ISO 14001 is the conformance standard within the family of ISO 14000 documents developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), in Geneva, Switzerland. Similar in structure to the ISO 9000 quality management system standard, ISO 14001 outlines key requirements companies should comply with in order to operate in an environmentally responsible manner.
The ISO 14000 elements provide diverse organizations a framework for managing and continually improving their environmental programs. Many companies currently monitor air and water permits, or toxic use reduction programs. Utilizing ISO 14001, companies can now merge environmental programs into one coherent system to efficiently manage all environmental activities.
In short, ISO 14001 provides organizations with a competitive advantage, by demonstrating to their customers that their environmental processes and impact is effectively managed, continually improving, and part of the corporate management system.
Effective ISO 14001 implementation should bring with it both reductions in environmental risk and environmental costs. Achieving this voluntary registration should further improve regulatory relations, and demonstrate to customers and to your community your company is truly environmentally aware. |
