Developing a Voluntary Environmental Management System ISO 14001

An Environmental Management System is a management tool to:

• identify and control the environmental impact of a business' activities, products or services,
• improve its environmental performance continually,
• implement a systematic approach to setting environmental objectives and targets, to achieving these and to demonstrating that they have been achieved.

ISO 14001 is a set of international standards on what an environmental management system should contain. To be certified 14001 compliance, your business must develop an environmental management system, train your employees, and then be certified by an outsider that you have implemented your system.

The benefits to developing an ISO 14001 environmental management system include:

• reduced cost of waste management
• savings in consumption of energy and materials
• lower distribution costs
• improved corporate image among regulators, customers and the public
• framework for continual improvement of environmental performance.

Free Implementation Guide
Click here for the US Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Management Systems: An Implementation Guide for Small and Mid-Sized Organizations.

Free training!
The State of California's ETP Training program will pay for training which makes businesses more competitive. This includes developing ISO 14000 (environmental) and ISO 9000 (quality control) programs. If you are interested, first find someone competent in training ISO standards, and then contact the ETP Program.