1 Scope of the EMS [ISO 14001]

What is the Scope of ISO 14001?

Clause 1, Scope of the ISO 14001 standard highlights the basic tenets of what the Environmental Management System is intending to achieve.

It should be consistent with your organisation’s environmental policy.

ISO 14001 Clause 1 relates to the scope or coverage of the standard to help organizations achieve the intended outcomes of its' EMS.

The standard encourages businesses to implement processes and systems to ensure consistent product and service output, while ensuring that customer satisfaction is enhanced through conformity and improvement.

Aims of the Scope

The scope or goal aims to determine what types of operations your company's Environmental Management System will cover and any boundaries or limitations that might be placed on it.

Once these boundaries have been set out, you will have a clear vision and outline of the various departments in your company that will be subjected to the Environmental Management System. These will include;

• All necessary processes
• All participating sites
• All relevant divisions
• All relevant departments

To outline the scope of the EMS, clear descriptions of your company's services and products need to be made. This will include descriptions of the products, where and how they are made, and distributed locally or internationally.

For most organizations, the EMS will apply to the entire organization; however; however, in some instances, it will be impossible or impractical to use it in specific sections. In that instance, your scope will need to become much more refined.

Related Information You Might Find Useful

• iso.org ISO 14001:2015 Environmental management systems — Requirements with guidance for use
• committee.iso.org What is the Intent of Clause 4.3, Determining the Scope of an EMS?
• How To Write Your Scope For ISO 9001 (With 7 Examples)
• Video — Determining the Scope with ISO 14001:2015

Next ISO 14001 Clause

• 2 Normative References

Each ISO 14001 Clause Explained

• Learn More About ISO 14001 here

Updated: 24th February 2022
Author: Richard Keen

Richard Keen

Richard is our Compliance Director, responsible for content & product development.
But most importantly he is ISO's biggest fanboy and a true evangelist of the standards.
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