Navigating

ISO 14001:2015
Understanding why the new
ISO 14001 revision matters to
everyone

White paper

Abstract
This whitepaper takes a concise, yet detailed look at the upcoming ISO 14001:2015 revision. The revision
of ISO 14001 - Environmental Management Systems is targeted for release in late 2015, and is expected to
include a number of important changes from the existing version of the standard. These changes are likely to
require organisations currently certified to the existing requirements to undertake specific actions to maintain
certification. While these changes are still in draft, organisations currently holding ISO 14001 certification
should consider planning now for the transition to the new version of the standard.

TV SD

Contents
INTRODUCTION

THE ORIGINS OF ISO 14001

THE EVOLUTION OF ISO 14001

THE 2015 REVISION

NEW ISO 14001:2015 STRUCTURE

UNDERSTANDING THE CHANGES

HOW CAN YOU PREPARE FOR THE NEW STANDARDS

HOW CAN TV SD HELP YOU?

9
10

About the TV SD expert

James W. Melloni
EHS Technical Product Manager, TV SD America
James W. Melloni is TV SDs EHS Technical Product Manager. A former senior
consultant engineer with Arthur D. Little, Melloni has worked with the U.S. Department of
Energy on environmental management systems, and was instrumental in the development
and application of quality assurance standards for environmental programs. He is also a
member of the U.S. Technical Advisory Group to ISO Technical Committee 207 (TAG 207)
working on the ongoing development of the ISO 14000 series of environmental management
standards.

Navigating ISO 14001:2015 | TV SD

Introduction
Almost 20 years after its first
publication in 1996, ISO 14001
Environmental Management
Systems, is now the leading
international standard detailing
the requirements for the
implementation and maintenance
of environmental management
systems. According to the
International Organisation for
Standardisation (ISO), nearly
300,000 ISO 14001 certifications
were issued worldwide in 2012
alone. This makes ISO 14001 the
second most widely certified
management system, surpassed
only by management systems

TV SD | Navigating ISO 14001:2015

certified to the requirements of ISO

9001Quality Management.

requirements of the newly revised

standard.

ISO has recently released for

public review and comment, a draft
international standard (DIS) version
of ISO 14001. When published in
late 2015, the final revised standard
will replace ISO 14001:2004 as the
primary international standard
for environmental management
systems. Organisations currently
certified to the 2004 edition of
the standard will be granted a
transition period to bring their
existing environmental management
systems into compliance with the

This white paper offers further

details on the ISO 14001 revision,
and provides recommendations
regarding certification to the
revised standard.

This makes ISO 14001 the most

widely certified management
system, surpassed only by
management systems certified
to the requirements of ISO
9001- Quality Management.

The origins of ISO 14001

First published in 1996, ISO 14001
is largely based on BS 7750,
Specification for environmental
management systems, which was
published in 1992 by the British
Standards Institute (BSI) and widely
considered to be the first standard
addressing the requirements for
environmental management systems.

environmental performance, the

standard provides a framework
that organisations can follow to
establish and maintain an effective
environmental management system.
By achieving ISO 14001 certification,
an organisation demonstrates to all
of its stakeholders its commitment
to measure its environmental
impact and to strive for continuous
ISO 14001 establishes the criteria that improvement.
an organisation must meet to achieve
certification of its environmental
ISO 14001 is part of the ISO 14000
management system. Rather than
family of standards. Other standards
stating specific requirements for
in the ISO 14000 series include:

ISO 14004:2004 Environmental

management systems General
guidelines on principles, systems and
support techniques
ISO 14006:2011 Environmental
management systems Guidelines
for incorporating ecodesign
ISO 14064-1:2006 Greenhouse
gases Part 1: Specification with
guidance at the organisation level
for quantification and reporting
of greenhouse gas emissions and
removals

The evolution of ISO 14001

Since its introduction in 1996, ISO 14001 has undergone numerous revisions. Below is a quick summary of its evolution:

BS 7750 (1992)
The British Standards Instittute (BSI) publishes BS 7750, the worlds first environmental management system standard, which serves as the template for ISO
14001.

ISO 14001:1996
The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) releases the ISO 14000 series of environmental management system standards. ISO 14001 specifies
the general requirements for environmental management systems. Other standards in the series address environmental performance evaluation,
environmental auditing, environmental labelling, and life-cycle assessments.

