ISO 14001 Beginner's Guide

What is ISO 14001?

ISO 14001 is a standard created by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) that deals with environmental management. This is a way to ensure that your organization is aware of its environmental impacts and improve its operations over time to reduce these environmental impacts.

ISO 14001 Environmental Management System (EMS) introduces a continuous improvement method. You will systematically evaluate the best and worst impacts of your business on the environment, and then prioritize short-, medium-, or long-term changes in your business.

What is an environmental management system (EMS)?

EMS includes a set of processes that can help your organization manage its environmental impact. Establishing these processes can reduce your negative impact on the environment and move your organization toward a more sustainable operation.

If a problem does occur, the process enforced by EMS will outline what measures must be taken to deal with the error. They will also clarify what measures must be taken to analyze what happened to reduce the risk of recurrence.

Why is ISO 14001 needed?

As people's awareness of environmental issues increases year by year, people have higher and higher expectations for the companies that they work with. If you cannot prove that you are taking major steps to reduce your environmental impact, you will find that your organization is left behind.

Concerns about plastic waste, local air quality, wildlife habitat, species extinction and climate change may lead to changes in regulation and customer attitudes.

What are the benefits of ISO 14001 certification?

Obtaining ISO 14001 certification has many benefits, which are not listed here. You can read more about the benefits of ISO 14001, but some of them include:

• Reduce operating costs

• Win new business and maintain the expectations of existing customers

• Obtain external recognition

• Coordinate future improvements

• Gain an advantage over competitors

  
  

Reduce operating costs through ISO 14001

By reviewing your business, equipment, and processes, wasteful work practices may be discovered. Changes can be made to the activities that generate the most revenue. Investments in new equipment, product redesigns, process changes, and employee training can all play a role in eliminating wasted materials, time, energy, and energy.

Environmental improvement can bring cost savings and environmental benefits. Savings in one area can be reused to invest in improved technologies, such as boiler improvements, renewable energy plans, and insulation materials, thereby saving even more elsewhere.

Improve your public reputation through ISO 14001

ISO 14001 certification is a proof of independent evaluation that proves that your organization is operating in a responsible and sustainable manner. This helps to reassure your customers that their sponsorship supports organizations that are doing their part to protect the environment.

"The customers we serve, such as local authorities and healthcare departments, attach great importance to their suppliers to demonstrate their environmental practices and social sustainability policies. Therefore, we hope to show our customers through the implementation of a certified management system Promise of."

Win new business through ISO 14001

No matter how much evidence your competitors provide to support their efforts to minimize their environmental impact and improve their sustainability, it will be difficult to match your ISO 14001 certification.

This is because ISO 14001 has an internationally recognized reputation for environmental management, making it particularly credible when bidding for work in the public sector or large companies. ISO 14001 provides you with marketing advantages over competitors, puts your head and shoulders above competitors, and proves that you have taken a more serious and wise approach to information security. ISO 14001 may be the difference between winning and losing this important contract.

"We have more opportunities and can now apply for larger tenders and projects, which we may not have been able to do before."

How to obtain ISO 14001 certification

Obtaining certification involves proving that you have implemented the necessary processes for an EMS that complies with the ISO 14001 standard.

Part of this involves providing your auditor with documentary evidence of these processes. These documents include:

• Environmental policy

• The environmental aspect register is a tool used to help determine improvement priorities (the aspect register lists the good and bad things we have done in the environment, and describes the current control measures and an assessment of the importance of each aspect )

• Environmental goals and plans to achieve them (registration of your aspect helps to point out where the goals can have the most value)

• Operation control program

• Emergency preparedness, response and business continuity procedures

• List of interested parties and related legislation

• Ability record

• Communication evidence

• Monitor performance information

• Compliance Obligation Record

• Internal audit plan and results

• Management review results

• Nonconformities and corrective actions

If this seems like a daunting list, don't worry. Most organizations are surprised by the amount they already have.

Before applying for ISO 14001, you don’t need to worry about preparing all these documents, because our certification process will reveal any gaps in your process and outline what you need to do to get certified.

ISO 14001 certification process

The ISO 14001 certification process involves two assessments.

The first to evaluate your existing process to identify any areas that need improvement is called Phase 1.

The second is to determine whether these areas have been improved and whether your EMS meets the ISO 14001 Phase 2 standards.

First stage assessment

This involves reviewing your recording process to determine the extent to which your organization has met the requirements of ISO 14001.

