The two most significant externally verified environmental management standards used in the UK are:
- ISO 14001 Environmental Management System.
- EMAS Eco Management and Audit Scheme (current version EMAS II).
The two standards are summarised in the table below:
Important EMS standards and schemes
These are:
|
Name/reference |
Full title |
Originating body |
Comment |
|
ISO 14001:2004 |
Environmental management systems – Requirements with guidance for use. |
ISO – International Organisation for Standardisation. |
General guidance on use is provided in Annex A (informative).* |
|
EMAS II |
Eco-Management and Audit Scheme. |
European Commission. |
Annexes detail certain requirements e.g. Annex I on EMS, Annex II on auditing (normative).* |
*Note: ‘Informative’ indicates guidance (i.e. should) unlike ‘normative’, which indicates requirement (i.e. shall). The specifications themselves are normative.
Further general guidance on developing an environmental management system is given in ISO 14004 – Environmental management systems – general guidance on principles, systems and supporting techniques. This standard does not set out a specification but provides assistance to organisations implementing or improving an EMS.