Norms and Sustainable Certifications

ISO 14001 is the globally accepted and applied standard for environmental management systems. The standard was published by the International Organization for Standardization in 1996 and was last revised in 2015.

Contents of ISO 14001
The international standard sets requirements for an environmental management system, through which an organization can improve its environmental performance, fulfill legal and other obligations, and achieve environmental objectives. The central elements of ISO 14001 are:

• Planning: Setting environmental objectives and corresponding measures, responsibilities, and procedures;
• Implementation: Implementing the defined measures and procedures;
• Control: Reviewing responsibilities, procedures, and measures in relation to the organization's environmental objectives and environmental policies;
• Improvement: Adjusting responsibilities, procedures, and measures, and potentially also environmental objectives and environmental policies.

For more information, you can also visit the website of the Federal Environment Agency »

Other standards related to quality management systems such as ISO 9001 or energy management systems like ISO 50001 impact all company processes and are already established in many companies.

The German Institute for Standardization (DIN), the DKE German Commission for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies of DIN and VDE (DKE), and the Association of German Engineers (VDI) have published the standardization roadmap for resource efficiency. In this document, the joint action group on norms and standards analyzes those already in use in value chains and material cycles, which make a significant contribution to Germany's resource efficiency program, ProgRess III. At the same time, the standardization roadmap identifies needs for normative and standardization projects aimed at enhancing resource efficiency.

standardization roadmap about resource efficiency by Progress III of DIN, DKE & VDI »