Can existing environmental management activities be integrated into the EMS under 14001?
Yes. The standard is flexible and does not require organizations to necessarily “retool” their existing activities. The standard establishes a management framework by which an organizations’ impacts on the environment can be systematically identified and reduced. For example, many organizations, including counties and municipalities, have active and effective pollution prevention activities underway. These could be incorporated into the overall EMS under ISO 14001.
