Environmental Management – ISO 14001
Public interest in the effects of industrial processes on the environment has been growing continuously since the 1970s. After initial efforts in environmental management had been made in the decades before 1990, the EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) regulation has been in place in Europe since 1993 and DIN ISO 14001 since 1996 as a globally recognized standard for the implementation of an environmental management system.
The environmental management system, short EMS, according to ISO 14001 covers all areas in a company or organization for which environmental aspects have to be considered. In the environmental management system, processes and products as well as the behavior of employees in relation to environmental issues are considered and
- planned,
- controlled,
- monitors and
- improved
so that all environmental aspects relating to the organization are taken into account.
ISO 14001 covers the requirements for the structuring and control of processes and procedures for the establishment and operation of an environmental management system according to the PDCA cycle.
The P-(plan/plan)-D-(Do/execute)-C(Check/assess)-A(Act/optimize) cycle establishes a control loop for the establishment and operation of an environmental management system, which enables the company/organization to permanently monitor and improve it.
Relevant objectives of the EMS are:
- to comply with legal requirements and regulations and reduce liability risks
- to document responsible corporate action
- to reduce environmental pollution and contaminants
- to implement environmental protection-relevant topics within the company
- to optimize the operating procedure with regard to environmental aspects, taking into account cost aspects
- Prevent image loss and improve competitiveness in the award of contracts
Software support by QSEC offers many advantages in environmental management. As an integrated management system, QSEC is able to implement ISO 14001 and many other norms and standards methodically comprehensive and comfortable. The High Level Structure, which is common to all revised and newly issued management system standards, enables a balance to be achieved between the diverse requirements of different norms and standards. In addition, organizational and documentation structures can be accessed jointly for all standards and many more synergy effects can be generated.