ISO 14004 EMS guidance document revised

BSI revise environmental management systems guidance to reflect changes in ISO 14001:2015 

BSI, the business standards company, has revised the ISO 14004 – Environmental Management Systems guidance document to bring it up to date with changing environmental needs. Originally published in 1996 to provide guidance on creating an environmental management system (EMS), the document also supports ISO 14001 the EMS high-level requirements standard.

ISO 14004 has had minor updates since was first published but has been further developed to reflect the changes in ISO 14001:2015 – which has also undergone its first major revision – and now includes more detailed explanations of key concepts such as context, leadership, risks and opportunities, and life-cycle thinking.

It is intended to help organizations manage their environmental responsibilities in a systematic manner, thereby contributing to sustainability, and because it provides detailed guidance, it can offer particular support to those who might have fewer resources or feel uncertain about how to begin to create an EMS. 

David Fatscher, head of sustainability at BSI, said: ‘ISO 14004 is dedicated to sustainable development and is compatible with diverse cultural, social and organizational frameworks and systems of management. The beauty of it is that it can help those organizations yet to implement an EMS, as well as those that already have one in place.

‘It’s the best way for organizations to cope with future environmental challenges in an effective manner. It also helps them to broaden their understanding of environmental impacts by taking a view of the entire life cycle and not just one element of sustainable development.’

What ISO 14004 does:

• Provides details on creating an EMS that can help organizations with their decision-making
• Shows how to create an environmental policy, identify risks and opportunities and consider alignment with organizational processes and objectives
• Includes practical guidelines and help boxes to facilitate the successful implementation and operation of an EMS, from identifying aspects and performance testing to conducting management reviews
• Can stand alone or be used with BS EN ISO 14001 as a sister guidance document.

On Thursday 7 April 2016, BSI will be hosting a webinar on ISO 14004 to outline the useful features for those interesting in creating an EMS and how it can help users of ISO 14001:2015 better understand the requirements of this standard.