ISO 14001:2015
Environmental Management System

ISO 14001 is an international standard that defines the requirements for the implementation of an Environmental Management System.

In recent years, there has been increased awareness by the public and the consumers of issues relating to the environment. As a result, companies that implement a certified Environmental Management System gain a competitive advantage.

Based on the ISO 14001 standard structure (Annex SL), the Environmental Management System can be designed to be part of an integrated Management System that covers issues of quality, health and safety, energy, etc.

The main requirements of the ISO 14001 standard include the following:

• establishment of an environmental policy, with which the organization commits to prevent pollution, comply with environmental legislation, and continuously improve its environmental performance,
• identification of all environmental issues arising from the organization’s activities,
• setting environmental objectives linked to environmental policy and the organization’s identified environmental issues.

The benefits of a certified Environmental Management System include, indicatively, the following:

• Environmental performance enhancement and environmental impact reduction
• Compliance with environmental legislation and regulations (at the national and European levels).
• Cost reduction due to savings in the consumption of energy and other resources
• Reduction of risks of environmental damage
• Improvement of the organization’s reputation through increased stakeholder trust
• Competitive edge in the market

Management System Assessment

• The initial assessment of the Management System is conducted in 2 stages (stage 1: System documentation review; stage 2: System implementation review).
• The certificate’s validity is three years.
• During the period of validity, surveillance audits (2) are conducted annually to verify the seamless implementation of the Management System.
• Certification is renewed following the re-assessment of the Management System before the expiration of the current certificate.

A detailed description of the assessment and certification procedure is included in the ERGOCERT HELLAS S.A. Certification Regulation.