ISO 14001 is the international standard that specifies requirements for an effective environmental management system (EMS). It provides a framework that organizations can follow rather than prescribing environmental performance requirements

The International Organization for Standardization reviews standards every five years to ensure their relevance to changing market demands. ISO 14001:2015 was published on 15 September 2015, and organizations had three years from that date to transition to the new standard. Many organizations aimed to adopt it early to benefit from increased flexibility and to demonstrate commitment to best practices.