ISO 14001:2004 has become a requirement for businesses to address the environment in order to maintain customers, and exist in an ever more critical global economy. Waste of resources and creation of pollution are normally indications of areas for concern in the world of rapid industrialization.

Environmental management systems can assist an organization to meet its increasingly heavy burden of responsibility for the future condition of our world environment. The introduction of an environmental management system aids cost savings, and reduction of environmental liability. EMS standard stress the need for continuous, never-ending, improvement in striving to protect the environment, not only for us but for future generations to come

The requirement for an environmental management system is to enable an organization identify its significant aspects and their impact, to develop and implement policy and objectives, which take into account legal and other requirements to which an organization subscribes, and take decision to inform about significant environmental aspects to all the interested parties. It applies to those environmental aspects that the organization can control, that it can influence. It does not itself state specific environmental performance criteria.

What is Environmental Management System ?

It is a quality management system that connects with a company’s environmental program in a complete, planned, systematic and documented approach. It depends on factors such as the environmental policy of the organization, the nature of its activities, products, services, location and the conditions in which it functions.

Benefits of Environmental Management System

The ISO 14001 certification can be issued to any business that wishes to effectively identify and manage its environmental impact, improve its operational efficiencies, lower costs and reduce environmental liability risks.
This certification has become a requirement for businesses to address the environment in order to maintain customers, and exist in an ever more critical global economy. Waste of resources and creation of pollution are normally indications of areas for concern in the world of rapid industrialization

Why ISO ISO14001:2015 certification?

An environmental management system helps organizations identify, manage, monitor and control their environmental issues in a “holistic” manner. It emphasises on Continual Improvement in Environment Management System, such as protection of Environment, use of alternate energy sources, more green processes and packaging

ISO 14001:2015 can be integrated easily into any existing ISO management system.

It requires that an organization considers all environmental issues relevant to its operations, such as air pollution, water pollution, waste management, land pollution, climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Users of the standard have reported that ISO 14001:2015 helps:

• Compliance with current and future Legal requirements.
• Increase leadership involvement and engagement of employees
• Improve company reputation and the confidence of stakeholders through strategic communication
• Development of New products/ Processes in line with futuristic expectations from legal authorities and customers.
• Greater Assurance to strategic business goals as environmental issues are linked into business processes
• Provide a competitive advantage through improved efficiencies, cleaner and greener usage of energy.
• Encourage better environmental performance of suppliers by integrating them into the organization’s business systems

Advantages

• Improved corporate image; strategic investment and regulatory relations
• Improving the quality of the environment
• Reducing incidents that may be detrimental to working in the long run and causing liability
• Conserve natural resources and energy and help in getting the required legal consent
• Sharing environmental solutions and improving industry and government relationship.
• Evaluates system performance through management review and correct management system deficiencies

More Specific Benefits

• Improvements in overall environmental performance and compliance.
• Provides a framework for using pollution prevention practices to meet EMS objectives.
• Increased efficiency and potential cost savings when managing environmental obligations.
• Promote predictability and consistency in managing environmental obligations.
• More effective targeting of scarce environmental management resources.
• Minimize environmental liabilities
• Maximize the efficient use of of natural resources (electricity, water, gas and fuels.)
• Reduce waste
• Demonstrate a good corporate image
• Build awareness of environmental concern among employees
• Gain a better understanding of the environmental impacts of business activities
• Reduction of the impact (e.g. noises, smells, dust) of activities on immediate neighbourhood, leading to more community support and increase profit, improving environmental performance, through more efficient operation

Certification Procedure

The Certification Procedure is a multiple-step process. The certification cycle is described briefly:

• Application for certification from client
• Offer from Fair Certification India
• Offer acceptance from client and order confirmation by Fair Certification India
• Pre audit (optional)
• Certification audit - (Stage 1 + Stage 2)
• Issue of certificate on successful completion of certification audit
• Surveillance audits at defined period
• Recertification audit after 3 years