The ISO 14000 environmental management standards series helps companies minimize how their operations negatively affect the environment; comply with applicable laws, regulations, and other requirements; and continually improve in those respects. This standard is similar to ISO 9000 (for quality management) in that certification is performed by third-party organizations rather than awarded by the International Organization for Standardization directly. As of 2010, ISO 14001 is used voluntarily by at least 223,149 organizations in 159 countries and economies.

ISO 14001 represents the core set of standards for designing and implementing effective environmental management systems (EMS). ISO 14004 gives additional guidelines for a good environmental management system and more specialized standards dealing with specific aspects of environmental management.

ISO defines EMS as: “part of the overall management system that includes organizational structure, planning activities, responsibilities, practices, procedures, processes, and resources for developing, implementing, achieving, and maintaining the environmental policy.” Companies are responsible for setting their own targets and performance measures, with the standard serving to assist them in meeting objectives and goals and the subsequent monitoring and measurement.

Continuous improvement is fundamental to the ISO 14000 series, with ISO 14001 based on a plan–do–check–act methodology. First, a company establishes its objectives and determines what processes are required to meet them. Then it implements those processes before measuring and monitoring them and reporting the results. Actions are taken to improve EMS performance based on those results.

The continual improvement approach of ISO 14000 differs from that familiar to quality management systems. It is based on expansion (more business areas covered by an EMS), enrichment (more activities, products, processes, emissions, resources, and so on are managed by the EMS), and upgrading (improving the structural and organizational framework of the EMS and accumulating know-how in dealing with business-related environmental issues) over time. A company gradually moves away from operational environmental measures toward a strategic approach on dealing with environmental challenges.

ISO 14001 was developed primarily to help companies reduce their environmental impact. But economic benefits follow based on better compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements. Minimizing the risk fines and improving efficiencies will reduce waste and consumption of resources (and thus overall operating costs). Businesses operating in multiple locations across the globe can register themselves as “ISO 14001 compliant” without the need for multiple certifications. Incorporation of ISO 14001 is becoming a necessity for the long-term viability of many businesses and providing competitive advantage for those that adopt the standard. This in turn can improve a company’s asset value and can lead to improved public perceptions of a given business. Adopting the standard serves to reduce trade barriers among registered businesses.

For more information, see the source of this information as well as other online resources: the ISO website and a free guidance manual from the National Center for Environmental Decision-Making Research.