The length of the evaluation depends on the size of your organization and your industry. We will inform you in advance how long we expect your evaluation will take.

After the first phase of the assessment is completed, you will receive a report detailing any areas you need to improve to achieve ISO 14001. We call these "non-conformances".

Non-conformities are divided into two categories: major and minor. Although immediate action is required on major variants, minor non-conformities can be reviewed during the next assessment.

Second stage assessment

This assessment will confirm that you have resolved any non-conformities found in the last assessment. Your reviewer will also review your process.

This will involve meetings with managers and employees, and your auditor will also ask to see evidence of your internal audit and management review.

This enables the auditor to determine whether your process is in place and understood, and to ensure that you have appropriate inspection and control measures to mitigate the risk of adverse effects on the environment, which is required by ISO 14001.

All goes well, your auditor will recommend you for certification. Our compliance department will review their recommendations according to UKAS requirements. If your auditor finds any further non-conformities, these will be included in the full report and you will need to take action before obtaining certification.

If our compliance department finds no problems, they will confirm that your EMS meets the required standards.

Congratulations; you have just obtained ISO 14001 certification!

How long does the ISO 14001 certification last?

Your ISO 14001 certification is valid for three years. Maintaining your certification requires an annual assessment and recertification every three years to ensure that your EMS is still operating in accordance with the standards required by ISO 14001.

Annual evaluation

One of the reasons ISO 14001 has such an excellent reputation is the need for continuous improvement. As part of this, we will conduct an annual assessment to ensure that your EMS continues to comply with the ISO 14001 standard.

Our auditors will cover all the same areas they looked at during the Phase 2 assessment and check for any changes or new elements in your EMS.

Recertification

These annual assessments can help you prepare for recertification. You will go through the recertification process every three years to update your ISO 14001 certification and confirm to your customers that your UKAS accredited certification is being reviewed and maintained on a regular basis.

For more detailed information, we have compiled a more in-depth guide for the three-year ISO certification cycle.

How much does ISO 14001 certification cost and how long does it take?

The cost of ISO 14001 certification is ultimately affected by the time required for the auditor to evaluate the organization. The time comes from an industry-approved calculator, which takes into account the following factors:

• Number of employees

• industry

• Complexity and risk

• Number of sites

Therefore, due to its relatively simple process, small companies in the service industry may only need to evaluate the entire certification process for a few days. On the other hand, large multi-site organizations may take longer to complete this process, which may mean several days of evaluation.

It is important to note that the industry sector and complexity of the organization means that only certain auditors have the appropriate knowledge, experience, and qualifications for evaluation.

One way we can reduce certification time and cost is through a "sampling" process. Our reviewers can only access one site, assuming it represents the process followed by other sites in your organization. Our auditors will visit different locations for annual assessment and re-certification instead of visiting each site, which will increase your certification time and cost.

Small SMEs can of course implement and obtain ISO 14001 certification without external assistance, thereby saving money. However, it is important to assess the impact of the resources required to obtain certification; cost-benefit assessment is essential to balance the cost of certification with other potential initiatives and investments that the organization may make.

If a company wants to obtain ISO 14001 certification, but cannot provide the required resources, it is recommended that the company consider using third-party expertise. Learn more about choosing an ISO 14001 consultant below.

Finally, please pay attention to the hidden and ongoing costs of certain certification bodies. Management fees and travel expenses are typical costs that some certification agencies omit in their initial quotations. It is also important to check the length of the contract; three years is typical because it is related to the three-year certification cycle, and some people may offer a lower price in exchange for a long-term contract, locking you in a specific certification body for longer than necessary time.

If you want to know more about the cost of ISO 14001 certification, we have compiled a budget guide for your ISO certification.

Further consideration

Advocate for ISO 14001 within your organization

Like the most important new initiative in the organization, it must be driven by the top and therefore requires excellent leadership. You can choose to appoint an "ISO Champion" who will be responsible for implementing EMS as directed by the senior management team.

Your "ISO champion" needs to coordinate your management system and understand the environmental legislation and industry codes of conduct relevant to your organization.

The commitment to continuous improvement is also important. After obtaining the certificate, your company must always comply with the principles of ISO 14001, which is very important. Failure to do so means that you may be at risk of losing your certification.

Although the annual assessment helps make your EMS meet the ISO 14001 standard, do not rely on it; through training, awareness, internal audits, management reviews, and recording and monitoring any environmental non-conformities, ensure that you continue to maintain your EMS.

