Many thanks to all who contributed to our recent poll on the new ISO 14001:2015 revision. The responses were very insightful, and the number of respondents has greatly exceeded our previous surveys!
An important step
Richard Clarke, consultant at Cedrec, has commented: "The revision of ISO 14001 is an important step in the maturity of the international standard in terms of how it assists business address the risks and opportunities presented by environmental management."
"It is good to see that the changes to aspects identification seeks to raise the importance of businesses preparing for future environmental impacts on them through issues such as climate change, resource scarcity and flood incidence. As noted by the respondents to this survey, perhaps the most important element is the greater significance of environmental management in strategic planning. Many have seen a weakness in the existing standard that environmental management can effectively be sidelined outside of certification audit, and not form a major consideration for future business planning."
"This revision gives environmental management the power to break out of the silo and enter the mainstream of strategic business management, raising it's importance, and increasing the amount to which the environment is seen as central to business improvement. This is something we welcome."
Uncertainty
Our poll concluded that uncertainty is the most common result, with 88% of respondents knowing about the changes, yet 62% being unsure as to how their businesses would be affected. The effect of changes was a split majority of 32% of respondents feeling that strategic management involvement and leadership would be most effected, and 32% not being sure of where the biggest effects would be felt.
42% of respondents were not sure what changes would be most worrying for their business. However, strategic management involvement and leadership and lifecycle thinking were two areas of concern from 18% and 17% of respondents, respectively.
Overall, 52% of you were hedging your bets over how you felt about the revision, with 38% feeling it is about right in terms of how environmental management should be progressing. Positively, less than 4% felt it doesn't go far enough.
We're here to help
Cedrec are here to help your business adapt to these changes as easily as possible. Uncertainty is unnecessary with our expert consultants and extensive online database, making the changes as smooth as possible. Consultants like Richard are always happy to provide advice to our subscribers and clients, and work hard to get you the answers you need.
