A complete, working ISO 14001 document and records control procedure — built to the 2026 edition, not the 2015 edition with a new cover. Thirty-six pages covering the whole of Clause 7.5, and handling the planning-of-changes requirement that did not exist before this edition. Every section is written out, every decision is made and explained.
Written as a filled-in worked example, so you can see what each element of Clause 7.5 looks like when it is done properly under the new edition.
36 pages, editable Word | 40 clauses cross-referenced | 17 MSI notes in the margin | 4 appendices, every one usable |
Built to the 2026 edition, usable during transition. Appendix D maps every relevant change from ISO 14001:2015 clause by clause, so you can adopt this document before your transition completes and know exactly what shifted.
01
The 2026 edition introduces a dedicated clause for planning of changes with no counterpart in 2015. Procedures carried over from the previous edition do not address it, because there was nothing to address. Section 6 handles it explicitly, and Appendix D shows what the 2015 position was.
02
Several items are required to be both maintained and retained — the current version is a document, every superseded version is a record. Registers of compliance obligations are the clearest case. Treated purely as a document, the register overwrites its own history, and the version current at the time of an event is gone.
03
Environmental systems depend heavily on documents issued by others — regulations, permits, supplier safety data sheets. A register with owners but no detection arrangement tells you what you depend on and nothing about whether it is still current.
Every appendix, form and worked example is part of the document. Nothing is sold separately.
Most procedure templates restate the clause. “Documented information shall be reviewed and approved for suitability and adequacy” is an assertion, not a mechanism — it repeats what the standard already told you and leaves the decisions to you. This procedure makes the decisions and shows its reasoning.
It is built to seven marks: a real trigger, one accountable owner, stated decision criteria rather than intentions, records produced as a byproduct of the work, a defined exception path, trainable in one sitting, and a built-in review trigger that fires on events rather than on the calendar.
Environmental and quality managers at organizations running an ISO 14001 environmental management system, certified or not — particularly those moving an existing 2015 certificate before the transition deadline, and consultants supporting transition work.
Not sure yet? The free Document and Records Control Maturity Check scores your process across eight elements in about six minutes, and your score appears without entering anything.
Already certified to ISO 14001:2015?
If you hold a 2015 certificate you have a transition to complete and a deadline to meet. MSI’s ISO 14001:2026 Transition course covers what actually changed, what it means for your existing system, and how to sequence the work. This procedure and that course are built to be used together. If you are implementing new rather than transitioning, use the procedure as written and ignore Appendix D.
Both, deliberately. It is written as a filled-in worked example so you can see what each element looks like when done properly, with bracketed placeholders wherever a value is genuinely yours to set. You are editing a working document rather than filling in a hollow outline.
Yes. The procedure is written to the 2026 edition throughout, and Appendix D maps every relevant change back to the 2015 clause. You can adopt the document now and use the appendix to plan the transition, or wait — but the mechanisms in Section 6 do not change either way.
No. This procedure does not include one, and that is deliberate. Process interaction maps are provided for the ISO 9001, ISO 13485 and ISO 7101 procedures, where the standard structure calls for them. For ISO 14001 the interfaces are handled in the risks and interfaces section without a separate map.
Editable Microsoft Word (.docx). Adapt it, rebrand it, and adopt it into your own document control system. The license permits the buying organization to use it across its own sites and issue it to employees, contractors and auditors, and permits consultants to adapt it for engagements they deliver.
No. Nothing in this procedure assumes a certificate. An organization running a management system because a customer requires it, because a supply chain demands it, or because it is a sensible way to work, uses it exactly the same way.
A procedure does not pass an audit; an organization does. What this gives you is a procedure that addresses every requirement of the clause with a named owner and a named record, and a records inventory with no blanks in it. Conformity is demonstrated by implementation and evidence. Unfilled placeholders are unmet requirements, so fill them.
The file you download is the current revision at the time of purchase, and it carries MSI’s revision and effective date in the footer. Replace both with your own release date when you adopt it — the first instruction in the document tells you to, because a procedure carrying somebody else’s revision date is not under your control.
Need more than one procedure?
This is one procedure from a larger library. If you are building or maintaining a full documentation system, view the complete ISO 14001:2026 procedure package — the procedures, guides and tools assembled together.
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The procedure is written throughout for a fictional organization called Perennia Corp, used for illustration and not connected with any real organization of the same or a similar name. Replace it with your own name and work through the bracketed placeholders. This is a professional work product provided for adaptation and use within your organization. It is not a certification requirement, an audit checklist, or a substitute for the applicable standard, the applicable regulation, or the judgment of a competent professional. © Management Systems International, LLC. All rights reserved.
