Examples of environmental objectives for the painting department

Good environmental objectives stem from the environmental policy. A good environmental policy includes the three commitments from ISO 14001:2015 (Continual improvement, Prevention of pollution, Compliance with legal and other requirements) and sets priorities for environmental improvement.

What are the environmental improvement priorities? After the initial environmental survey is made, what are the most significant environmental aspects? In some organizations it may be the amount of hazardous waste they generate, in others it may be air emissions and its quality, in others it may be energy consumption.

For example, in the last EMS implementation project where I worked, the first version of the environmental policy had 4 vectors:

1. Improve air emissions;
2. Reduce environmental noise;
3. Reduce consumption of raw materials per unit produced; and
4. Increase energy efficiency. 

When the EMS reached certification, emissions and noise already complied with the legislation and the environmental policy was updated to focus on points 3 and 4

Goal- general orientation – Example – Improve air emissions 

Objective – more detailed information – Example – Reduce organic volatile compounds in our painting department

Target - clear success criteria, how much, and when – Example - Reduce organic volatile compounds in our painting department by 20% in the next 12 months.

The following material will provide you information about environmental policy and objectives:

• How to write an ISO 14001 environmental policy - https://advisera.com/14001academy/blog/2019/08/27/key-iso-14001-benefits-to-customers/nowledgebase/how-to-write-an-iso-14001-environmental-policy/ 
• How to Use Good Environmental Objectives - https://advisera.com/14001academy/blog/2019/08/27/key-iso-14001-benefits-to-customers/nowledgebase/how-to-use-good-environmental-objectives/ 
• Examples of ISO 14001 objectives based on the different company sizes - https://advisera.com/14001academy/blog/2019/10/22/iso-14001-objectives-examples-for-different-company-sizes/ 
• Article - 4 steps in identification and evaluation of environmental aspects - https://advisera.com/14001academy/knowledgebase/4-steps-in-identification-and-evaluation-of-environmental-aspects/ 
• Article - Environmental aspect identification and classification - https://advisera.com/14001academy/blog/2019/08/27/key-iso-14001-benefits-to-customers/nowledgebase/environmental-aspect-identification-and-classification/ 
• You can watch free webinars on demand – ISO 14001Webinars - https://advisera.com/14001academy/webinars/ 
• Enroll for free in this course – ISO 14001:2015 Foundations Course - https://advisera.com/training/iso-14001-internal-auditor-course/ 
• Book – The ISO 14001:2015 Companion - https://advisera.com/books/the-iso-14001-2015-companion/