Steps to Achieve ISO 14001 Certification in USA | USA ISO Certification

ISO 14001 sets internationally agreed-upon standards for establishing and maintaining an environmental management system (EMS). It is a means for companies to manage their impact on the environment by a judicious use of resources.

It involves reducing waste, safe disposal of contaminants and using less energy-intensive processes.

This is supposed to not only provide companies with an edge over competitors, but also gain the trust of consumers, auditors and regulators.

ISO 14001 is integrable with other ISO standards, such as ISO 9001. Any organization, irrespective of size or type, can adopt ISO 14001. To do so, the following steps must be taken:

• ·         An organization must consider all the aspects of its operations that will affect the environment. These could be air and water pollution, waste management, soil contamination, mitigating efforts towards climate change and optimum use of natural resources.
• ·         There should be checks and balances for maintaining the requirements of the standard.
• ·         The organization should continuously improve the environment management system.
• ·         There should be increased emphasis on environmental management in planning.
• ·         The organization’s leadership should proactively take initiative to ensure that the requirements of the standard are met.

REVISION OF ISO 14001

In 2015, ISO 14001 was revised. The standard must now include a high-level structure, clear definitions of all processes and common requirements and clauses. Besides, these aspects have been affected by the revision:

1. ·         The Environment Management System’s scope and coverage have been expanded.
2. ·         There should be interactions with outside parties.
3. ·         Leadership must be involved.
4. ·         The requirements of legal compliance have been expanded.
5. ·         There should be risk-based planning and controls.
6. ·         The operational control requirements have been expanded.
7. ·         The internal audit process has been overhauled.
8. ·         The certification cost has increased.

CERTIFICATION PROCESS

ISO 14001 certification is optional. But there’s increasing pressure on companies from various stakeholders to be certified.

Organizations with ISO 14001 certification get a 3-year transition period for updating their EMS to the new standard.

Those companies that are not certified must first create and implement an ISO 14001 EMS before the certification audit. To implement the EMS, the organization must complete the following:

1. ·         Develop an environmental policy
2. ·         Review environmental aspects
3. ·         Assess legal requirements and check compliance
4. ·         Identify and conduct training
5. ·         Carry out an internal audit

During this period, the organization must consult an accredited certification group that will carry out annual audits and arrange the certification.

Certification audit

The accredited certification body will make an assessment of the EMS with relation to ISO 14001 and the organization’s environmental policy. If the assessment is positive, the certification body will provide a certificate of registration.

If the organization fails the assessment, it will be given the chance to fulfill the requirements of ISO 14001.

Surveillance audit

Annual surveillance audits will look at specific aspects of the EMS. If the organization has several certified locations, some of these may be chosen for the audits.

 If the organization hasn’t managed to fulfill the requirements or if the organization is large, the surveillance audits can be more frequent.

BENEFITS

·         ISO 14001 certification has shown to provide some of these benefits:

• ·         It helps comply with current and future statutory requirements.
• ·         It boosts a company’s reputation and increases the stakeholders’ confidence in the company.
• ·         It helps meet a company’s strategy by including environmental issues in management.
• ·         It increases efficiency and reduces cost, thus providing financial and competitive edge.
• ·         It persuades suppliers to improve their environmental compliance by integrating them with the company’s management system.

Quest Certification USA is one of the foremost companies in helping companies become ISO 14001-certified in the US. Our team of experts can guide companies through the entire certification process, advising them on the dos and don’ts.