The Environmental Standards are set by an international body composed of a number of specialists from national standards organizations. The governing body is the International Organization for Standardization, better known as ISO. The suite of environmental standards (ISO 14000) contains standards that companies, regardless of their nature of business, size and location, can voluntarily achieve. The suite of guidelines includes:  

• Environmental Management Systems (ISO 14001, 14002, 14004)
• Environmental Auditing (ISO 14010, 10411, 14012)
• Evaluation of Environmental Performance (ISO 14031)
• Environmental Labeling (ISO 14020, 14021, 14024,)
• Life Cycle Assessment (ISO 14040, 14041, 14042, 14043)  

If you are considering getting environmental accreditation for your business contact the ISO Information Zone for more information.

ISO 14001 is the main Environmental Management System (EMS) standard which it is the equivalent of ISO 9000. This is the only standard that requires a third party assessment.

This ISO indicates to customers, business partners and competitors that your business is taking environmental issues very seriously. It indicates leadership and commitment.

The ISO 14001 requires any business to have a clear and up-to-date environmental policy, manual and procedures. The EMS has to be regularly audited, reviewed and updated. The International Organization for Standardization produced an ISO 14000 Toolkit to help you get on your way.