ISO 14001 specifies the requirements for an environmental management system that an organisation can use to enhance its environmental performance. It is intended for use by an organisation seeking to manage its environmental responsibilities in a systematic manner that contributes to the environmental pillar of sustainability.
ISO 14001 helps an organisation to achieve the intended outcomes of its environmental management system, which provide value for the environment, the organisation itself and interested parties.
The intended outcomes of an environmental management system include:
— enhancing environmental performance,
— meeting compliance obligations,
— achieving environmental objectives.
This standard 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. ISO 14001 does not state specific environmental performance criteria.
ISO 14001 can be used in whole or in part to systematically improve environmental management. Claims of conformity to this document, however, are not acceptable unless all its requirements are incorporated into an organisation’s environmental management system and fulfilled without exclusion.
ISO 14001:2026 text has been approved in Europe as EN ISO 14001:2026 without any changes.
