Standards & schemes
ISO / accredited CBs
In brief
ISO 14001 is the international standard for environmental management systems (EMS), from the International Organization for Standardization. It specifies requirements for establishing, running and continually improving an EMS: identifying environmental aspects and impacts, understanding legal obligations, setting objectives, assigning leadership accountability, training staff, documenting processes and monitoring progress, all on the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle. The widely deployed edition is ISO 14001:2015, updated by Amendment 1:2024 to embed climate action; ISO published a revised ISO 14001:2026 in April 2026, and organisations should confirm with their certification body which edition their certificate references and what transition timelines apply. Certification is by accredited third-party bodies. The standard sets no performance targets — certification verifies that a management system exists and operates, not that environmental outcomes have been achieved. It integrates with other ISO management-system standards (quality, energy, OH&S) through the common Annex SL structure, so organisations frequently certify several systems together. There is no ISO-run register of certificates: ISO sets the standard, accreditation bodies accredit the certifiers, and IAF CertSearch serves as the de facto route for checking a certificate's validity. The certification does not automatically apply to every product, service or claim made by the certified organisation.
Conditional relationships
A relationship does not mean that the standard proves or validates every use of a claim.
Recognition & legal context
No reviewed law references are published.
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