ISO 14000
In the process of modern industrial development, human beings excessively pursued the speed of economic growth and neglected the importance of the environment, which led to soil erosion, land desertification, water pollution, air quality decline, global climate abnormality, ozone depletion, serious damage to the ecological environment and other environmental problems, which have become an important factor that restricts economic developments and human survival. In order to meet the needs of the current generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, a balance must be achieved between the environment, the society and the economy. By balancing the sustainability of these "three pillars", we can achieve sustainable development goals.
In June 1993, ISO/TC207, the Environmental Management Technical Committee, was established by the International Organization for Standardization. ISO Central Secretariat reserved 100 standard reference numbers for TC207, from ISO 14001 to ISO 14100, collectively known as the ISO 14000 series standards. In September 1996, the first set of five ISO 14000 series standards were published, and later in December, China transformed them into national standards identically.
The ISO 14000 environmental management series standards have become the most comprehensive and systematic international environmental management standards in the world. They have attracted the general attention and active responses from governments and enterprises all over the world. So far, 32 ISO 14000 environmental management series standards have been published, including:
－ISO 14001 Environmental management systems--Requirements with guidance for use
－ISO 14004 Environmental management systems—General guidelines on implementation
－ISO 14020 Environmental statements and programmes for products--Principles and general requirements
－ISO 14040 Environmental management--Life cycle assessment--Principles and framework
－ISO 14050 Environmental management--Vocabulary
－ISO Guide 64 Guide for addressing environmental issues in product standards
Please visit the ISO website: http://www.iso.org for the access to the standards above.
Since ISO 14001’s first publication in 1996, it has received the attention from countries and regions. So far, 22,000 organizations around the world have obtained ISO 14001 certification. Since 1996, the global environmental protection situation has undergone significant changes. In order to have the ISO 14001 environmental management system standard adapt to the new requirements of global environmental protection, ISO/TC207 revised the standard in 2004 and 2015 respectively.
The main changes in ISO 14001:2015 include:
（1）Strategic environmental management: In the strategic planning of an organization, the importance of environmental management is further highlighted. The requirement to understand the context in which the organization operates, specifically to identify risks and opportunities in it, has been added. Meanwhile the needs and expectations of interested parties should be understood, including requirements for compliance, as the local, regional, or global environmental conditions may affect or be affected by the organization.
（2）Leadership: More emphasis is placed on the leadership of top management in promoting the environmental management system, and the requirement on designating the "management representative" is removed.
（3）Environmental protection: It is not only pollution prevention, but also the expectation for the organization to emphasize proactive environmental protection measures, such as sustainable use of resources, mitigation and adaptation of climate change, and protection of biodiversity and ecosystems.
（4）Environmental performance: The focus of continuous improvement is shifted from improving the environmental management system to improving the environmental performance.
（5）Life cycle perspective: The organization's control over environmental aspects and their environmental impacts is extended to every phase in the product’s life cycle, such as the identification of raw materials, the design phase, and the final disposal of products.
（6）Information exchange: Same emphasis on both internal and external information exchange, including the establishment of a mechanism for personnel under the control of the organization to make suggestions for improvement of the environmental management system, and maintaining the organization’s decision on whether to communicate with the outside.
（7）Documented information: The requirements for documents are more flexible, and the terminology document, records and procedures are no longer used. The organization determines the documents/procedures to be established and the records to be retained based on what is required to have effective process control. In addition, it is not mandatory to prepare a "quality manual".
（8）General structure of ISO management system: The high-level structure (HLS) in Annex SL of ISO Guide Management System Standard (MSS) to improve the compatibility with other management system standards.
For more information on ISO14001 transition, please read A Letter to Clients on the Transition to ISO 14001:2015 on http://www.ceprei.org
An organization that adopts a systematic approach to environmental management, improves its environmental performance and achieves the expected results of the environmental management system through the implementation of the environmental management system will receive the following benefits:
● Meet government legal requirements and obtain a "green pass" for international trade
● Enhance its competitiveness and reputation, and establish an excellent corporate image
● Reform process equipment, optimize cost and achieve energy saving and consumption reduction
● Pollution prevention and environmental protection
● Leadership, full staff participation, improve the quality of environmental protection of employees
● Reduce environmental risks and realize sustainable operation of the organization
● Encourage suppliers to improve their environmental performance by integrating them into the organization’s business systems
The ISO 14001 standard is the criteria for organizations that apply for certification. In the scope of application of the standard, it is clearly stated that this standard is applicable to organizations of any size, type and nature. So far, the organizations that have been granted the certification in the world are from various industries and sectors in the national economy.
Organizations applying for ISO 14001 certification should meet the following basic conditions:
(1) An organization with independent legal status or authorized by an independent legal person;
(2) A documented environmental management system in accordance with the requirements of ISO 14001 has been established. The internal audit and management review has been completed before the application, and the environmental management system has been fully and effectively operated for more than three months;
(3) The organization shall provide CEPREI Certification Body with sufficient information on the operation of the environmental management system, and shall specify the certification scope, address and personnel distribution of each site for multiple sites certification;
(4) Starting from the establishment of the environmental management system, the organization shall maintain self-evaluation of the compliance with laws and regulations, and submit the documents like the monitoring reports of waste water, waste gases and solid wastes. When the relevant legal requirements are not met, necessary corrective actions shall be taken in a timely manner.