Certificate league table just released shows the UK holds fast to 4th place in list of most certificates per country

Data just released on the uptake of the international Environmental Management Systems standard ISO 14001 shows that the number of certificates issued worldwide has grown 8% over the last year, mirroring the 8% uplift reported last year.

IEMA can report that the data published this week by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) shows a global year-on-year increase of almost 27,000 certificates between 2015 and 2016. The worldwide total of accredited ISO 14001 certificates reported now stands at 346,190, up from 319,324 in the 2015 data report. 323,023 of those are for the 2004 version of the standard, and 23,167 were awarded against the 2015 version.

ISO 14001 is the world’s most used environmental management standard, and globally the second most used business standard, used by companies to manage performance in approximately 200 countries. The data on global uptake of ISO 14001 comes two years into a transition period between the 2004 and 2015 versions, with one year remaining.

The UK has held its position as fourth in the global league table for the fourth consecutive year, with 16,761 certificates. However, the UK’s total is down from the 17,824 reported last year – the only nation in the top five to report a year-on-year dip. The UK sits behind China, Italy and Japan and one place ahead of Spain in the rankings.

Martin Baxter, IEMA’s Chief Policy Advisor and chair-elect of ISO’s environmental management systems committee, says: “Environmental management systems are a key tool for improving business performance. This significant annual increase in ISO 14001 accredited certification reflects the critical importance of organisations taking a pro-active approach to environmental management.

Top 10 Countries - Number of ISO 14001 Certificates

China

137,230

Italy

26,655

Japan

27,372

United Kingdom

16,761

Spain

13,717

Germany

9,444

India

7,725

France

6,695

Romania

6,075

USA

5,582


ISO’s full survey data on the standard is available to from here.

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