ISO 14001 Foundation Certification Environmental Aspects and Impacts 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the difference between an 'environmental aspect' and an 'environmental impact' under ISO 14001:2015?
- They are the same concept, just used in different clauses
- An aspect is an element of activities/products/services that interacts with the environment; an impact is any change resulting from that interaction (Correct answer)
- An aspect is always negative, while an impact can be positive or negative
- An impact is a planned event, while an aspect is an unplanned event
Correct answer: An aspect is an element of activities/products/services that interacts with the environment; an impact is any change resulting from that interaction
An environmental aspect is an element of an organization's activities, products, or services that can interact with the environment. An environmental impact is any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, resulting from that aspect.
ISO 14001:2015 defines environmental aspect as an element of an organization's activities, products or services that interacts or can interact with the environment. An environmental impact is the resulting change to the environment. For example: a manufacturing process using chemicals (aspect) causing water pollution (impact). Understanding this cause-and-effect relationship is fundamental to the EMS.
Question 2: Which criterion is most important when determining whether an environmental aspect is 'significant'?
- Whether the aspect has been previously identified in an audit
- Whether the aspect has or can have significant environmental impact, considering severity, frequency, and regulatory scrutiny (Correct answer)
- The cost of controlling the aspect
- Whether the aspect is visible to the public
Correct answer: Whether the aspect has or can have significant environmental impact, considering severity, frequency, and regulatory scrutiny
Significance is determined by evaluating the potential for significant environmental impact, considering factors such as severity, scale, frequency, duration, and the concerns of interested parties.
ISO 14001:2015 does not prescribe a specific method for determining significance, giving organizations flexibility. However, common criteria include: the scale of the impact, its severity and reversibility, the probability of occurrence, the duration, the regulatory and legal relevance, and stakeholder concerns. Organizations must document their criteria and apply them consistently.
Question 3: Under ISO 14001:2015, which activities must be considered when identifying environmental aspects?
- Only routine manufacturing or production activities
- Normal operations, abnormal conditions such as startup/shutdown, and potential emergency situations (Correct answer)
- Only activities covered by environmental permits
- Only activities that directly emit pollutants
Correct answer: Normal operations, abnormal conditions such as startup/shutdown, and potential emergency situations
ISO 14001:2015 requires identification of aspects under normal operating conditions, abnormal conditions (startup, shutdown, maintenance), and potential emergency situations to ensure comprehensive coverage.
Clause 6.1.2 requires that environmental aspects be identified for activities, products, and services under three conditions: normal operations, abnormal conditions (planned or unplanned deviations), and emergency situations. This comprehensive approach ensures that aspects are not missed because they only occur infrequently or in unusual circumstances.
Question 4: How does the concept of 'life cycle perspective' affect the identification of environmental aspects in ISO 14001:2015?
- It limits aspect identification to only the organization's own facility
- It requires organizations to consider aspects along the entire value chain, including suppliers and end-of-life disposal (Correct answer)
- It only applies to product manufacturers, not service providers
- It replaces the need to identify direct aspects from the organization's own activities
Correct answer: It requires organizations to consider aspects along the entire value chain, including suppliers and end-of-life disposal
Life cycle perspective requires organizations to consider environmental aspects not just from their own operations but also from upstream (procurement, raw materials) and downstream (product use, end-of-life) stages.
ISO 14001:2015 introduced a stronger life cycle perspective requirement. Organizations must consider environmental aspects over the entire life cycle of their products and services, to the extent that they can control or influence these stages. This includes design choices, supplier environmental performance, customer use patterns, and product disposal — not just what happens within the organization's own boundaries.
Question 5: What must an organization do with the results of its environmental aspect and impact identification process?
- Submit the results to the national environmental authority annually
- Maintain them as documented information and use them as inputs for setting objectives and planning controls (Correct answer)
- Share all results publicly on the organization's website
- Immediately eliminate all identified aspects regardless of significance
Correct answer: Maintain them as documented information and use them as inputs for setting objectives and planning controls
The results of the aspect and impact identification must be maintained as documented information and used as key inputs for setting objectives, planning operational controls, and other EMS processes.
ISO 14001:2015 Clause 6.1.2 requires that organizations maintain documented information of their environmental aspects and associated impacts, the criteria used to determine significance, and their significant environmental aspects. These results are then used as inputs for planning (objectives, action plans) and operational control to manage the significant aspects.
Question 6: How should an organization account for indirect environmental aspects under ISO 14001:2015?
- Indirect aspects are excluded from ISO 14001 and need not be identified
- Organizations should identify and consider indirect aspects they can influence, such as those from contractor activities or product use (Correct answer)
- Only direct aspects from owned facilities qualify as environmental aspects
- Indirect aspects are automatically classified as non-significant
Correct answer: Organizations should identify and consider indirect aspects they can influence, such as those from contractor activities or product use
ISO 14001:2015 encourages organizations to consider indirect aspects that they can influence, even if they cannot directly control them, such as aspects from contractors, suppliers, or customers using products.
While organizations have greater control over their direct aspects, ISO 14001:2015's life cycle perspective and scope requirements mean that significant indirect aspects — such as emissions from a contractor working on-site, or environmental impacts from customers using the organization's products — should also be considered. The extent of control or influence the organization can exert determines how these aspects are managed.
ISO 14001 Foundation Certification Environmental Aspects and Impacts 2
What is the difference between an 'environmental aspect' and an 'environmental impact' under ISO 14001:2015?