● full participation
The basic idea of ISO14000 series of standards is to guide the establishment of self-restraint mechanism of environmental management. From the top leadership to every employee, they should take the initiative and conscious spirit to deal with the activities related to improving environmental performance and make continuous improvement.
● wide applicability
ISO14000 series of standards, in many ways, draw lessons from the successful experience of ISO9000 series standards. ISO14001 standard is applicable to any type and scale of organization, as well as various geographical, cultural and social conditions. It can be used for internal audit or external certification, registration, and self-management.
● flexibility
ISO14001 standard requires the organization to make a commitment to comply with environmental laws and regulations, adhere to pollution prevention and continuous improvement, and there is no rigid regulation. The standard only proposes to establish a system to achieve the framework requirements of policies and objectives, and does not stipulate the environmental performance that must be achieved. Instead, the establishment of performance objectives and indicators is left to the organization, which not only mobilizes the enthusiasm of the organization, but also allows the organization to act according to its actual conditions. The flexibility of the standard reflects rationality, which makes it possible for all types of organizations to improve environmental performance through the implementation of the standard.
● compatibility
In the standards of ISO14000 series standards, there are many explanations and regulations for compatibility. For example, the introduction of ISO14000 standard points out that "this standard and ISO9000 series quality system standards follow the common system principles, and the organization can select an existing management system that is consistent with ISO9000 series as the basis of its environmental management system". These show that the consideration of system compatibility or integration is the outstanding feature of ISO14000 series standards, is a major decision of TC207, and is also the key to the correct implementation of this standard.
● whole process prevention
"Prevention first" is the leading idea running through ISO14000 series standards. In the framework requirements of environmental management system, the most important link is to formulate environmental policy, which requires organization leaders to commit to pollution prevention in the policy, and to specify and implement the commitment in the environmental management system. Many elements of the system have preventive functions.
● principle of continuous improvement
Continuous improvement is the soul of ISO14000 series standards. The general purpose of ISO14000 series standards is to support environmental protection and pollution prevention, and coordinate their relationship with social needs and economic development. The general purpose is to implement the standards through various organizations. As far as every organization is concerned, neither pollution prevention nor environmental performance improvement can be completely solved once this standard is implemented. An organization has established its own environmental management system, which does not indicate how its environmental performance is. It just shows that the organization is determined to establish a mechanism that can be continuously improved through the implementation of this set of standards. Through unremitting improvement, it can achieve its own environmental policies and commitments, and ultimately achieve the purpose of improving environmental performance.