What are Environmental Aspects?

If you’ve had anything to do with creating or using an environmental management system you will be very familiar with the term “environmental aspects”. 

If you’re new to the sector, read on for a simplified explanation.

ISO 14001:2015 requires an organisation to “identify the environmental aspects and associated environmental impacts of its activities, products and services that it can control and those that it can influence, considering a life cycle perspective”

So, it’s important to know what an “aspect” is. Here is the ISO standards definition;

An “element of an organisations activities or products or services that interacts or can interact with the environment”.

So, in this example deciphering ISO’s word soup takes a little imagination; think it through, the process of manufacturing, does it use lots of water? Or fuel? Or materials? What about investigating a little further up the supply chain? How did the materials get to you? Were they produced in a renewable manner? Was a finite resource tapped into?

Questions, Questions…

But this is what “identifying environmental aspects” demands, questioning how things are achieved with a view to understanding the impacts that the environment is affected.

Identifying environmental aspects needs to be investigative and tax the imagination a little if it is to be comprehensive. The cradle to grave analysis common amongst environmental practitioners expects nothing less.

The purpose of a well-researched, definitive list of aspects is critical to realistic identification of associated impacts so the importance of understanding the starting point is fundamental.

Then the fun can begin.

iqms Learning are experts in helping your team navigate environmental and many other management systems standards. If you are in the early stages of developing your sustainability commitment or a tenured advocate we can help you along the way.

Our objective is to give you the knowledge and skills to make a difference. Contact us today https://iqmslearning.co.uk/contact

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