Environmental Standard ISO 14001 revision

In my last Blog I reported that ISO9001, the Quality Management Standard, was being revamped with a released date promised in 2015.  Now I can report that the 14001: 2004 Standard is being reworked with a planned release date of 2014. 

This Standard published in 2004 is overdue for revision and it is hoped that some of the proposals we have suggested will be included in the 2014 version.

All new and revised Standards will be following the 2012 issue of the ISO/IEC directive which sets out guidelines for high level structure and content.  This will enable all Management Standards to be able to integrate into an organisations overall strategy, rather than being "a bolt on".

The proposed 14001 (and of course 14004) have been subject to wide consultation and this has allowed environmental interested parties (some 1650 professionals responded to the consultation) to provide good input to the revision process.

Here are some of the suggested areas for inclusion put forward by IEMA, the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment:

• Clarity about the principal aims of any EMS to protect the environment;
  
• Consider impacts from the changing environment to allow organisations to manage risks and opportunities as well as managing their impacts on the environment;
  
• More emphasis on managing impacts across the product / service lifecycle;
  
• There should be a greater emphasis on the demonstration of compliance with Statutory and Regulatory requirements;
  
• And continual improvement of any environmental performance.

The next round of discussions by ISO are due to take place in June 2013 and no doubt we will be updated on their deliberations. 

Watch this space!!!