All ISO standards are reviewed every five years to establish if a revision is required in order to keep it current and relevant for the marketplace. The international ISO 14001 standard currently used by over 300,000 organisations worldwide outlines how to put an effective environmental management system in place and it is intended to help businesses remain commercially successful without disregarding crucial environmental responsibilities.

The reviewed ISO 14001:2015 is designed to respond to latest trends and ensure it is compatible with other management system standards

The changes to the standard are expected to be implemented by in 2015 and will see further focus on leadership, environmental performance and communication.

If you are already certified to ISO 14001 there will be a transition period of three years in which to transfer the EMS to the new edition of the standard.

The key changes relate to:

• Increased prominence of environmental management within the organization’s strategic planning processes
• Greater focus on leadership
• Addition of proactive initiatives to protect the environment from harm and degradation, such as sustainable resource use and climate change mitigation
• Improving environmental performance added
• Lifecycle thinking when considering environmental aspects
• Addition of a communications strategy