Actions to address risks and opportunities 1094

The context of the organization (see 4.1 and 4.2) provides an overarching framework for evaluating the 1095

risks and opportunities as in 6.1. It provides a basis for identifying environmental aspects and for 1096

establishing criteria for determining those that may have a significant environmental impact. It also provides 1097

a basis for establishing criteria for evaluating risks to the organization related to non-compliance with 1098

applicable legal requirements and voluntary obligations.

1099

Risk determination may involve a qualitative or quantitative assessment of the likelihood and consequences 1100

of actual or potential environmental impacts. Non-compliance with applicable legal requirements or 1101

voluntary obligations can have business impacts. The organization determines the risk criteria consistent 1102

with the organization’s context.

1103

More guidance on the risk assessment concept is set out in ISO 14004.

1104

A.6.1.1 General 1105

[This clause is under construction, pending completion of white paper on risks and opportunities]

1106

A.6.1.2 Risks and opportunities associated with environmental aspects 1107

Changes to the environment, either adverse or beneficial, that result wholly or partially from environmental 1108

aspects are called environmental impacts. The environmental impact may occur at local, regional and 1109

global scales, while they may also be direct, indirect or cumulative by nature. Sub-clause 6.1.2 sets out the 1110

process(es) an organization should use to identify its environmental aspects and to determine those 1111

aspects that are significant, i.e. those that have or can have a significant environmental impact. The 1112

relationship between environmental aspects and environmental impacts is one of cause and effect.

1113

An organization should identify the environmental aspects of the activities, products and services that are 1114

within the scope of its environmental management system. This should take into account:

1115

 the life cycle perspective, including inputs and outputs of its processes (both intended and unintended);

1116

 management of change, including planned or new developments, or new or modified activities, 1117

products and services;

1118

 normal and abnormal operating conditions;

1119

 shut-down and start-up conditions;

1120

 reasonably foreseeable emergency situations.

1121

Organizations do not have to consider each product, component or raw material individually, and may 1122

select categories of activities, products and services to identify and evaluate their environmental aspects, 1123

when they have similar environmental impacts.

1124

There is no single approach for identifying environmental aspects. Factors often considered in determining 1125

whether an element of an activity, product or service can interact with the environment include:

1126

a) emissions to air;

1127

b) releases to water;

1128

© ISO 2013 – All rights reserved

27

c) releases to land;

1129

d) use of raw materials and natural resources;

1130

e) use of energy;

1131

f) energy emitted, e.g. heat, radiation, vibration (noise) and light;

1132

g) generation of waste and/or by-products; and 1133

h) impacts on wildlife, cultural heritage, biodiversity, ecosystem processes and people.

1134

In addition to the environmental aspects an organization can control directly, an organization needs to 1135

determine whether there are environmental aspects that it can influence. These can be related to goods 1136

and services used by the organization which are provided by others, as well as products and services that it 1137

provides to others outside the organization, including those associated with outsourced processes.

1138

However, in all circumstances it is the organization that determines the degree of control it is able to 1139

exercise, the environmental aspects it can influence, and the extent to which it chooses to exercise any 1140

such influence.

1141

Consideration should be given to environmental aspects related to the organization's activities, such as:

1142

 product, process and facility design and development;

1143

 manufacturing processes;

1144

 product packaging and transportation; and 1145

 operation and maintenance of facilities, organizational assets and infrastructure.

1146

Consideration should also be given to environmental aspects related to products, by-products and services, 1147

such as:

1148

 environmental performance and practices of contractors and suppliers;

1149

 waste generation, management and disposal;

1150

 use of raw materials and natural resources; and 1151

 distribution, use and end-of-life of products.

1152

With respect to products and services the organization provides and renders to others, organizations may 1153

have limited influence on the use and final disposal of their products once they leave their control.

1154

Organizations should consider, where practicable, a life cycle perspective in identifying the environmental 1155

aspects of its products and services.

1156

Once an organization identifies its environmental aspects and associated environmental impacts, it should 1157

establish criteria and adopt appropriate methods to determine those environmental aspects that have or 1158

can have significant impacts, i.e. significant environmental aspects. There is no single method or list of 1159

criteria for determining significant environmental aspects. The method(s) and criteria used should be 1160

appropriate to the nature and scale of the organization’s environmental impacts and provide reliable results.

1161

The method(s) should include the establishment and application of evaluation criteria that take into 1162

consideration the context of the organization. Criteria may be related to environmental matters related to 1163

the environmental aspect or impact, legal issues and the concerns of internal and external interested 1164

parties.

1165

28

© ISO 2013 – All rights reserved When developing information relating to the determination of its significant environmental aspects, the 1166

organization should consider the need to retain the information for historical purposes, as well as what 1167

information will be useful in designing and implementing its environmental management system. It is up to 1168

the organization to determine the nature and level of detail of the documented information it retains related 1169

to the identification and evaluation of its environmental aspects.

1170

The process of identification and evaluation of environmental aspects should take into account the location 1171

of activities, cost and time required to undertake the analysis and the availability of reliable data.

1172

Information already developed for regulatory or other purposes can be used in these processes.

1173

This process of identifying and evaluating environmental aspects is not intended to change or increase an 1174

organization's legal obligations.

1175

The significant environmental aspects are to be taken into account in establishing, implementing and 1176

maintaining the organization's environmental management system.

1177

A.6.1.3 Legal requirements and voluntary obligations 1178

The organization needs to identify the requirements that are applicable to its environmental aspects. This 1179

should include a determination of whether these requirements are mandatory requirements or voluntary 1180

obligations.

