Content of Environmental policy

An environmental policy is a set of principles stated as commitments in which top management outlines the intentions of the organization to support and enhance its environmental performance. The environmental policy enables the organization to set its environmental objectives, take actions to achieve the intended outcomes of the environmental management system, and achieve continual improvement.

Three basic commitments for the environmental policy are specified in this International Standard to:

a) protect the environment;

b) fulfil the organization’s compliance obligations;

c) continually improve the environmental management system to enhance environmental performance.



These commitments are then reflected in the processes an organization establishes to address specific requirements in this International Standard, to ensure a robust, credible and reliable environmental management system.

The commitment to protect the environment is intended to not only prevent adverse environmental impacts through prevention of pollution, but to protect the natural environment from harm and degradation arising from the organization’s activities, products and services. The specific commitment(s) an organization pursues should be relevant to the context of the organization, including the local or regional environmental conditions. These commitments can address, for example, water quality, recycling, or air quality, and can also include commitments related to climate change mitigation and adaptation, protection of biodiversity and ecosystems, and restoration.

While all the commitments are important, some interested parties are especially concerned with the organization’s commitment to fulfil its compliance obligations, particularly applicable legal requirements. This International Standard specifies a number of interconnected requirements related to this commitment. These include the need to:

— determine compliance obligations;

— ensure operations are carried out in accordance with these compliance obligations;

— evaluate fulfilment of the compliance obligations;

— correct nonconformities.