ISO/TC 207/SC 1 © ISO/TC 207/SC 1 20 November 2013 Revision of ISO 14001 Environmental management systems – Requirements with guidance for use Information note on scope, process, time lines and emerging changes Updated November 2013 This communication provides information on the scope, process, timeline and emerging changes of the on-going revision of ISO 14001. It will be updated as the revision progresses. What is the scope of the revision? The scope and launch of the revision of ISO 14001 was agreed by ballot of National Standards Bodies (NSB) in late 2011. The revision work commenced in early 2012. The agreed scope of the revision is that it shall: 1. be based on the ISO/TMB approved requirements and application guidance related to the JTCG work on the High Level Structure (HLS) for Management System Standards (MSS) and its identical text, common terms and core definitions (referred to as ‘Annex SL Structure’) 2. consider the final report of the ISO/TC 207 SC 1 "Future Challenges for EMS" Study Group 3. ensure the maintenance and improvement of the basic principles of ISO 14001: 2004, and also the retention and improvement of its existing requirements What stage is the revision at? The Committee Draft of the revised version of ISO 14001 was issued to NSB for vote and comments on 22 October 2013. There is a meeting plan in place to review comments from the consultation of the committee draft, revise the text, as applicable to comments, and issue a Draft International Standard to NSB for vote and comments in mid-2014. Emerging changes are a direct result of the scope of revision – see above – and feedback from the ISO 14001 Continual Improvement Survey that was conducted by ISO/TC 207/SC 1 in 2013 (final report due December 2013). What are the emerging changes? Strategic Environmental Management – There is an increased prominence of environmental management within the organization’s strategic planning processes. A new requirement to understand the organization’s context has been incorporated to identify and leverage environmentally-related organizational risks, including opportunities, for the benefit of both the organization and the environment. Particular focus is on issues or changing circumstances related to the needs and expectations of interested parties (including regulatory requirements) and local, regional or global environmental conditions that can affect, or be affected by, the organization. Once identified as critical, actions to mitigate adverse risk or exploit beneficial opportunities are integrated in the operational planning of the environmental management system. Leadership – To ensure the success of the system, a new clause has been added that assigns specific responsibilities for those in leadership roles to promote environmental management within the organization. Protecting the environment – The expectation on organizations has been expanded to commit to proactive initiatives to protect the environment consistent with the context of the organization. The revised text does not define ‘protect the environment’ but it notes that it can include sustainable resource use, climate change mitigation and adaptation, protection of biodiversity and ecosystems, etc.