Northern Rail has been certified to ISO 14001: 2015 as the new standard launched today.
The revised standard aims to align environmental management systems more closely with organisational strategy and for senior management to play a more active role in their company's environmental management system.
It places greater emphasis on reducing environmental impacts across the whole lifecycle of products and services, and also requires organisations to consider effects on them from a changing environment rather than just their impacts on the environment.
Managing director for Northern Rail Alex Hynes said: "Northern has worked hard to embed a business-wide strategy for environmental management; from managing our energy use to pollution prevention.
"Our approach enables us to address challenges collaboratively with our people, making sure we are all contributing to sustainable improvements in our environmental performance," he said.
Matt Gantley, managing director of NQA, who completed the certification for Northern Rail, said: "Northern Rail is the first in the world to achieve certification with NQA to the new ISO 14001:2015 standard. This achievement demonstrates exceptional corporate leadership."
Over 300,000 organisations globally are using ISO 14001. The revised version will deliver a worldwide step change in performance, according to Martin Baxter, IEMA's chief policy advisor and member of the ISO working group on revising 14001.
"The standard shifts business focus on the environment from compliance with regulations and direct operations, to placing the environment at the heart of their thinking and strategy," said Baxter.
More than 40% of businesses believe that the revised standard will bring greater buy-in from senior management, according to a survey of IEMA members.
Around 40% of businesses report saving at least £10,000 a year as a result of complying with 14001. The majority of savings come from taking measures to improve energy efficiency (71% of survey respondents) and better waste disposal (64%).
Wider benefits revealed by the survey include improved environmental performance (38%), compliance with legislation (39%) and securing new business (22%).
