The ISO 14000 family of standards provides practical tools for companies

and organizations of all kinds looking to manage their environmental

responsibilities.

ISO 14000 is a series of environmental management standards

developed and published by the International Organization for
Standardization ( ISO ) for organizations. The ISO 14000 standards
provide a guideline or framework for organizations that need to
systematize and improve their environmental management efforts.
The ISO 14000 standards are not designed to aid the enforcement
of environmental laws and do not regulate the environmental
activities of organizations. Adherence to these standards is
voluntary.

The ISO 14001 standard is the most important standard within the
ISO 14000 series. ISO 14001 specifies the requirements of an
environmental management system (EMS) for small to large
organizations. An EMS is a systemic approach to handling
environmental issues within an organization. The ISO 14001
standard is based on the Plan-Check-Do-Review-Improve cycle.

http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/ISO-14000-and-14001

The actual environmental standards of ISO 14000 deal with how a company
manages the environment inside it's facilities and the immediate outside
environment. However, the standards also call for analysis of the entire life
cycle of a product, from raw ma terial to eventual disposal. These standards
do not mandate a particular level of pollution or performance, but focus on
awareness of the processes and procedures that can effect the environment.
It should be noted that adherence to the ISO 14000 standa rds does not in
anyway release a company from any national or local regulations regarding
specific performance issues regarding the environment.

Some of the standards in the ISO 14000 series are:

ISO 14001 - Specification of Environmental Management

Systems

ISO 14004 - Guideline Standard

ISO 14010 through ISO 14015 - Environmental Auditing and

Related Activities

ISO 14020 through ISO 14024 - Environmental Labeling

ISO 14031 through ISO 14032 - Environmental Performance

Evaluation
 ISO 14040 through ISO 14043 - Life Cycle Assessment

ISO 14050 - Terms and Definitions

http://iso14000.com.au/

Benefits of the new standard

Bringing the Environment and Continuous Improvement into

the heart of your business

The revised standard will ensure that environmental management is

now completely integrated and aligned with the business strategies
of your organization. This strategic focus will result in optimizing the
performance of your EMS making it more sustainable, saving money
and helping preserve the worlds resources for future generations.

Leadership

Greater involvement in the management system by the leadership

team will ensure the whole organization will be motivated towards
the organizations goals and objectives.

Improved Environmental Performance

Organizations will need to take steps to protect the environment

and improve environmental performance. Good environmental
management will reduce the risk of regulatory fines and can often
identify opportunities to save money.

An Integrated Approach

With the new structure applicable to all new ISO management

systems standards it wll be much easier to implement multiple,
integrated management systems.

https://www.fespa.com/news/features/environmental-management-guidance-
standard-now-published.html