All organizations should be embedding environment management processes into their business processes to get commercial benefits.

With increasing legislative pressures and many customers insisting that their suppliers have an environmental management system (EMS), more organizations are turning to the standard BS EN ISO 14001:2015 Environmental management systems — Requirements with guidance for use for putting in a formal EMS to help them actively manage consumption, risks, and impacts.

Putting in an EMS, however, can be a challenge, particularly for small or micro businesses that may have limited internal resources (time, knowledge, budget, etc.). Using a phased approach can help overcome barriers, allowing organizations to address their own needs and objectives. 

It allows them to mature their approach to environmental management, eventually leading up to a fully functioning EMS that meets the requirements of BS EN ISO 14001:2015.

A supporting standard BS EN ISO 14005:2019 Environmental management systems — Guidelines for a flexible approach to phased implementation gives an alternative route to an EMS and supplies the tools for implementing a phased approach and assessing the maturity of existing systems.

BS EN ISO 14001 and over 100,000 more internationally recognized standards are available for simple and flexible access with a BSI Knowledge subscription. When facing the pressure of reducing your impact on the environment, our subscription service puts the control in your hands, with traceability to monitor and demonstrate your business's compliance to standards, and self-serve functionality that enables you to manage your subscriptions, and standards, users, and content quickly and simply. Request to learn more.

A Phased Approach to Environmental Management Systems

An environmental management system is not separate from normal business practices. It allows an organization to fully embed environmental considerations into day-to-day operations. There are so many commercial benefits from having a good functioning EMS, including:

• Cutting costs and increasing profits

• Meeting customer requirements, giving a great marketing opportunity

• Understanding and managing environmental impacts

• Involving staff from all departments so they feel involved and can contribute to a more efficient organization

• Complying with the law

• Building resilience by identifying risks and opportunities

Any organization would want these. However, putting in an EMS can seem quite a challenge, including knowing where to start and having the necessary in-depth knowledge or even time to do it.

A phased approach, as outlined in BS EN ISO 14005:2019, offers several advantages. 

Organizations can readily evaluate how the time and money put into an EMS provide a return. They can develop a system that meets their needs, allowing them to implement it at their own pace, depending on the available human and financial resources.

This approach can also help organizations see how improvements in environmental management can reduce costs, demonstrate legal compliance, improve community relations and help to fulfill the expectations of interested parties.

To learn more about how the phased approach of BS EN ISO 14005:2019 can work for your business, download our whitepaper here.

What Does BS EN ISO 14005:2019 Cover?

BS EN ISO 14005:2019 shows how organizations can implement an EMS, using a phased approach to ultimately meet the requirements of BS EN ISO 14001.

Each phase incorporates six consecutive stages. The number of phases is flexible. This allows organizations to develop the scope, i.e. the activities, products, and services included, and maturity of their EMS, in line with their objectives and available resources.

The maturity matrix in Annex A of the standard provides businesses with a tool for measuring the progress of EMS implementation.

This is useful to track the achievements of an organization’s environmental objectives and associated benefits and to ensure the efficient use of financial and human resources. And an online assessment sheet and examples within the standard support users.

BS EN ISO 14005:2019 can be beneficial to any business within any sector but supports the activities of SMEs in particular.

To support your business with the flexible implementation of an environmental management system, buy BS EN ISO 14005:2019 today.