract – this is typically three years to match the recertification cycle, but some may offer lower quotes for unnecessarily extended contracts.

Additionally, investing in internal training and awareness programs can further streamline the certification process, fostering an internal culture of environmental responsibility and reducing the need for external consultants.

Your staff must be fully engaged to successfully implement a strong EMS. Research on core values highlights the importance of sharing your organisation’s vision with your team.

Some people point out that ISO 14001 doesn’t provide specific targets but encourages organisations to set their own and create a plan to achieve them. By actively using ISO 14001, organisations can maximise their benefits and achieve great results.

Who’s responsible?

It’s common for larger organisations to have a dedicated person or team working on implementing ISO 14001.

For smaller businesses, this isn’t necessary. However, it is crucial that senior management is aware, supportive and involved with the EMS – this is a key requirement of ISO 14001. Their support is essential for successful organisation-wide engagement.

ISO 14001 starts with creating an Environmental Policy to set the direction and goals for the management system, providing a clear vision that everyone in the organisation can support.

While it may not be practical for the directors to handle the daily tasks of maintaining the EMS, a ‘management representative’ can be appointed for this role. This person should understand the organisation well and have strong communication skills to effectively influence top management.

What skills are required?

Various studies have shown that ISO 14001 can prove a beneficial initiative for engaging employees. With climate change gaining attention, people are more interested in their environmental impact.

Organisations implementing ISO 14001 should aim to form a working group for EMS maintenance, as team members can gain satisfaction from the initiative’s success.

Training can explain the standard’s requirements and build confidence for working with certification body auditors. Most bodies offer familiarisation, implementation and internal auditing courses. For formal qualifications, institutions like IEMA help develop auditing skills.

British Assessment Bureau can provide your business with expert support throughout the ISO 14001 certification process. Our auditors are with you from the initial audit to your recertification audit three years later. They are dedicated to facilitating a clear and seamless certification experience while remaining impartial throughout the assessment process.

We promise no hidden costs and transparent pricing at each step, plus we offer a range of flexible payment plans.

Get started on your journey to ISO 14001 certification – get a quote today or contact our team of experts to discuss your needs.