Self-declaration
Self-declaration means that an organization has met all the requirements stated in ISO 14001. An organization is said to conform to the standard when it has met or exceeded these requirements. The organization, in using the Registry, is stating that it has made a self-determination and is self-declaring its conformance to the requirements of the International Standard.

The burden of proof that the organization has met all the requirements of ISO 14001 remains on the organization. Self-declaration to ISO 14001, as with registration/certification, only involves the assessment of an organization's environmental management system (EMS) and does not apply to products.

Conformity Assessment
This general term covers any situation in which a person or an organization tries to determine if the requirements of a standard are being met. Whether through self-determination or third-party audit, stakeholders look for assurance that the determination was performed rigorously and fairly.

Activities associated with conformity assessment may include testing, certification, accreditation, quality assurance system registration and environmental management system registration.

 

 Accreditation
This term refers to a procedure by which an authoritative body gives formal recognition that a body or person is competent to carry out specific tasks. Accreditation means that a body has been evaluated in accordance with internationally recognized standards (ISO/IEC Guide 62) and has been found competent and therefore is authorized to register companies which have successfully demonstrated conformance to ISO 14001.

Certification
This term refers to a procedure by which a third party gives written assurance that a product, process or service conforms to specified requirements.

Registration
This term refers to a procedure by which a body indicates relevant characteristics of a product, product or services and then includes or registers the product, process or services in a publicly available list.

Accredited organizations known as "registrars" will be engaged by a organization as third-parties to provide the certification that the organization has implemented ISO 14001. "Registration" is generally used in the United States and Canada for the procedure defined as "certification" above, while "certification" is the preferred term in Europe and other parts of the world.