It is the policy of Mid Suffolk District Council to provide its services within an environmentally sound framework. To ensure this is achieved consistently and efficiently, we have implemented an Environmental Management System that meets the requirements of ISO 14001.

ISO14001 is an international standard which follows a ‘Plan – Do - Check’ model for business improvement. It is sometimes referred to as an Environmental Management System (EMS). The aim is to reduce the environmental impact of the council’s activities.

The standard covers all service areas and commits us to: comply with environmental legislation, have procedures to prevent pollution and continual improvement through setting targets. These are also the benefits of having the standard. Whilst we carry out internal assessments to measure progress, there is also a yearly external assessment to maintain accreditation to the standard.

ISO14001 follows five universal principles proven to be the core of effective management:

1. Commit to a Policy
A documented policy commits us to pollution prevention, compliance with environmental legislation and continuous improvement.

2. Plan
It is essential to establish what environmental issues the environmental management system will manage. The priorities are to ensure compliance with legislation and for service areas to set objectives and targets to address the council’s risks for the environment.

3. Implement
Having decided what to manage through objectives and targets the next step is to allocate people and set procedures to make the EMS effective. Documented procedures are needed to describe key aspects of the operation.

4. Measure and evaluate
Measurement, monitoring, internal audit and record keeping is needed to check progress against the council’s objectives and targets and also, check the management system itself and its procedures are working properly.

5. Review and improvement
Senior managers revisit the EMS to ensure that it is working properly and is meeting the aims of the council’s needs and aims.

Summary of the ISO14001 process