ISO 14001 stipulates 7 elements for a certification where each element defines future concrete requirements:
1-Context of the organization
– Understanding the organization and its context
– Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties
– Determining the scope of the environmental management system
– Environmental management system
2-Leadership
– Leadership and commitment
– Environmental policy
– Organizational roles, responsibilities and authorities
3-Planning
– Actions to address risks and opportunities
– Environmental objectives and planning to achieve them
4-Supports
– Resources
– Competence
– Awareness
– Communication
– Documented information
5-Operation
– Operational planning and control
– Emergency preparedness and response
6-Performance evaluation
– Monitoring, measurement, analysis and evaluation
– Internal audit – Management review
7-Improvements
– General
– Nonconformity and corrective action
– Continual improvement The higher aim of environmental management according to ISO 14001 for environmental management systems is the enforcement of environmental protection and the prevention of environmental damage in line with socio-economic requirements.
Environmental management offers comprehensive benefits:
• Minimizing risk by assessing the risk of environmental processes and their effects
• Legal certainty enabled by legal compliance
• Improving emergency preparedness and response
• Minimizing and preventing emissions and wastes
• Identifying environmental issues soon enough
• Increasing confidence and acceptability among the employees, customers, official bodies and the public
• People motivation
• Reducing costs by disclosing opportunities for saving resources and energy
• Reducing the personal liability risk of Top Management and of the competent employees
• Establishing a positive image in the public