Management system guidance
7.0 Support
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7.1 Resources
Clause 7.1 is short but far-reaching: your organization must work out which resources its environmental management system needs, and then make them available, so that the EMS can be established, implemented, maintained and continually improved. Unlike ISO 9001, ISO 14001 does not break resources down into sub-clauses; a single requirement covers everything the EMS needs.
What changed in ISO 14001:2026
Clause 7.1 is unchanged in substance. The Annex A.7.1 guidance confirms that resources can be supplemented by external providers – consistent with the 2026 edition’s move from “outsourced processes” to “externally provided processes, products or services”.
What counts as a resource?
Resources are needed for the EMS to function effectively, to improve and to enhance environmental performance. Top management is responsible for making sure that the people with EMS responsibilities are given the support they need (see 5.1). Typical resources include:
- Human resources – an EMS coordinator or environmental manager, specialist skills and knowledge (e.g. waste, water or air emissions expertise), internal auditors and emergency responders;
- Natural resources – water, energy, raw materials and land, and the effort needed to manage their use efficiently;
- Infrastructure – buildings, equipment, bunded storage, underground tanks, drainage systems, interceptors and waste compounds;
- Technology – engineered pollution controls, monitoring equipment, information databases, compliance registers and software;
- Financial resources – budget for objective action plans, permit fees, monitoring and laboratory analysis, training, consultancy and certification;
- External resources – consultants, accredited laboratories, licensed waste contractors and legal update services.
Determining resource needs
Resource needs flow out of the rest of the EMS. Check the outputs of your planning activities to identify where resources are required:
- Controls for significant environmental aspects (see 6.1.2);
- Actions needed to meet compliance obligations (see 6.1.3);
- Actions to address risks and opportunities (see 6.1.5);
- The “what resources will be required” element of each objective action plan (see 6.2.2);
- Planned changes to the EMS (see 6.3);
- Operational controls, monitoring and emergency preparedness (see 8.1, 8.2 and 9.1.1).
Smaller organizations rarely have dedicated environmental staff, so the EMS role is often combined with quality, health and safety or facilities duties. That is acceptable, provided the person has enough time and authority to do the job. Watch for signs of under-resourcing such as overdue compliance evaluations, monitoring that has lapsed, objectives that are repeatedly carried forward, or internal audits that are not completed to schedule.
Reviewing resource adequacy
Auditors may look at the budget to check that some funding has been allocated to the EMS, but they may dig deeper, checking whether the organization has really identified all types of resource required and taken action to make them available when needed. Management review must consider the adequacy of resources (see 9.3), so most organizations confirm resource needs and decisions in their management review records.
You should seek and record evidence that your organization has determined the resources its EMS needs, including external resources as well as internal ones; that those resources have been provided, for example through budgets, staffing, equipment and contracts; that the adequacy of resources is reviewed by top management; and that resource shortfalls identified through audits, objectives or management review have been acted upon.
More information on PDCA
Planning
Context
Planning
Support
Doing
Support
Operations
Checking
Monitoring, measurement, analysis and evaluation
Acting
Improvement
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