As readers of this website are aware, ISO 14001:2004, the international standard on environmental management systems, will shortly undergo its second revision. The revised standard, which is expected to be published in 2015, will operate into the mid-2020s.
ISO 14001: 2004 environmental management system requirements are an integral part of EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme), so any future revisions of ISO 14001 will influence the standard’s relation to EMAS.
The European Commission has launched a survey designed to collect information on how an ISO 14001 revision could:
- make sure that ISO 14001 certification is a suitable stepping stone towards EMAS registration, particularly for international company sites (outside the Community);
- affect EMAS’ role as the premium environmental management instrument and its ability to sustain this position in the future.
The results of this survey will be fed into the official ISO 14001 revision process as well as future revisions of EMAS.
If you operate an EMAS site or have an interest in this process, your answers will provide valuable input for future revisions, not only of ISO 14001 but also of EMAS.
The survey questionnaire can be found at http://bit.ly/Sqn6IW