Environmental Audit

An environmental audit assesses whether the environmental impacts arising from an organisation's activities are managed and whether its legal obligations are met.

The aim is to avert the risk of environmental enforcement, improve the use of resources and make environmental performance measurable.

• Production facilities with a high environmental impact
• Organisations establishing or maintaining ISO 14001
• Those conducting an environmental review before an investment or acquisition
• Companies subject to lenders' and financiers' environmental requirements
• Suppliers whose customers request evidence of environmental compliance

The criteria are applicable environmental legislation and permit conditions, together with a management system standard such as ISO 14001. The customer's code of conduct and lenders' environmental performance standards can also be added.

• The validity and scope of environmental permits and licences
• Identification of environmental aspects and impacts
• Waste management: classification, storage, disposal, transport documents
• Hazardous-waste and hazardous-substance management
• Wastewater discharge and treatment-plant operation
• Emission sources and flue-gas measurement results
• Noise measurements and comparison against limit values
• Soil and groundwater contamination risk
• Chemical storage and spill prevention
• Emergency preparedness and response plans
• Monitoring of water and energy consumption
• Legal notification and reporting obligations

• ISO 14001
• ISO 19011
• ISO 14015
• ISO 14064

1. 1Selecting the Criteria to ApplyThe standard, scheme or legislation against which the audit will be performed is determined; in subject-specific audits the choice of criteria directly determines what the result means.
2. 2Risk Assessment and ScopeRisk areas are identified according to the organisation's activity and location; the number of audit days is planned accordingly.
3. 3Review of Documents and RecordsPolicies, procedures, permits, measurement records and the results of previous audits are examined.
4. 4On-site AuditThe relevant areas are walked; subject-specific measurements, observations and record checks are made.
5. 5Worker InterviewsWhere the subject requires it, confidential interviews with workers are held independently of management; statements are compared with the records.
6. 6Assessment of Legal ComplianceCompliance with the legislation in force is checked separately; a legal nonconformity is the most serious category of finding in every scheme.
7. 7Reporting of FindingsFindings are classified by severity and compiled into a report.
8. 8Corrective Action and Follow-upA corrective action plan is obtained; its close-out within the period prescribed by the scheme is followed up.

The most severe of the findings is legal noncompliance: a missing or expired permit, exceeding a limit value, and improper waste disposal require immediate action. System deficiencies and improvement opportunities are classified separately.

• Details of the audit body, the auditor and the auditee
• Standard, scheme or legislation applied
• Date, duration and scope of the audit
• Findings from the review of documents and records
• On-site observations and measurement results
• Findings from worker interviews, where held
• Assessment of legal compliance
• Findings, their severity and the supporting evidence
• Corrective action plan and time limits

The audit covers determinations within the criteria applied and says nothing about matters outside them. It also shows the situation on a given date and does not cover later changes. Most of these audits produce a report rather than a certificate; only where they are carried out under an accredited certification scheme can they lead to a certificate.

Accreditation differs with the type of audit. Third-party audits underpinning management system certification are carried out under ISO/IEC 17021-1 and those underpinning product certification under ISO/IEC 17065; these scopes are subject to accreditation. First- and second-party audits, and audits governed by a scheme owner's own rules (such as SMETA or amfori BSCI), do not fall within accredited certification; they are conducted following the ISO 19011 guidance and produce a report. EUROLAB holds internationally recognised accreditation under ISO/IEC 17021-1 and ISO/IEC 17065, granted by accreditation bodies that are signatories to the IAF multilateral recognition arrangement; which audits can be offered within accredited scope is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

• Social Compliance Audit
• OHS Audit
• Energy Audit
• Cybersecurity Audit
• Data Protection Audit
• ESG Audit