C2.2.2 Environmental Policy
An organisation must develop an Environmental Policy. This should explain the organisations commitment to environmental performance. It should demonstrate top management commitment, which usually means it is signed by a senior member of staff, such as a board member.
To ensure that the Environmental Policy remains relevant, it should be regularly reviewed. In practice this is often done annually, usually as part of the Management Review.
ISO 14001 did require that the Environmental Policy specifically states a commitment to prevent pollution and a commitment to continual improvement. The revised standard now replaces that with a new requirement for an overarching policy commitment to the protection of the environment, which is to include the prevention of pollution and other issues (such as sustainable resource use, climate change mitigation and adaption, etc.).