Impacts from the implementation of ISO 14001

Abstract

Certification of an ISO 14001 Environmental Management System is a widely accepted standard in the international market and a good sense of a company's environmental conscience for the public. In recent years, an increasing amount of companies seek certification and the present paper serves to summarize the studied impacts of said certification in different kinds of companies, from the construction to the chemical sector. We found that the impacts do not necessarily come from certification, and many of the desired impacts come from implementation alone, like reduced costs and lower waste emissions. We also used available ISO survey data to better illustrate ISO certification over the years in different regions of the world and which industry sector has the most certificated companies.