ISO, the International Standards Organization, has updated its ISO 14001 environmental management systems (EMS) guidelines to reflect the increased prominence of environmental management within strategic planning processes. A new requirement to understand a manufacturer’s context has been incorporated within the guidelines to identify and leverage opportunities for the benefit of both the manufacturer and the environment.
The revised document focuses particularly on issues or changing circumstances related to the needs and expectations of interested parties (including regulatory requirements) and local, regional or global environmental conditions that can affect, or be affected by, the company. Working with the EMS guidelines, manufacturers can identify priorities, take actions to mitigate adverse risk and/or exploit beneficial opportunities. The 2015 revisions center around a Plan-Do-Check-Act model—which takes into consideration internal and external issues, the needs and expectations of interested parties, the context of the organization and the scope of the EMS to produce intended outcomes.