The purpose of ISO 14001 is to provide organisations with a framework to protect the environment and respond to changing environmental conditions in balance with socio-economic needs.
ISO 14001 helps an organisation achieve the intended outcomes of its environmental management system, which provides value for the environment, the organisation itself and interested parties.
The intended outcomes of an environmental management system are:
— enhancement of environmental performance,
— fulfillment of compliance obligations,
— achievement of environmental objectives.
ISO 14001 applies to any organisation, regardless of size, type and nature. It applies to the environmental aspects of its activities, products and services that the organisation determines it can either control or influence considering a life cycle perspective.
The standard can be used in whole or in part to systematically improve environmental management. This consolidated version consists of the main text and the amendment (climate action changes), which can also be found separately from the standards history.
The text of ISO 14001:2015 has been approved in Europe as EN ISO 14001:2015 without any modification and supersedes EN ISO 14001:2004.