Details have now been released of the 18-month period for organizations implementing environmental management systems (EMS) certified as conforming to the original 1996 version of the ISO 14001 standard to make the transition to ISO 14001:2004, the newly revised and improved version.
The transition period extends from 15 November 2004, when ISO published the revised standard, to 15 May 2006. Beyond that date, only certificates to ISO 14001:2004 will be recognized by members of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). This is an international association that represents the accreditation bodies of 44 countries and economies which have been set up to verify the competence ("accredit") of certification bodies. Certificates issued by accredited certification bodies may be perceived on the market as more credible than non-accredited ones. The IAF released its transition plan for accredited certification from ISO 14001:1996 to ISO 14001:2004, developed in consultation with ISO, on 20 December 2004.
"I encourage all organizations to begin implementing ISO 14001:2004 as soon as possible in order to benefit from its easier-to-understand language, clearer intention, and increased compatibility with the ISO 9001:2000 quality management system standard that many of them also implement," ISO Secretary-General Alan Bryden commented.
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IAF GD 4:2004 Transition Plan for Accredited EMS Certification from ISO 14001:1996 to ISO 14001:2004
Regards,
Simon