ISO 14001 planning

The organization must identify and plan for those elements of its business that could interact with the environment. Actions necessary to meet this element of the ISO 14001 standard include:

• Identifying the significant environmental aspects and impacts of its activities, products, and services -- Depending on the organization's business, significant aspects could include aspects such as air emissions, water discharges, chemical consumption, and energy consumption.
• Identifying and having access to applicable legal and other requirements that apply to the organization -- This includes understanding legal and permit requirements and ensuring that employees whose jobs could impact these requirements understand permit parameters.
• Setting and documenting environmental objectives and targets -- Objectives and targets are not required for every significant aspect. In some cases, the significant aspect may be under operational control.
• Establishing environmental management programs for achieving these objectives and targets -- The environmental management program should detail who is responsible for achieving the objectives and targets, the time frame, and the means.