ISO14001:2004 is an environmental management standard. It defines a set of environmental management requirements for environmental management systems. The purpose of this standard is to help all kinds of organizations to protect the environment, to prevent pollution, and to improve their overall environmental performance.
This new ISO14001 standard was officially published on November 15, 2004. It cancels and replaces the old ISO14001:1996 standard. ISO14001:1996 will expire on
May 15, 2006. Therefore, you have until May 15, 2006 to make the transition to the new ISO14001:2004 standard.
Since it was first published in 1996, ISO14001 has rapidly become the most important environmental standard in the world. Thousands of organizations use it, environmentalists
support it, and governments actively encourage its use. ISO14001 applies to all types of organizations. It doesn't matter what size they are or what they do.