New ISO 14001 revision: Raising the bar not rewriting the rulebook

ISO 14001 has now entered its fourth edition, nearly 30 years after it was introduced. With the launch of the latest version last week, we caught up with our EHS specialist, Cheryl Robertson, to find out what’s changed and what this means for you.

A familiar framework, but with higher expectations
The 2015 ISO 14001 revision was a rebirth. It reshaped the standard, changed how organisations approached environmental management, and brought it firmly into the decision-making process. This time, there’s no reset, and no major redesign. But something has shifted.

More than 676,000 organisations worldwide hold ISO 14001 certification. Over 16,000 of them are in the UK, and a further 1,200 in Ireland. At this scale, even small changes can have a large impact. They influence how organisations operate, how suppliers are managed, and what is expected of businesses more broadly.

At first glance, very little looks different. The structure is the same, the clauses are still there. It would be easy to assume this is just a tidy-up exercise. But it isn’t.

The changes themselves aren’t extensive, but the expectations behind them are.

So what’s actually changing?
The 2026 revision tightens what already exists. It makes expectations clearer, strengthens areas that may have been applied lightly, and places more emphasis on what the EMS actually delivers.

One of the more noticeable changes is a broader view of environmental issues. Climate change remains important, but it’s no longer the only focus. The 2026 revision widens the range of environmental issues for consideration to include biodiversity, the use of natural resources, and impacts beyond an organisation’s own operations.

In practice, this means organisations are expected to have a real appreciation of the environment they operate in, and what they rely on. Water, energy, raw materials, and local environmental sensitivities need to be properly understood, rather than treated as background context.

There is also a clear expectation that organisations understand how their own activities affect the environment around them and where those impacts are most significant, for example through emissions, waste, material use, and operational processes.

Demonstrating our ongoing commitment to creating a Net Zero built environment, our PAS 2080 two-day audit was a success, and we are now verified for the next year.

The leading standard for carbon management solutions in buildings and infrastructure development, PAS 2080 is a verification scheme to assess compliance. The standard’s development has been supported by leaders across our industry.

The standard applies to new projects or programs of work, as well as the management or retrofit of existing assets and networks. This means that any new buildings or infrastructure projects should consider their carbon footprint across their entire lifecycle, from design and construction to operation and end-of-life.

Underpinning our commitment to delivering exceptional Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) support for schemes across every sector, our EIA team has successfully completed the re-assessment for the Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals’ (ISEP’s) EIA Quality Mark scheme for 2025/26.

ISEP is the UK’s largest environmental professional association, and its EIA Quality Mark registrant list includes the UK’s leading consultancies. EIA Quality Mark registrants adhere to seven key commitments which help give an assurance to clients that the EIA activities delivered will be of the highest standard and have been independently reviewed by ISEP.

Waterman’s National EIA Lead, Lara Knapman, commented: “The recent re-awarding of ISEP’s EIA Quality Mark demonstrates our continued expertise in EIA. Our team’s dedication ensures we consistently uphold the high standards of the Quality Mark scheme, and we’re proud to work with a huge range of clients to deliver outstanding projects which benefit both people and the environment.”

To find out more about the EIA Quality Mark, including the seven commitments, click here.

Want to learn more about the latest projects our environmental specialists are supporting? Click here to head to our Environmental webpage.

Waterman Moylan was announced as the winner in the ‘Innovation – Large Project’ category at the Association of Consulting Engineers of Ireland (ACEI) Awards for our ground-breaking design of Dublin’s major College Square scheme.

This award recognises the innovative engineering behind this exceptional project which has totally transformed this key site just 140 m south of the River Liffey and immediately north of Trinity College.

The mixed-use development unites two individual plots, College House and Apollo House, forming part of a regeneration programme led by Marlet Property Group. The existing 1970s-era 10-storey offices were demolished, and the Henry J Lyons-designed development now delivers high-end residential units, an entertainment venue in the double storey basement, and 540,000 sq ft of commercial floor space which achieved LEED Platinum Certification. Rising 82m above street level, College Square’s residential tower has now become Ireland’s tallest. This incorporates 58 high end apartments spread across the 11 upper storeys in the tower structure above the 11 storeys of commercial floors, which will benefit from 2,200 sq ft of internal communal amenity space, as well as external terrace areas.