BSI consults on revised environmental management standard

19th July 2016


Related Topics

Related tags

  • Management ,
  • Auditing ,
  • EMS

Author

Christian Guest

BSI is consulting on a revised draft of its environmental management system standard BS 8555, which is being updated in line with ISO 14001: 2015.

BSI said BS 8555 was being revised to ensure that it continued to help organisations improve business processes, save money and deal with future environmental challenges. BS 8555: 2016, Environmental management systems – phased implementation: guide, will replace the 2003 version. It will continue to provide guidance and recommendations for the phased implementation of environmental management systems (EMS).

The key changes in the revised standard are:

  • Phases and stages have been updated to reflect the revised international EMS standard, ISO 14001: 2015, which was published in September 2015. This includes developing an understanding of the context of the organisation, and the increased focus on leadership and improvement in environmental performance.
  • Phase six and associated guidance has been removed in order to simplify BS 8555 and make it easier for people to use.

The British standards body said the updated BS 8555 would remain particularly useful for small and medium‑sized enterprises (SMEs), but would also be applicable to all organisations, regardless of the nature of the business activity undertaken, location, or level of maturity. David Fatscher, head of market development for sustainability at BSI, said: ‘A successful EMS helps organisations remain commercially successful without compromising their environmental responsibilities. By phasing implementation with BS 8555, all organisations, whatever the nature or scale of business, can improve their environmental performance.’

Martin Baxter, senior policy advisor at IEMA, said the consultation on the draft, which closes on 11 September, gives IEMA members an opportunity to contribute to the new standard. ‘It’s important to revise BS 8555 to ensure it provides support for organisations wanting to implement a performance improvement-based system that meets the new ISO 14001. IEMA members have the opportunity to contribute their experience of effective environmental management to ensure the revised standard reflects effective EMS implementation,’ he said.

Stakeholders may comment on any section of the draft, which is available here.

Subscribe

Subscribe to IEMA's newsletters to receive timely articles, expert opinions, event announcements, and much more, directly in your inbox.


Transform articles

Taking the lead

To make real change on sustainability, it’s time to redefine leadership models, writes Chris Seekings

1st February 2024

Read more

Caris Graham (she/her) is Diverse Sustainability Initiative officer at IEMA

1st February 2024

Read more

Lisa Pool reflects on the highlights of the past year and what they mean for the future

1st February 2024

Read more

The percentage of women working in the built environment sector rose significantly last year although people from ethnic minorities find it up to six times harder to be recruited, according to a major survey.

17th January 2024

Read more

IEMA’s CEO and deputy CEO, Sarah Mukherjee MBE and Martin Baxter, respectively, called for greater support for green skills at several events today on Youth, Children, Education and Skills Day at COP28.

8th December 2023

Read more

A look at the latest edition of Stephen Asbury’s IEMA-endorsed book, Health and Safety, Environment and Quality Audits, and the CPD opportunities it presents

28th November 2023

Read more

Media enquires

Looking for an expert to speak at an event or comment on an item in the news?

Find an expert

IEMA Cookie Notice

Clicking the ‘Accept all’ button means you are accepting analytics and third-party cookies. Our website uses necessary cookies which are required in order to make our website work. In addition to these, we use analytics and third-party cookies to optimise site functionality and give you the best possible experience. To control which cookies are set, click ‘Settings’. To learn more about cookies, how we use them on our website and how to change your cookie settings please view our cookie policy.

Manage cookie settings

Our use of cookies

You can learn more detailed information in our cookie policy.

Some cookies are essential, but non-essential cookies help us to improve the experience on our site by providing insights into how the site is being used. To maintain privacy management, this relies on cookie identifiers. Resetting or deleting your browser cookies will reset these preferences.

Essential cookies

These are cookies that are required for the operation of our website. They include, for example, cookies that enable you to log into secure areas of our website.

Analytics cookies

These cookies allow us to recognise and count the number of visitors to our website and to see how visitors move around our website when they are using it. This helps us to improve the way our website works.

Advertising cookies

These cookies allow us to tailor advertising to you based on your interests. If you do not accept these cookies, you will still see adverts, but these will be more generic.

Save and close