Navigating ISO 14001:2015

Transcription

1 Navigating ISO 14001:2015 Understanding why the new ISO revision matters to everyone White paper Abstract This whitepaper takes a concise, yet detailed look at the upcoming ISO 14001:2015 revision. The revision of ISO Environmental Management Systems is targeted for release in late 2015, and is expected to include a number of important changes from the existing version of the standard. These changes are likely to require organisations currently certified to the existing requirements to undertake specific actions to maintain certification. While these changes are still in draft, organisations currently holding ISO certification should consider planning now for the transition to the new version of the standard. TÜV SÜD

2 Contents INTRODUCTION 3 THE ORIGINS OF ISO THE EVOLUTION OF ISO THE 2015 REVISION 5 NEW ISO 14001:2015 STRUCTURE 6 UNDERSTANDING THE CHANGES 7 HOW CAN YOU PREPARE FOR THE NEW STANDARDS 9 HOW CAN TÜV SÜD HELP YOU? 10 About the TÜV SÜD expert James W. Melloni EHS Technical Product Manager, TÜV SÜD America James W. Melloni is TÜV SÜD s EHS Technical Product Manager. A former senior consultant engineer with Arthur D. Little, Melloni has worked with the U.S. Department of Energy on environmental management systems, and was instrumental in the development and application of quality assurance standards for environmental programs. He is also a member of the U.S. Technical Advisory Group to ISO Technical Committee 207 (TAG 207) working on the ongoing development of the ISO series of environmental management standards. 2 Navigating ISO 14001:2015 TÜV SÜD

3 Introduction Almost 20 years after its first publication in 1996, ISO Environmental Management Systems, is now the leading international standard detailing the requirements for the implementation and maintenance of environmental management systems. According to the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), nearly 300,000 ISO certifications were issued worldwide in 2012 alone. This makes ISO the second most widely certified management system, surpassed only by management systems TÜV SÜD Navigating ISO 14001:2015 certified to the requirements of ISO 9001 Quality Management. requirements of the newly revised standard. ISO has recently released for public review and comment, a draft international standard (DIS) version of ISO When published in late 2015, the final revised standard will replace ISO 14001:2004 as the primary international standard for environmental management systems. Organisations currently certified to the 2004 edition of the standard will be granted a transition period to bring their existing environmental management systems into compliance with the This white paper offers further details on the ISO revision, and provides recommendations regarding certification to the revised standard. This makes ISO the most widely certified management system, surpassed only by management systems certified to the requirements of ISO Quality Management. 3

4 The origins of ISO First published in 1996, ISO is largely based on BS 7750, Specification for environmental management systems, which was published in 1992 by the British Standards Institute (BSI) and widely considered to be the first standard addressing the requirements for environmental management systems. ISO establishes the criteria that an organisation must meet to achieve certification of its environmental management system. Rather than stating specific requirements for environmental performance, the standard provides a framework that organisations can follow to establish and maintain an effective environmental management system. By achieving ISO certification, an organisation demonstrates to all of its stakeholders its commitment to measure its environmental impact and to strive for continuous improvement. ISO is part of the ISO family of standards. Other standards in the ISO series include: ISO 14004:2004 Environmental management systems General guidelines on principles, systems and support techniques ISO 14006:2011 Environmental management systems Guidelines for incorporating ecodesign ISO :2006 Greenhouse gases Part 1: Specification with guidance at the organisation level for quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and removals The evolution of ISO Since its introduction in 1996, ISO has undergone numerous revisions. Below is a quick summary of its evolution: BS 7750 (1992) The British Standards Instittute (BSI) publishes BS 7750, the world s first environmental management system standard, which serves as the template for ISO ISO 14001:1996 The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) releases the ISO series of environmental management system standards. ISO specifies the general requirements for environmental management systems. Other standards in the series address environmental performance evaluation, environmental auditing, environmental labelling, and life-cycle assessments. ISO 14001:2004 ISO 14001:2004 strengthens documentation requirements and establishes requirements for periodic evaluations to assess compliance with the standard s requirements and to investigate nonconformities. 4 Navigating ISO 14001:2015 TÜV SÜD

