ISO 14000, introduced in 1996 by the International organization for Standardization, is a set of standards for profitably managing the environment of the company so that the company can prevent pollution of the environment, produce a positive public image and comply with relevant environmental legislation. ISO 14000 sets of standards consist of the following standards/guidelines:

1. ISO 14001-specifications with guidance for use on the environmental management system-used for certification purpose.
2. ISO 14004- General guidelines on principles, systems and supporting techniques.
3. ISO 14010,14011 and 14012- Guidelines for environmental auditing-general principles, auditing procedures and auditor’s qualifications.

What it does?

By following an organized approach through the implementation of ISO 14001 standard to manage environmental issues, the company can increase its profit by reducing the cost of energy, the cost for disposal and treatment of solid and hazardous wastes and lower amounts spent on remediation.

The environmental management system based on ISO 14001 enables an organization to adopt an environmental policy with the objectives of protecting the environment. The system identifies the significant aspects of the operation of the organization that have bearing on the environment. The impact on the environment from each of these significant aspects are monitored, measured and controlled to reduce the pollution of the environment in an incremental way.

The organization shall establish and maintain procedures to identify the environmental aspects of its activities, products or services that it can control and over which it can be expected to have an influence. The idea is to recognize those activities, products or services that may have significant impacts on the environment. The organization shall ensure that the aspects related to these significant impacts are considered in setting its environmental objectives.

The reduction in the extent of pollution is achieved according to the objectives and targets set by the organization. The reduction in the pollution shall be in line with the technology and other resources committed by the organization. After all, the spending of the company to curtail the pollution has to be in line with its earnings.