ISO 14001:2004
ISO 14001:2004 strengthens documentation requirements and establishes requirements for periodic evaluations to assess compliance with the standards
requirements and to investigate nonconformities.

Navigating ISO 14001:2015 | TV SD

The 2015 revision

In recent years, there has been a
proliferation of new management
systems standards, addressing
organisational performance aspects
such as energy, occupational health
and safety, information security and
food safety. Although these
standards share a number of common
elements, they often take different
approaches or employ terms and
definitions with different meanings.
These divergent approaches to
standardisation have made it difficult
for organisations to integrate their
efforts to implement and maintain
multiple management systems.
As a result, ISO/TC 207/ SC1/WG-5,
the ISO working group responsible
for the ISO 14001 revision, has
adopted a common framework and
set of requirements for management
systems standards in this revision.
The High Level Structure for
Management Systems Standards,
also referred to as Annex SL of the
Consolidated ISO Supplement of
the ISO/IEC Directives, utilises a
generic standards framework and
terminology while also allowing the

addition of performance-specific
requirements. By adopting the
framework detailed in Annex SL,
the ISO 14001 revision will have the
same look and feel as other
newly revised management system
standards, making it easier for
organisations to concurrently
operate multiple management
systems.

revision (CD2) circulated for public

comment in October 2013. The DIS
of the ISO 14001 revision was made
available to national standard bodies
in July 2014 for the purposes of
translating the draft into local
languages. The public comment
period on the text of the DIS began in
late August and will continue until
the end of November 2014.

The other key focus of the current

revision effort is to address the
findings of the ISO Study Group
report, Future Challenges for EMS.
That report analysed issues in
11 different areas in the field of
environmental management. The
report also evaluated obstacles and
opportunities facing small
organisations seeking to adopt ISO
14001 principles, as well as methods
for controlling environmental impact
throughout an organisations supply
chain.

Beginning in February 2015,

comments received during the public
comment period will be reviewed
and incorporated as appropriate into
the draft standard. As of this writing,
the final revised edition of standard
is expected to be published in the
fourth quarter of 2015. However, the
length and depth of deliberations
regarding the proposed changes
could alter that schedule.

A draft of the initial revision of ISO

14001, Committee Draft 1 (CD1), was
circulated for comment in March
2013, with a draft of the second

As of this writing, the final

revised edition of standard
is expected to be published
in the fourth quarter of
2015.

THE EVOLUTION OF THE ISO 14001 STANDARD

2004
Strengthened
documentation requirements
and requirements for periodic
evaluations

1996
Introduction of the
first version by ISO

March 2013
Initial draft distributed
for review and comment

TV SD | Navigating ISO 14001:2015

October 2013

February 2015

Second draft circulated

for public comment

Final Draft International

Standard developed

July 2014
Draft International
Standard distributed
for review and comment

Fourth Quarter 2015

Publication of 2015 version

New ISO 14001:2015 structure

As noted above, ISO 14001:2015 is expected to adopt the generic standards framework and terminology set out in
Annex SL. This change will give ISO 14001 the same look and feel as other management standards, while also
allowing for the addition of specific performance requirements.

STRUCTURE COMPARISON OF ISO/DIS ISO 14001:2015 AND ISO 14001:2004

ISO/DIS ISO 14001:2015

ISO 14001:2004

1. Scope

1. Scope

2. Normative references

2. Normative references

3. Terms and definitions

3. Terms and definitions

4. Context of the organisation

4. Environmental management system requirements

5. Leadership

Annex A: Guidance on the use of this international standard

6. Planning

Annex B: Correspondence of ISO 140001:2004 and ISO 9001:2000

7. Support
8. Operation
9. Performance Evaluation
10. Improvement

Navigating ISO 14001:2015 | TV SD

Understanding the changes

Although similar in many regards to
the requirements in ISO 14001:2004,
the revised draft standard currently
presents a stronger focus in a number
of key areas, including the following:
A strategic approach to environmental
management - Under Clause 4 of
the draft revision (Context of the
organisation), organisations will now
be expected to indentify and address
all internal and external aspects and
factors that may be relevant to an
effective environment management
system. These factors can include, but
are not limited to:

.
.
.

