ISO 14001 ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS

The key to a successful registration for conformance with ISO 14001 is to accurately determine the organization’s Environmental Aspects and Impacts, arrive at which are the most significant and therefore require the most attention. Two definitions should be reviewed at this point.
Environmental AspectElement of an organization’s activities, products or services that can interact with the environment.
NOTE — A significant environmental aspect is an environmental aspect that has or can have a significant environmental impact.”
and
Environmental ImpactAny change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s activities, products or services.”
There are three distinct requirements contained within this section of ISO 14001.
First, the organization shall identify the environmental aspects of its activities, products and/or services. In other words the organization must understand how it interacts with the environment.
Second, the organization shall identify the specific environmental aspects that can be controlled, and over which it can be expected to have influence.
Third, arrive at a list of significant environmental aspects based upon the individual environmental impact of each environmental aspect. The importance of this third step cannot be underestimated.
The final list of significant environmental aspects will provide the basis for the Environmental Policy statement, and the Environmental Objective(s) and Targets. In other words the list of significant environmental aspects drives the entire content and scope of the operational portion of the environmental management system.