ISO 9001 & ISO 14001 certifications: a comparison

According to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), management system standards support governance and leadership functions. Also supporting sustainable business performance, they are designed to be applicable across all industries and geographies for all types and sizes of organizations. They can be considered as overarching best-practices for the sound governance.

Among its standards, some specify requirements and are certifiable, while others are guidance standards to support implementation of good practices. A business adopting any of the certifiable standards can be assessed by a third-party certifying body/registrar like DNV. Compliance with certifiable standards awards the organisation with a certificate that allows it to demonstrate its compliance and commitment. Discover more on how to get DNV certification.

The two standards that have been adopted by the most organizations worldwide are the ISO 9001 Quality Management System standard and the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System standard.

What is ISO 9001?

ISO 9001 is the international standard for a quality management system (QMS). In order to be certified to the ISO 9001 standard, an organization must implement processes and procedure follow the requirements set forth in the standard. ISO 9001 is based on seven quality management principles, including customer focus, leadership and engagement of people, a process approach and ongoing improvement of the processes.

The standard was one of the first management system standards to be developed by ISO. Since its first publication in 1987, ISO 9001 has become the most commonly used management system standards across all industry and service sectors. Discover more about our quality & performance training offering.

What is ISO 14001?

ISO 14001 is the international standard that specifies requirements for an effective environmental management system (EMS). It provides requirements for processes and procedures intended to manage and improve its environmental footprint.

Concern about human impact on the environment took off in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1992 the UN organised Rio Earth Summit in Brazil which was arguably the birth of sustainable development focus and enhanced environmental regulations, and a forerunner for today’s ESG focus. The ISO 14001 EMS standard was first published in 1996.

By adopting the standard, organizations can ensure they are taking proactive measures to minimize their environmental impact, fulfil legal and other compliance obligations and achieve their environmental objectives. The framework encompasses various aspects, from resource usage and waste management to monitoring environmental performance and involving stakeholders in environmental commitments.

Discover more about environmental management certifications.

Differences between ISO 9001 and ISO 14001

These standards are not just about meeting regulatory requirements, even if this is often a primary driver in addition to certification to either standard often being a ticket-to-trade. They are about committing to a process that enhances overall organizational performance, be it through quality management or environmental performance.

The differences between ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 primarily revolve around their respective focuses. ISO 9001 is centred on quality management, while ISO 14001 deals with environmental management.

Both ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 are based on ISO’s Harmonized Structure and follow the same logic, allowing for easier integration of the two management systems. However, their distinct scopes mean that the specifics of their requirements and the details they cover can differ significantly. ISO 9001's quality management aims to ensure that products and services consistently meet customer and regulatory requirements and to enhance customer satisfaction, whereas ISO 14001 focuses on a systematic approach to environmental responsibility and sustainability.

ISO 9001 and ISO 14001: similarities and common requirements

Despite the distinct focuses of ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, they share a common structure and requirements common to ISO’s Harmonized Structure upon which both standards are built. This facilitates integration of the two management systems, which simplifies the implementation process for organizations when adding a system and enables a cohesive approach to managing different aspects.

Both standards require organizations to establish, implement, maintain and continually improve their management systems. They emphasize the importance of understanding and meeting customer and regulatory requirements, the need for top management leadership and commitment, and the necessity of taking a structured, process approach. These shared principles highlight ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 similarities. For example:

• Documented Information. Both standards require organizations to maintain and retain documented information to support the operation of processes and to retain knowledge. This includes the creation and updating of information as well as its control. Internal audits and management review are also common requirements, ensuring that the management systems are regularly evaluated and improved upon.
• Operational Planning and Control. This is a shared requirement where organizations must plan, implement and control the processes needed to meet the requirements of the standard(s) and to implement the actions determined from the risk assessments.
• Monitoring, Measuring, Analysis, and Evaluation. This is essential to both standards. Organizations must monitor the performance and effectiveness of their management systems. This includes determining what needs to be monitored and measured, the methods for monitoring, when the monitoring and measuring shall be performed, and when the results from monitoring and measurement shall be analyzed and evaluated.

In summary, while ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 have their unique areas of focus, their shared Harmonized Structure and common requirements such as documented information, internal audits, management review, operational planning and control, and monitoring and measuring makes them more similar than people may think. It enables organizations to easily adopt and integrate both standards into their management systems.  And, when seeking third party certification, the certification body can conduct a combined audit to the two standards.