It is intended for organizations of all types and sizes, including businesses, non-profit organizations, government agencies, and more. The standard provides a framework that organizations can use to establish and implement an effective environmental management system to address their environmental responsibilities and commitments.
ISO 14001 is applicable to various industries and sectors, including manufacturing, services, construction, and more. It is designed to be flexible and adaptable to the specific context and needs of each organization. The standard helps organizations identify and manage their environmental impacts, improve their environmental performance, and demonstrate their commitment to sustainability.
ISO 14001 is not a membership scheme and no person can be ISO 14001 certified; only organizations can be certified to ISO 14001. A person may be certified as an ISO 14001 auditor.

As with all projects a business may choose to initiate, a resource is required, and it is going to cost either time or money. Getting an ISO 14001 Environmental Management System operational within a business will require time; this time can be allocated internally or can be assigned to an external consultant for a fee. It’s worth noting that external consultants will still require an amount of involvement from employees to get the system implemented. The amount of work required will vary depending on the size and complexity of the business.

All accredited certification bodies must use the same formula to establish the duration of audits required to effectively implement and maintain certification for any given organization. This formula is provided by the International Accreditation Forum and can be found here: IAF MD5.
Organizational attributes that directly affect the cost of certification are: Number of staff, number of operational shifts, number of operational locations, size of locations and overall risk associated with the nature of the organization.

• Improved Environmental Performance

• Consistent Regulatory Compliance

• Reduced Costs

• Enhanced Reputation

• Competitive Advantage

• Risk Management

• Greater Stakeholder Engagement

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