TS EN ISO/IEC 17021-2

TS EN ISO/IEC 17021-2 addresses the additional competence requirements for personnel involved in auditing and certification of environmental management systems (EMS). In management system certification, credibility depends not only on impartiality and process control, but also on whether the audit team has the subject-specific knowledge needed to assess environmental management practices with confidence.

Why competence matters in EMS certification

In general technical terms, an EMS is the management framework an organization uses to identify environmental aspects, manage obligations, control operations, and improve environmental performance over time. Auditing this subject area calls for familiarity with environmental aspects and impacts, legal and other compliance obligations, operational controls, and the relationship between objectives and continual improvement. This standard complements ISO/IEC 17021-1 by setting additional competence requirements for personnel who participate in EMS audit and certification activities.

What this part adds in practice

• It applies to personnel involved in EMS auditing and certification within certification bodies.
• It complements the general requirements already established in ISO/IEC 17021-1.
• It focuses on additional competence needed for environmental management system auditing.
• It supports subject-specific expertise in management system certification for the environmental field.