5 The 2015 revision In recent years, there has been a proliferation of new management systems standards, addressing organisational performance aspects such as energy, occupational health and safety, information security and food safety. Although these standards share a number of common elements, they often take different approaches or employ terms and definitions with different meanings. These divergent approaches to standardisation have made it difficult for organisations to integrate their efforts to implement and maintain multiple management systems. As a result, ISO/TC 207/ SC1/WG-5, the ISO working group responsible for the ISO revision, has adopted a common framework and set of requirements for management systems standards in this revision. The High Level Structure for Management Systems Standards, also referred to as Annex SL of the Consolidated ISO Supplement of the ISO/IEC Directives, utilises a generic standards framework and terminology while also allowing the addition of performance-specific requirements. By adopting the framework detailed in Annex SL, the ISO revision will have the same look and feel as other newly revised management system standards, making it easier for organisations to concurrently operate multiple management systems. The other key focus of the current revision effort is to address the findings of the ISO Study Group report, Future Challenges for EMS. That report analysed issues in 11 different areas in the field of environmental management. The report also evaluated obstacles and opportunities facing small organisations seeking to adopt ISO principles, as well as methods for controlling environmental impact throughout an organisation s supply chain. A draft of the initial revision of ISO 14001, Committee Draft 1 (CD1), was circulated for comment in March 2013, with a draft of the second revision (CD2) circulated for public comment in October The DIS of the ISO revision was made available to national standard bodies in July 2014 for the purposes of translating the draft into local languages. The public comment period on the text of the DIS began in late August and will continue until the end of November Beginning in February 2015, comments received during the public comment period will be reviewed and incorporated as appropriate into the draft standard. As of this writing, the final revised edition of standard is expected to be published in the fourth quarter of However, the length and depth of deliberations regarding the proposed changes could alter that schedule. As of this writing, the final revised edition of standard is expected to be published in the fourth quarter of THE EVOLUTION OF THE ISO STANDARD 2004 Strengthened documentation requirements and requirements for periodic evaluations October 2013 Second draft circulated for public comment February 2015 Final Draft International Standard developed 1996 Introduction of the first version by ISO March 2013 Initial draft distributed for review and comment July 2014 Draft International Standard distributed for review and comment Fourth Quarter 2015 Publication of 2015 version TÜV SÜD Navigating ISO 14001:2015 5

6 New ISO 14001:2015 structure As noted above, ISO 14001:2015 is expected to adopt the generic standards framework and terminology set out in Annex SL. This change will give ISO the same look and feel as other management standards, while also allowing for the addition of specific performance requirements. STRUCTURE COMPARISON OF ISO/DIS ISO 14001:2015 AND ISO 14001:2004 ISO/DIS ISO 14001:2015 ISO 14001: Scope 1. Scope 2. Normative references 2. Normative references 3. Terms and definitions 3. Terms and definitions 4. Context of the organisation 4. Environmental management system requirements 5. Leadership Annex A: Guidance on the use of this international standard 6. Planning Annex B: Correspondence of ISO :2004 and ISO 9001: Support 8. Operation 9. Performance Evaluation 10. Improvement 6 Navigating ISO 14001:2015 TÜV SÜD

7 Understanding the changes Although similar in many regards to the requirements in ISO 14001:2004, the revised draft standard currently presents a stronger focus in a number of key areas, including the following: A strategic approach to environmental management - Under Clause 4 of the draft revision ( Context of the organisation ), organisations will now be expected to indentify and address all internal and external aspects and factors that may be relevant to an effective environment management system. These factors can include, but are not limited to:. Environmental conditions, such as climate, air and water quality, land use, natural resource availability and biodiversity.. The external culture, including social, political, legal, economic, and competitive contexts, whether local, regional, or international.. Internal organisation characteristics, including the organisation well as its products, services and activities. An increased emphasis on the role of leadership - A new clause in the draft revision (Clause 5, Leadership ) assigns specific responsibilities to those in senior leadership roles within an organisation. Specific responsibilities include:. Ensuring that the organisation s environmental policy is compatible with its strategic direction.. Integrating the organisation s management system requirements into its business practices.. Ensuring the availability of the resources necessary to implement the environmental management system.. Directing others to contribute to the success of the environmental management system.. Accountability for the effectiveness of the environmental management system.. Communicating the importance of effective environmental management internally and externally. The ultimate goal of the direct involvement of senior leadership is to create a culture that encourages everyone to work toward fulfilling the objectives of the organisation s environmental management system. Higher expectations for protecting the environment - The section of the draft revision dealing with environmental policy (Clause 5.2, Environmental policy ) has been expanded to mandate an organisation s commitment to proactive initiatives that protect the environment from harm and degradation. These initiatives can address specific issues such as water and air quality and recycling, as well as broader initiatives including climate change mitigation, preservation of ecosystems and biodiversity, and ecorestoration. A focus on improved environmental performance - A new clause in the draft revision (Clause 6.2.1, Environmental objectives ) shifts the focus on continuous improvement from the management system itself to the organisation s actual environmental performance. It requires an organisation to establish specific environmental objectives consistent with its capabilities and commitments. Such performance objectives could include reduced emissions or lower waste production levels. However, in all cases, the objectives must be measurable, monitored, communicated and updated as appropriate. Adopting a lifecycle approach - Clause of the draft revision strengthens current requirements regarding supply chain oversight by adding additional considerations regarding product use and end-of-life considerations ( considering a life cycle perspective ). However, the draft revision does not currently require organisations to conduct a lifecycle assessment as part of its environmental management system implementation. Stronger communications - The draft revision formalises and considerably strengthens requirements for both internal and external communications (Clause 7.4, Communication ). An organisation s communication plan must include specific information on: What it will communicate When it will communicate. With whom it will communicate How it will communicate The draft revision requires organisations to respond to all relevant internal communications regarding its environmental management system from employees, and to maintain documentation as evidence of its communications. It also requires organisations to determine what information should be communicated to external groups, such as regulatory agencies, community groups and other interested third parties, and to ensure TÜV SÜD Navigating ISO 14001:2015 7

