The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is the world’s largest independent, international standard setting body. By setting common, international standards, achieving ISO certification facilitates world trade between nations for companies.
4.5.1: ISO 14000 Environmental Management Standards
The ISO 14000 environmental management family of standards, provide practical tools for businesses, companies and organizations to manage their environmental responsibilities. ISO 14001:1996 and then ISO 14001:2004 focused on the criteria for environmental management standards (EMS). The other standards in the family address specific approaches such as audits, environmental communication, labeling standards, and life cycle assessments.
The revised ISO 14001:2015 sets out the new criteria for an environmental management system that can be certified. It maps a clear framework that a business, company or organization can follow to set up an effective EMS. An ISO 14001:2015 certification provides the assurance that the environmental impacts of the firm are being constantly measured, assessed and improved.
4.5.2: ISO 37101 Sustainable Development Management Standards
The new ISO standard 37101:2016 identifies communities as a stepping stone towards achieving sustainability of society as a whole. It assists communities to put in place sustainable development strategies that take into account their economic, social and environmental contexts.
The standard will also encourage communities to become more proactive, and help them show interested parties that an appropriate management system is in place in order to improve dialogues and opportunities for sustainable development.
Successful implementation of the standard is expected to:
- Generate and build consensus on sustainable development within communities
- Improve the sustainability, smartness and resilience of strategies, programmes or plans conducted under the responsibility of communities or on the territory they relate to
- Improve the local environment, create a happier and healthier place for citizens, and build a community that can better anticipate and adapt to natural disasters, economic shocks and climate change
Supplementary Resources:
ISO 14000 – Environmental Management