One of the leadership requirements of ISO 14001:2015, the international standard for environmental management systems, is to integrate the environmental management system into the organization’s business processes. This is a new requirement that is often overlooked.
When auditing, I often see environmental management teams documenting the issues and interested parties that they have identified, with associated risks and opportunities. On the surface of things, this may seem to meet the requirements of clause 4 of ISO 14001:2015, but this is a clause that really needs board level involvement.
Many management boards already have a risk assessment process. If this is separate to the environmental management team’s process and does not consider environmental issues, then the environmental management system is clearly not integrated into other business processes. This is important because, when integrated, it brings environmental management firmly onto the organization’s agenda at a strategic level.
Involving senior management in the ‘context’ requirements of ISO 14001:2015 provides organizations with real benefits in terms of understanding organizational risks and opportunities, as well as meeting the requirements of ISO 14001. We can help you to make this a truly valuable process. Call Julia today on 07944 389889 to book a review with us.