What is environmental management?
ISO Harmonized Structure
The ISO Harmonized Structure (HS) is a uniform basic structure designed to facilitate the integration of ISO management systems according to the ISO 9001, 14001, and 27001 standards.
ISO 14001 is an international standard for an environmental management system. ISO 14001 is applicable to both large and small organizations and is independent of the sector.
Purpose of environmental management
The purpose of an environmental management system is to control and, where possible, reduce the organization’s environmental impact. To achieve this, environmental risks are identified and measures are then taken to prevent and/or control environmental effects. By following the plan-do-check-act cycle, continuous improvement is achieved. Meeting compliance obligations is the basis for this.
Uniform structure
The ISO 14001 standard is based on the so-called Harmonized Structure (HS). The HS consists of a chapter structure and a basic text for a management system. All ISO management systems have been developed based on the HS. This means that it is easy for organizations to integrate management systems for, for example, health & safety (H&S), quality, and environment.