Certifying your company's environmental management system to ISO 14001 means that a third party, such as BSI, has assessed that it meets the requirements set out in the standard.

Certification to ISO 14001 allows you to:

• Demonstrate a commitment to achieving legal and regulatory compliance to regulators and government
• Demonstrate your environmental commitment to stakeholders
• Demonstrate an innovative and forward thinking approach to customers and prospective employees
• Increase your access to new customers and business partners
• Better manage your environmental risks, now and in the future
• Potentially reduce public liability insurance costs
• Enhance your reputation

For particular industries, pressure is now being exerted by many large organizations, such as original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) who expect their suppliers to adopt environmentally-friendly practices and may mandate ISO 14001 certification as a licence to operate.

If you want to take the implementation and certification of an EMS slowly, the BS 8555 STEMS scheme allows you to phase the management system in and assess how you’re performing at each step on the path. Once completed, it still results in achieving ISO 14001 certification.