ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management Systems is one of the most highly sought after Certification Standards across the ISO Standards. ISO 14001 Certification is generally considered to be an investment in business longevity and CSR (corporate social responsibility).
With more government agencies and multinational corporations investing in environmental performance monitoring, Australian business owners can benefit commercially from implementing their own robust environmental management system (EMS).
At S & J Auditing & Consulting, our ISO 14001 consultants maintain a tailored approach to EMS development and implementation to ensure your environmental processes meet not only all regulatory requirements, but your business goals as well.
How to Secure ISO 14001 Certification: A 5-Step Guide
To give you more insight into how we help our clients attain ISO 14001 Certification, we’ve outlined our simple step-by-step guide to successfully implementing an EMS below, plus some expert tips on how you can make sure your ISO 14001 Certification journey delivers the results you’re looking for.
Step 1: Conduct a Gap Analysis
Initial Assessment
A gap analysis acts as an initial review of your organisation’s current environmental policies and processes against the frameworks outlined in the ISO 14001 Certification Standard as well as the wider ISO 14000 Family of Standards wherever applicable. If your organisation doesn’t currently have a dedicated compliance officer or ISO audit team, then your gap analysis will be best conducted by experienced ISO consultants who have a strong working understanding of the clauses in ISO 14001.
Evaluation and Corroboration
In this preliminary phase, organisations should give their ISO 14001 consultants view-only access to all current documentation supporting their existing environmental management systems (i.e. environmental performance reports, policy documentation, risk assessment matrices, etc.). Your consultant can familiarise themselves with these documents and cross-reference across communications with managerial and operational staff members to pinpoint potential gaps in comparison to ISO 14001 requirements.
Final Report and Recommendations
Following the gap analysis, your ISO consultant will provide a report of corrective actions that must be met to support Certification readiness. Our consultants will ensure that our corrective action report provides actionable improvement recommendations that are unique to your organisation, providing a tailored blueprint for our ISO 14001 Certification journey.
Step 2: Develop a Project Plan for Implementation
Implementation Strategy Components
Once your corrective actions have been outlined, your ISO consultants can then develop a project plan for EMS implementation as well as a timeline with well-defined milestones to ensure you stay on-track for your Certification audit.
Resource Planning
Resource allocations for implementation can include the development of new documentation and processes, and outlines of new roles and responsibilities for staff that are involved in the addressing of corrective actions (i.e. internal auditors, etc.). These new roles and processes can be introduced to business leaders in a management review process to secure approval from all key staff and stakeholders.
Step 3: Finalise EMS Documentation
Facilitating Implementation
Once the proposed EMS processes and corrective measures have been approved by key staff and stakeholders, it’s time to finally start rolling out your implementation strategy. This can be completed by collaborating with our ISO consultants to create or update documentation as policies and processes are established in real-time.
Employee Training
Investing in staff EMS training as processes and policies are rolled out can help establish a strong working understanding of the new environmental processes as they’re introduced. This strengthens the likelihood of long-term adoption, and supports organisations in maintaining ISO Certification.
Step 4: Conduct Internal Audits
With all the boxes ticked off on your implementation plan, it’s time to prepare for your first internal audit in anticipation of your final Certification audit. Your internal audit will serve as an independent inspection to identify any remaining non-conformities across your EMS. Note that thorough internal audits are mandatory prior to your external Certification audits. As a result, external auditors will request your internal audit report to verify ISO compliance.
Pro tip: use our ISO 14001 audit checklist to help ensure your internal audit delivers relevant and actionable insights.
Step 5: Schedule & Complete your ISO 14001 Certification Audit
Preparation for ISO 14001 Certification Audit
The final stage of the process to secure ISO 14001 Certification is the scheduling and completion of your external Certification audit. Preparing for your Certification audit will involve:
- Selecting an accredited certification body (Conformity Assessment Body)
- Establishing audit timelines (with staff and external auditor/s)
- Preparing employees and documentation for the external audit
- Outlining expectations during the audit process (including interviews and document reviews)
- Addressing any last-minute non-conformities to avoid delays with attaining ISO 14001 certification
Stage 1: EMS Documentation Review
During Stage 1 and Stage 2 of your external audit, your EMS auditor will evaluate the effectiveness of your implemented environmental management system, assessing its ability to deliver consistent results and meet the requirements of each clause in ISO 14001.