1181

Legal requirements are mandatory requirements issued by governmental entities. These may include:

1182

a) national and international legal requirements;

1183

b) state/provincial/departmental legal requirements;

1184

c) local governmental legal requirements; and 1185

d) the provisions of permits and/or licenses issued by governmental entities.

1186

Voluntary obligations are other requirements related to its environmental aspects, to which the organization 1187

voluntarily subscribes. These may include, if applicable:

1188

 voluntary collaborative governance arrangements;

1189

 agreements with customers;

1190

 non-regulatory guidelines;

1191

 voluntary principles or codes of practice;

1192

 voluntary environmental labelling or product stewardship commitments;

1193

 requirements of trade associations;

1194

 agreements with community groups or non-governmental organizations;

1195

 public commitments of the organization or its parent organization; and 1196

 corporate/company requirements.

1197

The primary difference between a legal requirement and a voluntary environmental obligation is that the 1198

organization chooses to adhere to its voluntary obligations. However, in many cases, once that choice is 1199

made, adherence is mandatory, particularly where legally binding agreements are made.

1200

© ISO 2013 – All rights reserved

29

A.6.2 Environmental objectives and planning to achieve them

1201

A.3.1.1 Environmental objectives 1202

Environmental objectives may be either strategic, as set by top management and applicable to the whole 1203

organization, or tactical, established for specific units or functions within the organization and compatible 1204

with the strategic objectives, or both.

1205

The objectives established should be specific and measurable, wherever practicable. They can include both 1206

short and long-term goals and should be updated, as appropriate.

1207

In setting its environmental objectives, the organization must take into account:

1208

 its significant environmental aspects; and 1209

 its applicable legal requirements and voluntary obligations, 1210

and may also consider:

1211

 internal issues such as the organization’s improvement priorities, resources, operations and business 1212

requirements;

1213

 external issues such as environmental conditions, social and cultural circumstances, and technological 1214

options; or 1215

 relationships with and requirements of internal and external interested parties.

1216

Consistency with the environmental policy means that the environmental objectives need to be broadly 1217

aligned and harmonised with the environmental policy commitments made by top management.

1218

A.6.2.1 Environmental improvement programmes 1219

In selecting environmental performance indicators (EPIs) for its objectives, the organization should consider 1220

the need for indicators related to its environmental management (management performance indicators, or 1221

MPIs) and its operational performance (operational performance indicators, or OPIs). It may also wish to 1222

consider indicators that provide information about the condition of the environment that may be impacted by 1223

the organization (environmental condition indicators, or ECIs).

1224

More guidance on setting environmental indicators can be found in ISO 14031.

1225

The creation and use of one or more environmental improvement programmes can help ensure that 1226

progress in achieving the established environmental objectives is monitored, and the status updated and 1227

reported as appropriate. Organizations may decide to incorporate environmental objectives into broader 1228

business improvement programmes.

1229

Improvement programmes should include information concerning what will be done to achieve the 1230

organization's environmental objectives, including timeframes for when tasks will be completed, necessary 1231

resources, responsibilities for achieving results and how the results will be evaluated.

1232

Improvement programmes may be established for current and new activities, products or services and can 1233

adopt a life cycle perspective, including planning, design, materials, procurement, production processes, 1234

use, marketing and ultimate disposal.

1235

Programme(s) may be subdivided to address specific elements of the organization's activities, products and 1236

services.

1237

30

© ISO 2013 – All rights reserved

A.7 Support

1238

A.7.1 Resources 1239

Resources include human resources and specialized skills, organizational infrastructure, technology and 1240

financial resources.

1241

A.7.2 Competence 1242

This sub-clause applies to any person whose work has the potential to cause a significant environmental 1243

impact, contribute to the achievement of an environmental objective or in any other way affect 1244

environmental performance. For example, in a manufacturing organization, this may include office 1245

personnel, janitorial staff and security personnel. It may also apply to persons involved in outsourced 1246

processes, as appropriate.

1247

Work that is “under the organization’s control” is work that takes place within the scope of the 1248

environmental management system. This may be defined by, for example, a geographic location (a 1249

building, a city, etc.) or an organizational boundary.

1250

In the special case of work performed via outsourced processes (where an external organization performs 1251

part of an organization’s function or process), the organization may have partial or no control over the work 1252

performed by the external organization; therefore this sub-clause is applicable to the extent the organization 1253

has the capability to exert control on the outsourced process. However, if the external organization is 1254

performing the work within the geographic location of the organization, then the organization may be able to 1255

exert extensive or even full control on the outsourced process.

1256

A.7.3 Awareness 1257

Ensuring that persons doing work under the organization’s control are actively involved is critical to the 1258

success of the environmental management system. In particular, the participation of the organization’s 1259

employees and the level of information provided to them are key factors to the achievement of continual 1260

improvement of both the environmental management system and environmental performance. Participation 1261

by personnel can be expected to positively influence the behaviors that are required to achieve this 1262

continual improvement.

1263

Ensuring that persons doing work under the organization’s control are aware of the environmental policy 1264

and environmental objectives should not be taken to mean that they must memorize or have a copy of the 1265

actual, documented policy and objectives; rather, they should be aware of their existence and purpose.

1266

A.7.4 Communication 1267

This edition of ISO 14001 does not contain guidance on this sub-clause.

1268

A.7.5 Documented information

In document Draft ISO 14001_2015.pdf (Page 35-39)