National foreword

This British Standard is the UK implementation of EN ISO 14001:2026. It is identical to ISO 14001:2026. It supersedes BS EN ISO 14001:2015+A1:2024, which is withdrawn.

The UK participation in its preparation was entrusted to Technical Committee SES/1/1, Environmental management systems.

A list of organizations represented on this committee can be obtained on request to its committee manager.

Contractual and legal considerations

This publication has been prepared in good faith, however no representation, warranty, assurance or undertaking (express or implied) is or will be made, and no responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by BSI in relation to the adequacy, accuracy, completeness or reasonableness of this publication. All and any such responsibility and liability is expressly disclaimed to the full extent permitted by the law.

This publication is provided as is, and is to be used at the recipient’s own risk.

The recipient is advised to consider seeking professional guidance with respect to its use of this publication.

This publication is not intended to constitute a contract. Users are responsible for its correct application.

Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity from legal obligations.

This British Standard was published under the authority of the Standards Policy and Strategy Committee on 30 April 2026.

This European Standard was approved by CEN on 3 April 2026.

CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN member.

This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and United Kingdom.

European foreword

This document (EN ISO 14001:2026) has been prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 207 "Environmental management" in collaboration with CCMC.

This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by October 2026, and conflicting national standards shall be withdrawn at the latest by October 2026.

Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.

This document supersedes EN ISO 14001:2015.

Any feedback and questions on this document should be directed to the users’ national standards body/national committee. A complete listing of these bodies can be found on the CEN website.

According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organizations of the following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and the United Kingdom.

Endorsement notice

The text of ISO 14001:2026 has been approved by CEN as EN ISO 14001:2026 without any modification.

Foreword

ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.

The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the different types of ISO document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).

ISO draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use of (a) patent(s). ISO takes no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any claimed patent rights in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, ISO had not received notice of (a) patent(s) which may be required to implement this document. However, implementers are cautioned that this may not represent the latest information, which may be obtained from the patent database available at www.iso.org/patents. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.

Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not constitute an endorsement.

For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.

This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 207, Environmental management, Subcommittee SC 1, Environmental management systems, in collaboration with the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) Technical Committee, in accordance with the Agreement on technical cooperation between ISO and CEN (Vienna Agreement).

This fourth edition cancels and replaces the third edition (ISO 14001:2015), which has been technically revised. It also replaces the Amendment ISO 14001:2015/Amd 1:2024.

The main changes are as follows:

incorporation of latest ISO requirements for management system standards as appropriate;
clarification of requirements associated with key topics.

Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.

Introduction

0.1 Background

Achieving a balance between the environment, society and the economy is considered essential to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Sustainable development as a goal is achieved by balancing the three pillars of sustainability.

Societal expectations for sustainable development, transparency and accountability have evolved with increasingly stringent legislation and growing pressures on the environment from pollution, inefficient use of resources, improper waste management, climate change, degradation of ecosystems and loss of biodiversity. Undermining the environment can carry financial, social and business consequences, not just environmental implications.

These expectations have led organizations to adopt a systematic approach to environmental management by implementing environmental management systems with the aim of contributing to the environmental pillar of sustainability. As a result, organizations are better positioned to respond to the needs and expectations of interested parties and to meet the organization’s compliance obligations.

0.2 Aim of an environmental management system

This document provides organizations with a framework to protect the environment and respond to changing environmental conditions in balance with socio-economic needs. It specifies requirements that enable an organization to achieve the intended outcomes it sets for its environmental management system.

A systematic approach to environmental management provides top management with information to build success over the long term and create options for contributing to sustainable development by:

protecting the environment through preventing or mitigating adverse environmental impacts;
mitigating the potential adverse effect of environmental conditions on the organization;
assisting the organization to meet its compliance obligations;
enhancing environmental performance;
controlling or influencing the way the organization’s products and services are designed, manufactured, distributed, consumed and disposed of by using a life cycle perspective that prevents adverse environmental impacts from being unintentionally shifted elsewhere within the life cycle;
achieving financial and operational benefits that result from implementing environmentally sound alternatives that strengthen the organization’s market position;
communicating environmental information to relevant interested parties.

0.3 Success factors

The success of an environmental management system depends on commitment from all levels and functions of the organization, led by top management. Organizations can leverage opportunities to prevent or mitigate adverse environmental impacts and enhance beneficial environmental impacts, particularly those with strategic and competitive advantages. Top management can effectively address its risks and opportunities by integrating environmental management into the organization’s business processes, strategic direction and decision-making, aligning them with other business priorities, and incorporating environmental governance into its overall management system. Demonstration of successful implementation of this document can be used to assure interested parties that an effective environmental management system is in place. Adoption of the requirements in this document, however, will not in itself guarantee optimal environmental outcomes.

