Standards Development

Scope

This International Standard is intended for organizations seeking to address resource and waste management related environmental aspects, environmental conditions, and the associated risks and opportunities within an environmental management system according to ISO 14001.

In line with the life-cycle perspective set out by ISO 14001, the document addresses environmental aspects and associated impacts across the life-cycle including the extraction, processing, use, recovery and end-of-life treatment of material resources.

The document considers approaches to ensuring long-term resource availability and coping with resource scarcity. It also addresses the interconnections of material resources with the ecosystems from which they are derived and takes a systems-approach to the management of material resources due to their impacts on ecosystems, ecosystem services, biodiversity, as well as human life and wellbeing. T

his document provides general guidance and is applicable to organizations irrespective of their type, size, financial resources, location and sector, position within the life-cycle or the types of resources used in their operations. Other potential users include organizations providing environmental consultancy, training and support organizations; and in accreditation or in standardization in the area of conformity assessment.

The document is applicable to all types of material resources. However, it is anticipated that wastewater treatment processes and atmospheric emissions, such as smoke, gases, and dust, are not within the scope of this proposal. These environmental topics may be addressed by future documents within the ISO 14002 series. However, if these materials, such as wastewater or dust are containerised, then they would become wastes or secondary resources and will be covered in this document.

Throughout this International Standard, specific topics will be provided in conformity with ISO 14002-1: 2019 and consistent with other guidelines within the ISO 14002 series in order to facilitate implementation.

Complementarity with existing ISO documents or standards under development, for example with the ISO 59000 series on circular economy, will be ensured. While the ISO 59000 series focuses on providing guidance on circular economy approaches and business models, the focus of ISO 14002-4 is on the measurement and management of environmental aspects and impacts of resource use, addressing both circular and linear business models.

Purpose

In the current use of ISO 14001:2015, where resource and waste management are being undertaken, there are inherent risks of inconsistent management in the absence of clear guidelines to support effective resource and waste management.

Many organizations engaged in the implementation and maintenance of an environmental management system (EMS) will need to manage resources and waste. However, without a common framework or consistent approach, this could lead to risks of ineffective management and cause significant environmental impacts such as GHG emissions, pollution, habitat and biodiversity loss and loss of valuable resources.

These risks need to be addressed in the planning, support, operational design, risk and emergency management and improvement activities within the EMS. This International Standard will address these shortcomings in the marketplace and increase the market confidence in delivering effective environmental management of resources and waste.

The main purpose of this International Standard is to give guidance and direction on waste and resource management within an environmental management system, in order to minimise the risks associated with the management of resources and waste and to enhance the use of resources within the organization and the wider aspirations for a circular and sustainable economy.

This International Standard can be used for management of resources and waste within environmental management systems for organisations of all sizes, complexity, and sectors, and considers a life-cycle perspective.