Environmental conditions, such as

climate, air and water quality, land
use, natural resource availability
and biodiversity.
The external culture, including
social, political, legal, economic,
and competitive contexts, whether
local, regional, or international.
Internal organisation
characteristics, including the
organisation well as its products,
services and activities.

An increased emphasis on the role

of leadership - A new clause in the
draft revision (Clause 5, Leadership)
assigns specific responsibilities to
those in senior leadership roles
within an organisation. Specific
responsibilities include:

.
.
.

Ensuring that the organisations

environmental policy is compatible
with its strategic direction.
Integrating the organisations
management system requirements
into its business practices.
Ensuring the availability of the
resources necessary to implement

TV SD | Navigating ISO 14001:2015

.
.
.

the environmental management

system.
Directing others to contribute to
the success of the environmental
management system.
Accountability for the effectiveness
of the environmental management
system.
Communicating the importance
of effective environmental
management internally and
externally.

The ultimate goal of the direct

involvement of senior leadership is
to create a culture that encourages
everyone to work toward fulfilling
the objectives of the organisations
environmental management system.
Higher expectations for protecting
the environment - The section
of the draft revision dealing with
environmental policy (Clause 5.2,
Environmental policy) has been
expanded to mandate an organisations
commitment to proactive initiatives
that protect the environment from harm
and degradation. These initiatives can
address specific issues such as water
and air quality and recycling, as well as
broader initiatives including climate
change mitigation, preservation of
ecosystems and biodiversity, and ecorestoration.

with its capabilities and commitments.

Such performance objectives could
include reduced emissions or lower
waste production levels. However, in
all cases, the objectives must be
measurable, monitored, communicated
and updated as appropriate.
Adopting a lifecycle approach - Clause
6.2.1 of the draft revision strengthens
current requirements regarding supply
chain oversight by adding additional
considerations regarding product use
and end-of-life considerations
(considering a life cycle perspective).
However, the draft revision does not
currently require organisations to
conduct a lifecycle assessment as
part of its environmental management
system implementation.
Stronger communications - The draft
revision formalises and considerably
strengthens requirements for both
internal and external communications
(Clause 7.4, Communication). An
organisations communication plan
must include specific information on:

..
..

What it will communicate

When it will communicate
With whom it will communicate
How it will communicate

The draft revision requires

organisations to respond to all relevant
internal communications regarding its
A focus on improved environmental
performance - A new clause in the draft environmental management system
from employees, and to maintain
revision (Clause 6.2.1, Environmental
documentation as evidence of its
objectives) shifts the focus on
communications. It also requires
continuous improvement from the
organisations to determine what
management system itself to the
information should be communicated
organisations actual environmental
to external groups, such as regulatory
performance. It requires an
agencies, community groups and other
organisation to establish specific
interested third parties, and to ensure
environmental objectives consistent

that such information is complete,

truthful and reliable.
More flexible documentation Finally, the draft revision uses the
term documented information to
replace the terms documentation
and record used in prior editions
of the standard. Documented
information (see Clause 7.5,
Documented information) can
include paper as well as electronic
documents maintained on computers
and remote servers. Importantly,
documented information does not
need to be presented in the form of
a manual, and may be integrated
with other information management
systems implemented by the
organisation.
New terminology - As part of the
effort to conform with the framework

and terminology set out in Annex

SL for all management systems
standards, the DIS version of ISO
14001 also uses new and modified
terminology as follows:

In place of the term identify,

the revised standard uses the
term determine, which implies a
discovery process that results in
knowledge. The change is
intended to harmonise the revised
standard with standardised
management system terminology,
and does not modify the intent of
the previous edition of the
standard.
The term intended outcome
signifies what the organisation
intends to achieve by
implementing its environmental
management system, which
includes enhancement of

.
.

environmental performance,
conformity with compliance
obligations and fulfilment of
environmental objectives. These
are the minimum core outcomes,
and organisations can set
additional intended outcomes for
their environmental management
system.
The phrase compliance
obligations replaces the phrase
legal requirements and other
requirements to which the
organisation subscribes used
in prior editions of the standard.
This change does not modify the
intent of the previous edition of
the standard.
The use of the word any implies
selection and choice.

Navigating ISO 14001:2015 | TV SD

How can you prepare for the new standard?

