ISO 14001:2015 with Amendment 1:2024
ISO 14001: Environmental management
ISO 14001 shows that you know how your work affects the environment (waste, emissions, pollution, resource use), that you comply with environmental law, and that you are reducing your impact. It is increasingly expected in public sector and main contractor supply chains alongside carbon reduction plans.
ISO 14001 is being revised, with the new edition due around 2026. Check with your certification body which edition you will be audited against. Certificates to the 2015 edition stay valid through a transition period.
Who needs it
- Contractors working on public sector frameworks
- Firms handling waste, hazardous substances or working near watercourses
- Businesses whose clients have net zero supply chain targets
What each clause requires
Clause numbers follow the standard. Summaries are our own plain-English explanation; buy the standard itself from BSI or ISO for the exact wording.
Clause 4: Context of the organisation
4.1 Understanding the organisation and its context
Identify the internal and external issues that affect your environmental performance, including whether climate change is relevant to you.
4.2 Needs and expectations of interested parties
List the people and organisations that care about your environmental performance (clients, regulators, workers, neighbours) and what they require of you.
4.3 Scope of the management system
Write down which sites, activities and services the EMS covers, and justify anything left out.
4.4 Environmental management system
Establish and maintain the EMS and the processes it needs.
Clause 5: Leadership
5.1 Leadership and commitment
Top management must own the EMS: provide resources, integrate it into day-to-day work and be accountable for its results.
5.2 Environmental policy
A signed environmental policy that suits your business, commits to meeting requirements and to improvement, and is communicated to staff.
5.3 Roles, responsibilities and authorities
Assign who is responsible for the EMS and for reporting on its performance.
Clause 6: Planning
6.1.2 Environmental aspects
List how your activities interact with the environment (waste, fuel, noise, spills), decide which are significant, and consider the life cycle.
6.1.3 Compliance obligations
Identify the environmental laws and other requirements that apply to you, such as waste carrier registration, duty of care and permits.
6.1.4 Planning action
Plan how you will address significant aspects, compliance obligations, and risks and opportunities.
6.2 Environmental objectives
Set measurable environmental objectives, such as cutting fuel use or landfill waste.
Clause 7: Support
7.1 Resources
Provide the people, equipment and premises the EMS needs.
7.2 Competence
Decide what competence each role needs, make sure people have it, and keep records.
7.3 Awareness
Staff know the environmental policy, how they contribute and what happens if they do not follow the system.
7.4 Communication
Decide what you communicate about environmental, when, to whom and how.
7.5 Documented information
Control your documents and records: version, approve, store, protect and retire them properly.
Clause 8: Operation
8.1 Operational planning and control
Control the activities linked to significant aspects, including what subcontractors do, from a life cycle perspective.
8.2 Emergency preparedness and response
Plan for environmental emergencies such as spills or fires, and test the plan.
Clause 9: Performance evaluation
9.1 Monitoring, measurement, analysis and evaluation
Decide what environmental performance you measure, how often, and how you analyse the results.
9.1.2 Evaluation of compliance
Check periodically that you comply with your legal obligations and record the result.
9.2 Internal audit
Audit your own EMS at planned intervals against the standard and your own procedures.
9.3 Management review
Top management reviews the EMS at planned intervals, covering the inputs the standard lists, and records decisions.
Clause 10: Improvement
10.2 Nonconformity and corrective action
When something goes wrong, contain it, find the root cause, fix it so it does not recur, and check the fix worked.
10.3 Continual improvement
Show that the EMS gets better over time.
Keep all of this evidence in one place
The Certwell Evidence Vault links every record to the requirement it proves, reminds you before anything expires, and gives your auditor a read-only link.
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