8 that such information is complete, truthful and reliable. More flexible documentation - Finally, the draft revision uses the term documented information to replace the terms documentation and record used in prior editions of the standard. Documented information (see Clause 7.5, Documented information ) can include paper as well as electronic documents maintained on computers and remote servers. Importantly, documented information does not need to be presented in the form of a manual, and may be integrated with other information management systems implemented by the organisation. New terminology - As part of the effort to conform with the framework and terminology set out in Annex SL for all management systems standards, the DIS version of ISO also uses new and modified terminology as follows:. In place of the term identify, the revised standard uses the term determine, which implies a discovery process that results in knowledge. The change is intended to harmonise the revised standard with standardised management system terminology, and does not modify the intent of the previous edition of the standard.. The term intended outcome signifies what the organisation intends to achieve by implementing its environmental management system, which includes enhancement of environmental performance, conformity with compliance obligations and fulfilment of environmental objectives. These are the minimum core outcomes, and organisations can set additional intended outcomes for their environmental management system.. The phrase compliance obligations replaces the phrase legal requirements and other requirements to which the organisation subscribes used in prior editions of the standard. This change does not modify the intent of the previous edition of the standard.. The use of the word any implies selection and choice. 8 Navigating ISO 14001:2015 TÜV SÜD

9 How can you prepare for the new standard? Following the official publication of ISO 14001:2015, it is anticipated that there will be a transition period of up to three years for organisations who hold certification to the current version of the standard. The precise length of the transition period will be detailed at the release of the final version of the revised standard. However, the transition period for individual organisations may be impacted by their specific certification renewal schedule, since the time allowed for recertification to the current standard is likely to be limited. Even assuming a three-year transition period, many organisations will be required to undertake a significant amount of work to bring their existing environmental management systems into compliance with the new requirements in ISO 14001:2015. In most cases, this effort will exceed simple revisions of existing plan documentation, and is likely to impact every aspect of an organisation s operation. Of course, the work to revise an existing environmental management system will need to be completed at the same time as other regular work assignments and priorities, placing additional demands on employees. Given these demands, it may be prudent to begin preliminary transition planning based on the requirements detailed in the DIS version of the standard as soon as feasible. Such planning can be integrated into the annual audit preparation process, when gaps between the existing and anticipated requirements can be easily identified. Early planning can also help organisations anticipate in advance potential challenges to achieving certification to the revised standard, thereby avoiding unexpected surprises. Early planning can also help organisations anticipate in advance potential challenges to achieving certification to the revised standard, thereby avoiding unexpected surprises. TÜV SÜD Navigating ISO 14001:2015 9

10 How can TÜV SÜD help you? Negotiating the technical and social complexities of ISO certification for a wide range of industries is extremely complex and requires industry expertise. TÜV SÜD is a global leader in management system solutions and a leading registrar for ISO 14001, ISO 9001 and other management systems standards. Having issued more than 54,000 management systems certifications to date, we have the expertise to provide comprehensive auditing and certification services to organisations of all types and in all industries. We can also assist your organisation in your ISO transition planning, providing you with a smooth path to recertification. 10 Navigating ISO 14001:2015 TÜV SÜD

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