ISO 14001 is an environmental management standard that defines a set of environmental management requirements found in the following sections:

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1. Context

2. Leadership

3. Planning

4. Support

5. Operations

6. Evaluation

7. Improvement

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Published in 1996 and updated in 2004, ISO 14001 third edition was published in September of 2015 which cancels and replaces all previous editions. The main purpose of this standard is to help organizations protect the environment and respond to changing environmental conditions. Any organization can achieve these goals with an established environmental management system (EMS) and commits to the ongoing improvement of the suitability, adequacy, and effectiveness of this system. 

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ISO 14001 applies to all organizations, regardless of what they do or their size. It is designed to help organizations protect the environment and respond to changing environmental conditions. According to ISO 14001: 2015, every requirement must be met to claim that an organization complies with this standard. How an organization chooses to meet ISO's requirements depends on your organization’s context, structure, activities, objectives, compliance obligations, and products and services; and it will be influenced by its risks, opportunities, environmental aspects and impacts. Consequently, environmental management systems can vary a great deal. According to ISO 14001, an EMS will enhance your organization's environmental performance because it will:

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·       Reduce your environmental risks.

·       Implement your environmental policy.

·       Achieve your environmental objectives.

·       Meet your environmental compliance obligations.

·       Take advantage of your environmental opportunities.

·       Use this standard to get certified. 

 

Once you’ve established an EMS that meets ISO's requirements based on your organization’s own risks and requirements, the next step is to have a registrar (certification body) audit your system. When you pass the audit, you will receive a certificate stating that your EMS meets ISO requirements. While ISO 14001: 2015 is designed for certification purposes, it is not required. You can be in compliance without being formally certified by a registrar. You can self-audit your EMS and then announce that it complies with the ISO 14001 standard. Obviously, your compliance claim will have more credibility when confirmed by a third party certification body.