The aspects and impacts register is the heart of an ISO 14001 environmental management system. Get it right and the rest of the system follows. Get it wrong and you end up controlling the wrong things.
Aspect versus impact
- An environmental aspect is an element of your activities, products or services that can interact with the environment. For example: electricity use, solvent handling, packaging waste, vehicle emissions.
- An environmental impact is the change to the environment that results. For example: resource depletion, soil contamination, landfill use, air pollution.
A simple test: the aspect is the cause, the impact is the effect.
How to identify aspects
Walk through each process and ask what goes in and what comes out:
- Inputs: raw materials, water, energy, chemicals, packaging
- Outputs: products, waste, scrap, wastewater, emissions, noise
- Conditions: normal operation, start-up and shutdown, maintenance, and emergencies such as spills or fires
Include the life-cycle perspective too. Think about what happens upstream (suppliers, transport) and downstream (product use and disposal) where you have influence.
Evaluating significance
Not every aspect needs the same attention. Use clear criteria to decide which are significant, for example:
- Severity of the impact
- Likelihood or frequency
- Legal requirements that apply
- Concerns of interested parties such as neighbours or customers
A simple scoring method (for example severity × likelihood, with an automatic "significant" flag for any legal requirement) is enough for most organizations. What matters is that the method is applied consistently.
What to do with significant aspects
Significant aspects must be considered when you:
- Set environmental objectives
- Plan operational controls
- Prepare for emergencies
- Train staff in relevant roles
Keep it alive
Review the register when processes, materials, equipment or legislation change, and at least once a year. An up-to-date register shows auditors that your system reflects how the site really operates.