The ISO 14001 standard is the most important standard in the ISO 14000 series of standards. ISO 14001 specifies environmental management system requirements for small, medium and large businesses. The environmental management system provides a systematic approach to the management of internal environmental issues. The ISO 14001 standard is based on the Planning-Control-Action-Review-Improvement cycle.
The planning phase deals with bringing the business into compliance with the ISO 14001 standard. The control process, on the other hand, is for the control and correction of errors. The action phase deals with the internal execution and operationalization of the ISO 14001 standard. In the review process, the cycle in question is reviewed by the top management of the enterprise. Finally, in the Improvement phase, the business continually seeks new ways to improve its environmental management system.
This cycle can last from a few months to several years, depending on the size of the businesses. If the company has ISO 9000 certification, ISO 14001 implementation will not take long.
It is a standard that minimizes the damage caused to the environment by organizations due to their activities, and helps them gain financial benefits by reducing their raw material and energy consumption. It encourages the use of advanced technologies that do not destroy the environment and its resources, makes the consumer conscious and sensitive in this direction, evaluates the effects on the environment during the life of the product, instead of products and raw materials that are harmful to the environment, and eliminates the harmful ones.
ISO 14001 standard business type (public, private, not-for-profit) It is suitable for organizations of all types and sizes regardless. Air pollution, wastewater, waste management, soil pollution, climate change mitigation and adaptation, resource use and efficiency related to the production processes of any organization. argues that it should be taken into account.
The main benefits of the ISO 14001 system can be summarized as follows:
Helps improve business image and credibility
It helps businesses to use their resources more efficiently, while reducing waste.
Ensures compliance with legal requirements in terms of business
Helps improve cost control
Helps increase the success rate in implementing changes
Provides reduction of employee turnover rate
The requirements for the ISO 14001 standard can be listed as follows:
environmental policy
Description of roles and responsibilities for environmental management
Environmental training for all employees involved in the process
Identification of environmental risks and legal obligations
Preparation and implementation of environmental goals and objectives
Operational control over all activities that have an impact on the environment (from the procurement process to the waste management process)
internal audit program
A system for auditing and detecting nonconformities