ISO/TC 207/SC 2 - Environmental auditing and related environmental investigations

This document gives principles and guidelines for assuring the environmental information an organization includes in its environmental reports. This document is applicable to assuring other types of reports in principle provided that special consideration is paid to identifying the competence needed by the assurance provider.

ISO 19011:2002 provides guidance on the principles of auditing, managing audit programmes, conducting quality management system audits and environmental management system audits, as well as guidance on the competence of quality and environmental management system auditors. It is applicable to all organizations needing to conduct internal or external audits of quality and/or environmental management systems or to manage an audit programme. The application of ISO 19011 to other types of audits is possible in principle provided that special consideration is paid to identifying the competence needed by the audit team members in such cases.

This International Standard provides guidance on how to conduct an EASO through a systematic process of identifying environmental aspects and environmental issues and determining, if appropriate, their business consequences. This International Standard covers the roles and responsibilities of the parties to the assessment (the client, the assessor and the representative of the assessee), and the stages of the assessment process (planning, information gathering and validation, evaluation and reporting). The process for conducting an EASO is shown in Figure 1.

ISO/TS 17021-2:2012 specifies additional competence requirements for personnel involved in the audit and certification process for Environmental Management Systems (EMS) and complements the existing requirements of ISO/IEC 17021.

ISO 19011:2011 provides guidance on auditing management systems, including the principles of auditing, managing an audit programme and conducting management system audits, as well as guidance on the evaluation of competence of individuals involved in the audit process, including the person managing the audit programme, auditors and audit teams. ISO 19011:2011 is applicable to all organizations that need to conduct internal or external audits of management systems or manage an audit programme. The application of ISO 19011:2011 to other types of audits is possible, provided that special consideration is given to the specific competence needed.