The ISO 14001 standard is part of the ISO 14000 series established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for a set of management activities aimed at continuously improving environmental performance across all stages of a company’s operations, including activities, products, and services. Similar to ISO 9001, the environmental management system certification program involves a third-party certification body auditing the organization’s implemented environmental management system to objectively verify its conformity with the standard.

ISO 14001 is the sole applicable standard for certification audits, while other standards serve as guidance documents for audit criteria, methods, and system evaluation. This standard includes key elements necessary for operating an effective environmental management system, covering environmental aspects and impacts related to all processes, products, and services conducted within the company.

It is a certification system that evaluates whether a supplier’s environmental management system complies with the ISO 14001 standard and grants certification accordingly. This standard is designed to be applicable across all industries, including manufacturing, construction, and services.

Environmental policy, planning, checking and corrective actions, and management review are the core elements of ISO 14001, enabling continual improvement and ensuring compliance with legal requirements.