ISO 14001 & EMS

Environmental management systems (EMS), as stand-alone tools or part of integrated management systems, potentially certified to the ISO 14001 standard, are increasingly utilised by organisations of all sizes to reduce environmental risk and improve performance. There is no rule book for developing a system; it can and should be tailored to suit the organisation’s culture and business objectives. However, many organisations aim to achieve certification of their systems to ISO 14001, the international standard for environmental management systems, and this imposes certain requirements.

ISO 14001 and Continual Improvement

What is the benefit?

A well-designed environmental management system (EMS) will deliver a range of benefits, including: improved operational control; cost savings; reduced compliance risk; enhanced behaviours in the workplace; improved relationships with customers, suppliers and regulators; and demonstrably reduced environmental impacts. An EMS conforming to the ISO 14001 standard can be used to attain corporate goals for reduced energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, helping to substantiate claims for a reduced carbon footprint. It can help manage suppliers, so that the overall organisational impact on the value chain is minimised. It can be part of the process for attaining corporate responsibility objectives, leading to enhanced reputation and sector leadership.

Why CRA?

CRA has extensive experience of working with multi-national companies and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to develop, implement and improve environmental management systems. We work with companies and SMEs to understand their corporate objectives, help them foster commitment throughout the organisation and work collaboratively to produce systems that can be readily integrated into business processes. We help to train, mentor and raise awareness throughout the organisation so that the EMS adds value and becomes an essential part of business management.

CRA’s EMS expert is one of the UK’s technical experts appointed to the ISO working group revising ISO 14001:2004. He has identified seven major changes that are planned for the standard. CRA has created an e-book, which explains these changes in detail, and aims to help you appreciate the key themes of the revision, and what auditors may expect from you once ISO14001:2015 is released. This can be downloaded for free below.

For additional information on how CRA could help you, please contact Nigel Leehane on nleehane@cra.co.uk or 0115 965 6700.

ISO 14001 Ebook free download