ISO 14001 Clause 4.2

ISO 14001 Clause 4.2 is the driver for the complete EMS. The environmental policy should reflect the commitment of top management to comply with the standard, legal requirements and any other environmental requirements they believe are needed to prevent pollution and continually improve.

The EMS policy forms the basis upon which the company sets its objectives and targets. The environmental policy must be clear enough to be understood by all internal and external interested parties. It needs to be periodically reviewed and revised to reflect the changing conditions and information. Its scope should be clearly identifiable and needs to reflect the nature, size and environmental impacts of the activities, products and services within the defined scope of the EMS.

The environmental policy must be communicated to everyone who works for or on behalf of the company, including contractors working at the company’s facilities. External contractors need not be told the complete environmental policy. They can be given the environmental rules, directives and procedures that apply to their specific activity.

The policy should be defined and documented by top management and included in the wider company’s policies that have been endorsed by top management. In other words, the environmental policy and its operational objectives are built-in to the company’s culture.

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