All companies are subject to the Environmental laws, concerning the general regulations for the protection of the environment. In practice, however, it is often difficult for organisations to get a grip on environmental legislation. Are you involved with QHSE in your organisation? In this ISO 14001 roadmap, we not only explain the topics you will have to deal with, but we also go through the steps to be taken to achieve certification.

Step 1: Lay the foundation for the environmental management system

In order to be able to give a good interpretation to environmental management, it is important to align expectations in advance and to involve the management in the process. This is a step that is often skipped, but it is very important for the quality and implementation of the environmental management system.

To avoid this problem, first put together a project plan. In this way, you can define specific objectives and prevent risks by mapping them out in advance. This project plan includes the different phases of the project and how you are going to implement them. When the project plan is complete, present it to the board to ensure expectations match.

Step 2: Evaluation of your current environmental management system

The purpose of step 2 is to make an inventory of the current environmental management in your organisation. It is important to clarify the environmental themes in your organisation and to give substance to these themes. The aim of this step is to find out which processes in the organisation have already been described or documented in the field of environmental care.

Next, you need to map out which environmental legislation applies to your organisation. ISO 14001 requires the organisation to self-assess whether the legal requirements are met.

Step 3: Identify environmental opportunities and risks with a context analysis

Next, it is important to provide insight into which environmental risks and opportunities are relevant to your organisation. A context analysis helps you organise important things that affect your organisation. For example, the mapping of possible internal and external 'issues' that can lead to certain environmental effects.

Step 4: Draw up the environmental policy, scope and SMART objectives

In the previous steps, you have thought about the added value for your organisation to certify ISO 14001. Now you are going to concretize the objectives that you have determined together with the management in terms of the environmental policy, the scope and SMART goals.

The environmental policy is a document in which the management indicates the objectives of the environmental management system, including the motivation to obtain the ISO 14001 certificate. It should also indicate to which parts of your business operations you will apply environmental management. These choices determine the scope in which the environmental management system will be assessed.

In addition, according to the standard, it is essential that objectives are measurable and correspond to environmental policy and the most important environmental aspects. Improvement objectives can be set with the help of the SMART method.

In addition, you can also  use the Deming Quality Circle, or PDCA cycle, to systematically improve your environmental performance and achieve your objectives in your environmental management system.

Step 5: Describe how your organisation enables the management of important environmental aspects in the environmental care program

Who within the organisation is responsible for achieving the set goals? What resources and materials do you need to be able to do this? You lay down these crucial preconditions in the environmental care program.

Step 6: Merge everything into the management system

All the important matters that you have documented in steps 2 to 5 are brought together in the environmental management system. With the environmental care program as the most important guideline, you will answer how you give practical substance to the system.

Step 7: Test the operation of the system

In this step, you will test whether the system contributes to improving environmental performance. It is important that you first establish the criteria for measuring, analysing and evaluating environmental performance. You then use internal audits to check whether the reality is in line with the system and have a management assessment carried out.

Step 8: Have the environmental management system certified

You are almost ready for the ISO 14001 certificate. You are on the eve of the external audit. The purpose of these audits is for an external party, such as TÜV UK Limited, to objectively determine that the management system within your organisation meets the requirements of the ISO 14001 standard. If your organisation meets the requirements in the certification scheme, the ISO 14001 certificate will be issued.

Step 9: The ISO 14001 certificate has been obtained... And now?

Once you have certified your environmental management system according to the ISO 14001 standard, you naturally want the world to know that your organisation has the certificate. Engage with sales and marketing to publicise your certificates. For example: give it a place on the website and share it via social media.

Would you like to know more about your experiences with ISO 14001?

If you are considering an ISO 14001 certification process, we are happy to help you!

For more information, discover the dedicated page.