Final IAF Guidance on the transition to ISO 14001:2015

As highlighted in an earlier post – Transition Guidance for ISO 14001:2015, the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) have published their final Informative Document on the Transition Planning Guidance for ISO 14001:2015 (IAF ID 10:2015).

The final publication follows a period of consultation and voting & the guidance is, now, available for use by organisations using ISO 14001:2004, accredited Certification Bodies and National Accreditation Bodies.

The key issues highlighted in the document are:

• The important changes that are expected to be found in ISO 14001:2015, namely: Strategic Environmental Management, Leadership, Protecting the environment, Environmental performance, Lifecycle thinking, Communication & Documentation.
• ISO 14001:2004 certificates will not be valid after three years from the publication of ISO 14001:2015
• Any ISO 14001:2004 certificates issued during the transition period will have their expiry date set to the end of the three-year transition period
• Clear recommendations are given for interested parties involved in the certification and accreditation processes including organisations using ISO 14001:2004, accredited Certification Bodies and National Accreditation Bodies
• Specific transition guidance is given to Certification and national Accreditation Bodies.

It should be noted that the revision cycle of ISO 14001:2015 is at the DIS (Draft International Standard) stage, which was started with the publication of ISO/DIS 14001:2014 and so may be, subject to further amendment in the FDIS (Final Draft International Standard) & on final publication. The anticipated timeline for the further stages are July 2015 and September 2015 respectively.

Any changes to an existing ISO 14001:2004 environmental management system (EMS) or development of a new EMS based on the ISO/DIS 14001:2014 should be subject to a “health warning” as the final requirements may differ at final publication of ISO 14001:2015.

A copy of the IAF Transition Planning Guidance for ISO 14001:2015 can be downloaded here.