In hopes of making ISO 14001 easier to implement, the International Organization for Standardization recently published a revised version of the standard.ISO 14001: 2004 provides a framework for organizations to control the environmental impacts of their activities, products and services, and requires that registered organizations focus on continual improvement of their environmental management systems. ISO 14004: 2004 provides guidelines on the elements of an EMS, its implementation and the main issues involved.

“These standards represent the state of the art in environmental management practice,” says Alan Bryden, ISO secretary-general. “[They] are at the leading edge of ISO’s comprehensive offering to help organizations address all three dimensions of sustainable development—social, economic and environmental.”

Oswald A. Dodds, chairman of ISO/TC 207/SC 1, which developed ISO 14001 and ISO 14004: 2004, reports that the revised standard uses feedback from organizations that have implemented ISO 14001, making it easier to understand and implement. Additionally, the revised standard is more applicable to small- and medium-sized companies.

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