An environmental management system certified by TÜV Rheinland in accordance with ISO 14001 is not just globally valid and recognized throughout the world. It also opens up to you the forward-looking path towards personal responsibility and commitment. It is now a matter of course for most companies to seek improvement in their performance in protecting the environment and to provide evidence of this.

With an environmental management system certified by TÜV Rheinland in accordance with ISO 14001, you will uncover weaknesses in your environmental management system and create the basis for a continuous and verifiable process of improvement. You will reduce environmental risks, conserve natural resources and improve your environmental performance. Active and effective environmental protection requires not only technology, but also an effective environmental management system. This is an increasingly important factor for competitive success.

Operational environmental protection used to be aimed primarily at regulatory compliance. The professional environmental management system of today has a strategic function. Raise the awareness of your employees for environmental protection and protect yourself from negative environmental impacts. Set your business on a sustainable course and use appropriate measures to ensure continuous improvement of your environmental management system. The internationally recognized ISO 14001 standard uses a system to support your efforts. With a certified management system, you will enhance your image among customers, partners, the public and your employees and send a clear signal of your commitment.

With an environmental management system certified by TÜV Rheinland in accordance with ISO 14001 you can

• Reduce emissions, waste and wastewater.
• Save money through the targeted use of resources.
• Reduce your environmental impact and improve your legal security.
• Ensure compliance with the requirements of both customers and authorities.
• Promote environmentally conscious behavior among your employees.
• Improve your image with customers, partners and the public.
• Achieve your own environmental goals and continuously improve your environmental performance.
• Identify sources of error at an early stage and be able to eliminate them.
• Receive international recognition for your operational environmental protection system.

Our experts will be more than happy to assist you should you have questions or require any further information on the ISO 14001 certification of your environmental management system.

1. Preliminary audit (optional)
The auditors conduct a preliminary assessment. By doing so they determine which requirements of the ISO 14001 standard, if any, have already been implemented in your company.

2. Documentation audit
Our auditors examine the documentation of your environmental management system to determine the extent to which it already complies with ISO 14001.

3. Certification audit
You demonstrate the practical application of your environmental management system. Our auditors check its effectiveness.

4. Issuing the certificate
If all the criteria are met, your company will receive the certificate. This certifies the conformity with the standard and the reliability of your management system in accordance with ISO 14001. In addition, your company will be recorded in our online certificate database, “ Certipedia ”.

5. Monitoring audits
Our annual monitoring audits will help you in your continuous improvement process.

6. Certification renewal
By recertifying after three years, you will sustainably continue the process of continuous improvement of your environmental management system. You will be providing documentary evidence to your partners and customers of your commitment to enhanced environmental protection.

You can have your company certified in accordance with the ISO 14001 environmental standard regardless of size, industry or organizational form. However, there are some requirements for ISO 14001 certification that you must comply with.

• You undertake to introduce, document, implement and maintain an environmental management system that complies with the requirements of the ISO 14001 standard.
• To be able to certify your environmental management system you must first have implemented and tested a functioning and documented environmental management system.

ISO 14001 regulates environmental protection and the prevention of pollution in line with socio-economic requirements. The environmental standard is the globally applicable tool for the establishment and application of an environmental management system.

As an entrepreneur, you have the freedom and flexibility to set your own framework conditions. You can introduce and implement the standard for the entire organization or just for certain operational units or activities. The company defines and documents the scope of the environmental management system itself.

What does a combination of ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 standards mean for me?

• Enhanced efficiency
• Time and cost savings
• Harmonization
• Better cooperation between responsible departments and positions
• Greater acceptance by and motivation of employees
• Simplification of rules
• Identification and optimization of interfaces to avoid duplication of effort

How are environmental aspects identified and evaluated?

The identification of environmental aspects and significant environmental impacts is a process that can be divided into four steps:

• Selection of the activities, production processes, services.
• Identification of directly observable and indirect environmental aspects. These include, for instance, the goods and services used by the organization.
• The product- and service-related identification of the environmental impact and the creation of a register.
• Assessment of the environmental impact (relevance).

What does the term “legal compliance” mean in environmental law?

Legal compliance is compliance with environmental rules and regulations.

At the beginning of 2012, in the context of regularly occurring reviews of all ISO standards, a revision of ISO 14001 was agreed. On 15. September 2015 the new version of ISO 14001:2015 was published. There is a three-year transition period for the certification conversion.

The ISO 14001 revision brings changes with it. The standards structure has been aligned with the “high level structure,” the goal of which is the standardization of all management system structures. The use of standardized core texts and terminology will promote better understanding and uniform interpretations of requirements. Using the high level structure also facilitates multiple certifications based on different management standards. This allows companies certified under ISO 14001 to more easily become certified under ISO 9001 in the future.

In terms of content, a few things have also changed. In addition to focusing on risk-oriented thinking, more attention will be given to the integration of management systems and business processes. The most important information regarding the revision as well as an overview of the changes in each chapter of the standard have been summarized and are available for download.

Although initial certification under the old standard is still possible even after ISO 14001:2015 takes effect, this is not recommended beginning in the second half of the transition period.

Companies that already have an ISO 14001 certification can identify necessary organizational changes with a GAP analysis. In addition, companies should examine the value-added chain of their products, services and processes in terms of environmental impact, and stay abreast of public discussions concerning the standard and the interpretation of new requirements.

For the transition from an older version to the new ISO 14001:2015, a period of three years is anticipated. Starting on 15. September 2018, all old certifications are invalid and must be revoked.

We are here to support you during the transition period with an individual audit plan to minimize any additional effort and expense on your part.