Application of the requirements in this document can differ from one organization to another due to the context of the organization. Two organizations can carry out similar activities but can have different compliance obligations, commitments in their environmental policy, environmental technologies and environmental performance goals, yet both can conform to the requirements of this document.

The level of detail and complexity of the environmental management system will vary depending on the context of the organization, the scope of its environmental management system, its compliance obligations, and the nature of its activities, products and services, including its environmental aspects and associated environmental impacts.

0.4 Plan-Do-Check-Act model

The basis for the approach underlying an environmental management system is founded on the concept of Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA). The PDCA model provides an iterative process used by organizations to achieve continual improvement. It can be applied to an environmental management system and to each of its individual elements. It is briefly described as follows:

Plan: Establish environmental objectives and processes necessary to deliver results in accordance with the organization’s environmental policy.
Do: Implement the processes as planned.
Check: Monitor and measure processes against the environmental policy, including its commitments, environmental objectives and operating criteria, and report the results.
Act: Take actions to continually improve.

Figure 1 shows how the framework used in this document can be integrated into a PDCA model, which can help new and existing users to understand the importance of a systems approach.

0.5 Contents of this document

This document conforms to ISO requirements for management system standards. These requirements include a harmonized structure, identical core text and common terms with core definitions, designed to benefit users implementing multiple ISO management system standards.

This document does not include requirements specific to other management systems, such as those for quality, occupational health and safety, energy or financial management. However, this document enables an organization to use a common approach and risk-based thinking to integrate its environmental management system with the requirements of other management systems.

This document contains the requirements used to assess conformity. An organization that wishes to demonstrate conformity with this document can do so by:

making a self-determination and self-declaration; or
seeking confirmation of its conformance by parties having an interest in the organization, such as customers; or
seeking confirmation of its self-declaration by a party external to the organization; or
seeking certification/registration of its environmental management system by an external organization.

Annex A provides explanatory information to prevent misinterpretation of the requirements of this document. Guidance on applying the ISO 14001 framework to specific environmental topic areas is addressed in the ISO 14002 series. Implementation guidance on environmental management systems is included in ISO 14004.

Clause A.3 provides further insights on specific words and phrases used in this document to enhance the understanding of concepts that are relevant to an environmental management system.

1 Scope

This document specifies the requirements for an environmental management system that an organization can use to enhance its environmental performance. It is intended for use by an organization seeking to manage its environmental responsibilities in a systematic manner that contributes to the environmental pillar of sustainability.

This document helps an organization to achieve the intended outcomes of its environmental management system, which provide value for the environment, the organization itself and interested parties. The intended outcomes of an environmental management system include:

enhancing environmental performance;
meeting compliance obligations;
achieving environmental objectives.

This document is applicable to any organization, regardless of size, type or nature, and applies to the environmental aspects of its activities, products and services that the organization determines it can either control or influence considering a life cycle perspective. This document does not state specific environmental performance criteria.

This document can be used in whole or in part to systematically improve environmental management. Claims of conformity to this document, however, are not acceptable unless all its requirements are incorporated into an organization’s environmental management system and fulfilled without exclusion.

2 Normative references

3 Terms and definitions

3.1 Terms related to organization and leadership

3.2 Terms related to planning

3.3 Terms related to support and operation

3.4 Terms related to performance evaluation and improvement

4 Context of the organization

4.1 Understanding the organization and its context

4.2 Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties

4.3 Determining the scope of the environmental management system

4.4 Environmental management system

5 Leadership

5.1 Leadership and commitment

5.2 Environmental policy

5.3 Roles, responsibilities and authorities

6 Planning

6.1 Actions to address risks and opportunities

6.2 Environmental objectives and planning to achieve them

6.3 Planning of changes

7 Support

7.1 Resources

7.2 Competence

7.3 Awareness

7.4 Communication

7.5 Documented information

8 Operation

8.1 Operational planning and control

8.2 Emergency preparedness and response

9 Performance evaluation

9.1 Monitoring, measurement, analysis, and evaluation

9.2 Internal audit

9.3 Management review

10 Improvement

10.1 Continual improvement

10.2 Nonconformity and corrective action

Bibliography

BS EN ISO 14001:2026 Environmental Management Systems Starter Pack