Revisions to ISO 14001 have moved into the final stages after 92% of member bodies of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) approved the draft.
The revised standard aims to align environmental management systems more closely with an organisation’s strategy.
It places greater emphasis on reducing environmental impacts across the whole life-cycle of products and services including supply chains and in the development and use of products and services.
The new standard will also require organisations to consider impacts from a changing environment and provide a framework for organisations to manage the risks and maximise opportunities from trends such as scarcity of natural resources and climate change.
Martin Baxter, executive director of policy and engagement at IEMA said the draft changes fully reflected members’ views.
The next meeting of the international working group drafting the standard will be held in February 2015 in Tokyo to consider the comments and produce the final version.
Baxter said: “The focus of the forthcoming meeting will be to address the comments and build a stronger consensus on the changes that are being proposed. We'll then enter the final stages of the revision process.”
The ISO said it expects the new standard to be published by the end of 2015.