Should I hire a consultant for my ISO 14001 certification?

There are many reasons to consider hiring a consultant. For example, SMEs may not have internal resources available for the certification process. If this is the case, it may benefit from third-party help.

On the other hand, larger organizations may have the resources they need, but will seek third-party help to maximize efficiency opportunities and ensure that the organization meets more complex legal requirements.

Relying on third parties has its dangers. Although consultants may help overcome short-term challenges, long-term reliance may offset the cost-effectiveness of implementing ISO 14001.

Although it may seem easy to simply let your consultant handle everything related to environmental management, it may put your organization at a disadvantage. One of the main benefits of ISO 14001 is to let your entire team understand the environmental processes you implement. Lack of team involvement may prevent you from enjoying the rewards and benefits of implementing EMS.

If you decide to look for a consultant, experience in a particular industry may be a key factor in selecting the best candidate for the job. Combined with an impressive resume and a series of recommendation letters, the consultant's audit experience is a significant advantage.

Since certain requirements of ISO 14001 boil down to interpretation, having qualified consultants or internal ISO 14001 advocates with appropriate experience, acting on your behalf means that you can be confident when challenged by the auditor of the certification body.

We maintain a list of experienced ISO consultants, and we are happy to provide you with some advice.

How to choose an ISO 14001 certification body?

When choosing an ISO 14001 certification body, it is important to consider how they can make it easier for you to obtain certification. But it is also important to consider how they affect your ISO 14001 certification will be perceived.

At the same time, the certification body that provides consulting services is actually checking its own work and questioning whether your EMS is really effective.

In the same way, non-accredited certification bodies have not independently verified whether they are operating in accordance with the required standards, and then correctly assess whether your EMS meets the ISO 14001 standards.

This is why it is important to seek ISO 14001 certification from a UKAS accredited certification provider (such as the UK Assessment Agency). Doing so will help you demonstrate a much higher level of environmental management than your competitors, because your suppliers comply with the highest standards and are independently verified to be both competent and competent.

By choosing a UKAS-accredited certification provider like the UK Assessment Agency, your certification is better than the self-certified or non-recognized certificate that some of your competitors may hold because it proves that your EMS has been inspected, verified, and Meet the highest standards. Independent third party. This is one of the reasons why the government issued a statement emphasizing the importance and value of UKAS-accredited certification compared to non-accredited certification.

"It is important to get an ISO accredited by UKAS because I think different levels of standards do not meet the same standards."

Gary Tucker, Managing Director, Network Training Partnership Ltd

What can the UK Assessment Agency do to help you achieve ISO 14001?

As an expert in this industry, you can trust that we will take you through the entire process in a professional and encouraging manner, so you can focus on obtaining the ISO 14001 certificate as soon as possible.

Advanced certification recognized by UKAS

We are one of the few certification providers with UKAS certification, which makes the ISO 14001 certificate can win you new business, and a piece of paper cannot impress your potential new customers. This is why you can be confident that the ISO 14001 certificate from the UK Assessment Agency will give you a leading position in the competition.

Learn more about how UKAS certification can make your ISO 14001 certificate stand out.

Master professional knowledge at any time

Trying to understand where your business needs improvement to obtain an ISO 14001 certificate can be a daunting task.

When our auditors visit you, they will identify gaps and areas of improvement that are holding you back. Even better, they will provide you with a comprehensive report with suggestions that you can start working right away.

A comprehensive software suite-free!

Tracking and organizing all the different documents needed to meet ISO 14001 requirements may seem daunting at first, which is why we provide the BAB Activ software suite free of charge to all customers.

With a value of £1,500, BAB Activ can easily track your documents and provide an ISO certification manager to tell you what tasks need to be completed and when to reach your proposed certification date. All of this will help speed up your process of obtaining an ISO 14001 certificate.

Customer satisfaction

You can see that we put our customers first because we received their reviews. In fact, 97% of our customers have given us a 4 or 5 star rating, and we are the winner of the Platinum Trusted Partner Award.

Flexible payment methods

We offer the option of splitting your payment in 10 monthly installments (a 20% deposit is required), so you can pay for the ISO 14001 certification in the most meaningful way for your business.

Next step

Whether you want to start or still have questions, the next step is to get in touch with one of our expert consultants. Enter your details below and we will contact you shortly, ready to answer any of your questions or start your ISO 14001 journey.

Back to all articles