After months of development, the International Organization for Standardization published a revised version of its ISO 14001 standard on Nov. 15.The changes are mostly procedural in nature, and include:

Clause 4.1 “Scope”—Requires that companies describe activities, products, operations and services included in their environmental management systems (EMS). Also requires an evaluation of how the EMS meets standard requirements, and documentation to that effect.

Clause 4.2 “Policy”—Requires that companies ensure their policies are consistent with the defined project scope and that the policy is appropriate to the nature, scale and environmental impacts of the activities, products and services of the company.

Clause 4.3.1 “Environmental aspects”—Requires that companies take into account the “activities, products and services” that can possibly influence (rather that can be expected to influence) the environment. Additionally, the clause now requires companies to consider the possible implications of their activities when planning.

 …