Following the official publication of
ISO 14001:2015, it is anticipated that
there will be a transition period of
up to three years for organisations
who hold certification to the
current version of the standard.
The precise length of the transition
period will be detailed at the release
of the final version of the revised
standard. However, the transition
period for individual organisations
may be impacted by their specific
certification renewal schedule, since
the time allowed for recertification
to the current standard is likely to be
limited.

management systems into

compliance with the new
requirements in ISO 14001:2015. In
most cases, this effort will exceed
simple revisions of existing plan
documentation, and is likely to impact
every aspect of an organisations
operation. Of course, the work to
revise an existing environmental
management system will need to
be completed at the same time as
other regular work assignments and
priorities, placing additional demands
on employees.

Given these demands, it may be

prudent to begin preliminary
Even assuming a three-year
transition planning based on the
transition period, many organisations requirements detailed in the DIS
will be required to undertake a
version of the standard as soon as
significant amount of work to
feasible. Such planning can be
bring their existing environmental
integrated into the annual audit

TV SD | Navigating ISO 14001:2015

preparation process, when gaps

between the existing and anticipated
requirements can be easily identified.
Early planning can also help
organisations anticipate in advance
potential challenges to achieving
certification to the revised standard,
thereby avoiding unexpected
surprises.

Early planning can also

help organisations
anticipate in advance
potential challenges to
achieving certification
to the revised standard,
thereby avoiding
unexpected surprises.

How can TV SD help you?

Negotiating the technical and
social complexities of ISO 14001
certification for a wide range of
industries is extremely complex and
requires industry expertise. TV SD
is a global leader in management
system solutions and a leading

10

registrar for ISO 14001, ISO 9001

and other management systems
standards. Having issued more
than 54,000 management systems
certifications to date, we have the
expertise to provide comprehensive
auditing and certification services

to organisations of all types and in

all industries. We can also assist
your organisation in your ISO 14001
transition planning, providing you
with a smooth path to recertification.

Navigating ISO 14001:2015 | TV SD

GLOSSARY OF ACRONYMS

BIS british standards institute

ISO international organisation for standardisation

COPYRIGHT NOTICE
The information contained in this document represents the current view of TV SD on the issues discussed as of the date of publication. Because TV SD must respond to
changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of TV SD, and TV SD cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after
the date of publication.
This White Paper is for informational purposes only. TV SD makes no warranties, express, implied or statutory, as to the information in this document. Complying with all
applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user. Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this document may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into
a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the express written
permission of TV SD.
TV SD may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights covering subject matter in this document. Except as expressly provided
in any written license agreement from TV SD, the furnishing of this document does not give you any license to these patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual
property. ANY REPRODUCTION, ADAPTATION OR TRANSLATION OF THIS DOCUMENT WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED, EXCEPT AS ALLOWED UNDER THE
COPYRIGHT LAWS. TV SD Group 2014 All rights reserved - TV SD is a registered trademark of TV SD Group.

DISCLAIMER
All reasonable measures have been taken to ensure the quality, reliability, and accuracy of the information in the content. However, TV SD is not responsible for the third-party
content contained in this newsletter. TV SD makes no warranties or representations, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of information contained in
this newsletter. This newsletter is intended to provide general information on a particular subject or subjects and is not an exhaustive treatment of such subject(s). Accordingly,
the information in this newsletter is not intended to constitute consulting or professional advice or services. If you are seeking advice on any matters relating to information in
this newsletter, you should where appropriate contact us directly with your specific query or seek advice from qualified professional people. The information contained in this
newsletter may not be copied, quoted, or referred to in any other publication or materials without the prior written consent of TV SD. All rights reserved 2014 TV SD.

TV SD | Navigating ISO 14001:2015

11

Navigating ISO 14001:2015

www.tuv-sud.com/systemcertification
systemcertification@tuv-sud.com

TV SD AG
Westendstr. 199,
80686 Munich, Germany
+49 89 5791-0
www.tuv-sud.com

2014 TV SD AG | V-M/MS/33.0/en/SG

Choose certainty. Add value.

TV SD is a premium quality, safety and sustainability solutions provider that specialises in testing, inspection,
auditing, certification, training and knowledge services. Represented in over 800 locations worldwide, we hold
accreditations in Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Asia. By delivering objective service solutions to our
customers, we add tangible value to businesses, consumers and the environment.