ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management
ISO 14001 without audit: certified online
You answer 34 yes/no questions about your environmental management system instead of hosting an auditor on site. The certificate is issued by G6 Agency AG under licence from SICE, which reviews every assessment first. It arrives within 4 hours after you pass and pay, and anyone can verify it by number or QR code.
01: Principle
How does a self-assessment replace the on-site audit?
In the classic route an auditor visits your premises, talks to staff, walks through the plant or yard and samples your records. The questions behind that visit come from the standard. Zertify asks the same questions in writing and lets you answer them at your desk.
The assessment has 34 questions, each answered yes or no. 14 of them are mandatory requirements of ISO 14001:2015 and must all be answered yes. Of the other 20, at least 14 must be yes. If you meet both conditions, you pass.
Answer the 34 questions
You work through them in one sitting or in several. No account is needed to start.
Meet the pass rule
All 14 mandatory questions with yes, plus at least 14 yes among the remaining 20.
Pay and receive the certificate
SICE reviews the assessment before issue. The certificate follows within 4 hours after you pass and pay.
Show it to customers
The PDF carries a QR code. It leads to a public verification page where the certificate number can be checked.
02: Scope
What does an ISO 14001 certificate without audit confirm?
It confirms that your business has answered the requirements of ISO 14001:2015 in the self-assessment and met the pass rule, and that this has been reviewed. It does not confirm that someone inspected your site. The yearly online re-audit checks the same ground again, so the certificate does not rest on a single answer sheet.
The mandatory questions follow the core of an environmental management system:
- Environmental aspects and impacts
- You know where energy, materials and water are used and where emissions and waste arise.
- Compliance obligations
- Laws and permits that apply to you are recorded and kept current.
- Policy and objectives
- Management has set an environmental policy with a commitment to improvement, and objectives with planned actions.
- Emergency preparedness
- You have thought through environmental incidents, such as a spill, and know what to do.
- Monitoring and reporting
- Environmental performance is measured and reported inside the company.
Prepare these documents before you start: a list of your aspects, the register of legal requirements, the policy and the objectives. If one of them does not exist yet, the question shows you the gap. The standard follows the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle, so the work belongs with management.
03: Suitability
Which companies is this route suited to?
The route fits businesses that already run an environmental system or are ready to build one, and that need proof for a customer rather than a lengthy project. Typical cases are manufacturers, logistics and transport companies, construction firms, energy utilities, waste and recycling operators and other companies with high resource consumption.
The usual trigger is a supplier questionnaire from a purchasing department, a tender with an ISO 14001 line or a customer audit announced for next quarter. A certificate with a verification page answers these without a site visit.
The classic route remains the right choice when a tender or customer explicitly demands an on-site audit by a certification body. Read the wording of the requirement before you decide.
04: Comparison
ISO 14001 without audit compared with the classic route
The two routes differ in how your answers are checked, how long it takes and what it costs.
| Aspect | Zertify | Classic route |
|---|---|---|
| Check of your answers | Online self-assessment, reviewed by SICE before issue | Auditor on site, interviews and record sampling |
| Time to certificate | Within 4 hours after passing and payment | Indicative: several weeks to a few months from first contact |
| Cost | CHF 699 in the first year, then CHF 469 per year including the online re-audit | Indicative: several thousand francs per audit cycle, depending on size and sites |
| Yearly check | Short online re-audit, included in the yearly fee | Surveillance audit, usually on site |
| Effort for your staff | Questions answered at the desk | Audit days with staff and site access arranged |
| Proof for customers | PDF with QR code and public verification page | Certificate document from the certification body |
The figures for the classic route are indicative ranges. The actual quote depends on staff numbers, sites and the certification body, so ask for offers if you want to compare.
05: Zertify
How Zertify issues ISO 14001 certificates
The price is CHF 699 (€699) in the first year, then CHF 469 (€469) per year including the yearly online re-audit. The certificate is valid for 3 years. Prices include 8.1% Swiss VAT for customers in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
The fee runs as an automatic yearly subscription. You cancel in your customer account at any time, effective at the end of the current year, and the certificate ends with the paid year. If you certify against two standards, you get 20% off, and from three standards 30%, also on the yearly fee.
The self-assessment is free to start and needs no registration. Details on the requirements are on the ISO 14001 page.
06: FAQ
Questions about ISO 14001 without audit
07: Guide
Related pages
Check your environmental management against ISO 14001
Answer the 34 questions and see whether your company passes.
Free and without registration.