

Other standards in this series include ISO 14004, which gives additional guidelines for a good EMS, and more specialized standards dealing with specific aspects of environmental management. The ISO 14000 family includes most notably the ISO 14001 standard, which represents the core set of standards used by organizations for designing and implementing an effective environmental management system (EMS). An EMS is defined by ISO as: "part of the overall management system, that includes organizational structure, planning activities, responsibilities, practices, procedures, processes, and resources for developing, implementing, achieving, and maintaining the environmental policy." Development of the ISO 14000 series


Prior to the development of the ISO 14000 series, organizations voluntarily constructed their own EMSs, but this made comparisons of environmental effects between companies difficult therefore, the universal ISO 14000 series was developed. As of 2017, more than 300,000 certifications to ISO 14001 can be found in 171 countries. BS 7750 supplied the template for the development of the ISO 14000 series in 1996, which has representation from ISO committees all over the world. Prior to this, environmental management had been part of larger systems such as Responsible Care. In March 1992, BSI Group published the world's first environmental management systems standard, BS 7750, as part of a response to growing concerns about protecting the environment. See also: Environmental management system The current version of ISO 14001 is ISO 14001:2015, which was published in September 2015. EMAS's structure and material are more demanding, mainly concerning performance improvement, legal compliance, and reporting duties. The requirements of ISO 14001 are an integral part of the European Union's Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS). The ISO 19011 and ISO 17021 audit standards apply when audits are being performed. As with ISO 9001, certification is performed by third-party organizations rather than being awarded by ISO directly. ISO 14000 is similar to ISO 9000 quality management in that both pertain to the process of how a product is produced, rather than to the product itself. cause adverse changes to air, water, or land) (b) comply with applicable laws, regulations, and other environmentally oriented requirements and (c) continually improve in the above. ISO 14000 is a family of standards related to environmental management that exists to help organizations (a) minimize how their operations (processes, etc.) negatively affect the environment (i.e.