Stage 1 consists of a thorough review of all your EMS documentation, and is typically conducted independently by the auditor either remotely or on-site in a private office.
Stage 2: On-site Assessment
Stage 2 of your ISO 14001 Certification audit will be conducted on-site, including observations of the ISO 14001 processes and policies in action, as well as interviews of staff and stakeholders. Stage 2 is designed to ensure that your EMS workflows align with the provided documentation, and the ISO 14001 standard.
Final Certification
If your external auditor confirms successful implementation of the EMS and conformance with the ISO 14001 standard, your organisation will be eligible to receive your ISO 14001 conformance certificate.
In some cases, however, your external auditor may identify minor non-conformances that must first be corrected. In these instances, you will only need to correct these non-conformances and inform your certification body before your ISO 14001 Certification can be issued.
Tips to Help Streamline your ISO 14001 Certification Process
Secure Top-Level Support
Business management systems are holistic, which means that they require commitment from every single member of your organisation. Department heads and other top-level business leaders play a particularly important role, as they set an example for staff and also reiterate expectations and the importance of maintaining ISO 14001 policies and processes.
Garnering support from top-level business leaders can be easily achieved by simply maintaining transparency and strong communication. Remind your top-level managers of all the diverse industries that benefit from ISO 14001 Certification, and how your own organisation is poised to reap these same advantages with EMS commitment.
Maintain Strong Communication with Staff
One of the strongest ways to maintain ISO Certification is to make sure that your staff are committed and involved in your ISO management systems. Communicating with staff that have boots on the ground can help provide ISO auditors and management teams with the insights that they need to better address operational concerns as outlined in non-conformance reports, and in developing realistic and well-informed continuous improvement strategies.
Implement Robust Record-Keeping Processes
Documentation is the backbone to maintaining ISO Certification which is why record-keeping processes are so ingrained in ISO guidelines across not only the 14001 Certification Standard but also virtually all of the other ISO Certification Standards.
In the context of environmental management systems, record-keeping processes can help ensure your environmental monitoring and reporting stays as accurate as possible.
Establish Adaptable Performance Monitoring Processes
As you implement new processes and technologies, your environmental performance monitoring may need to be adapted to accommodate new sources of waste or emissions. Routine internal audits and management reviews can help ensure that any development of your EMS processes and policies is reflected in your EMS documentation, supporting the implementation of more modern, higher-accuracy performance monitoring as your organisational systems evolve.
Case Study: WA Recycling’s ISO 14001 Certification Journey
Our consultants at S & J Auditing & Consulting can support your enterprise in attaining ISO 14001 Certification to either set up an standalone EMS or even to establish your own HSEQ Management System, like we were able to do for the team at WA Recycling.
The Challenge
In their initial consultation with our ISO 14001 consultants in September 2021, WA Recycling highlighted process inefficiencies and workplace risks that they were looking to mitigate. The team also highlighted barriers to environmental monitoring and a plan of action was developed to address these barriers to prepare for their Certification audit.
Our Approach
Our ISO 14001 consultants worked with the team at WA Recycling to develop actionable steps for improving environmental processes, including materials processing and waste management. These process improvements provided a foundational context for establishing monitoring and reporting strategies that strengthened internal audits and led to a seamless EMS implementation.
The Results
WA Recycling received their ISO 9001, 45001 and 14001 Certification in April 2022 and have been able to independently manage and improve the EMS and wider HSEQ Management System since then. Our consultants continue to offer their support wherever needed to facilitate continuous improvements, and ultimately ensure that their EMS continues to perform optimally.
Key Achievements:
- Improved operational efficiency
- Improved environmental performance
- Reduced workplace risks and hazards
- More commercial opportunities
- Stronger customer feedback
Our case studies span a wide range of industries, with every single one of our clients receiving tailored business management systems that meet all the standards that must be met to qualify for ISO 14001 Certification. Our approach is not only tailored to ISO 14001 compliance, but also to align with our client’s environmental and operational business goals.
Attain ISO 14001 Certification for your Organisation with S & J Auditing & Consulting
From implementing environmental processes, to establishing sustainability policies, and even just offering support in meeting industry regulatory requirements, our team of ISO consultants are here to help. Our expert insights into ISO 14001 frameworks can help shape your EMS solutions and prepare a clearcut pathway to Certification for your organisation.
If you’d like to kickstart your quest for ISO 14001 Certification, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our dedicated ISO 14001 consultants at S & J Auditing & Consulting.
