That's not a trivial detail: getting certified is one thing, maintaining it over time is another. Every audit cycle requires demonstrating not just that processes exist, but that they actually work — that environmental performance is improving, that regulations are being followed, that the organisation hasn't stood still since the first certificate was issued.

The audit will cover the operational sites of Sale Marasino (BS), San Dorligo della Valle (TS) and Brugherio (MB). It will assess the operational activities at each location and compliance with all applicable environmental legislation.

ISO 14001:2015 sets the requirements for an Environmental Management System (EMS). It is not an honorary recognition: it is a technical standard that requires organisations to identify their environmental impacts, set improvement targets, monitor results, and submit to periodic verification by an accredited body. In practice, becoming ISO 14001 certified means answering an uncomfortable question: "How do you know you're actually improving?" The answer must be documented, measurable, and verifiable by third parties. For POSA, this journey began before the second audit we are now facing. The three sites involved operate in different contexts, and this makes environmental management more complex, not less. Each site has its own specific impacts, its own regulatory framework, its own challenges.

The certification body doesn't just review documentation. It visits the sites, interviews staff, and checks whether written procedures actually match what happens on the ground. It's a field audit, not a desk review. In POSA's case, the May audit will also evaluate the effectiveness of corrective and preventive actions taken since the last review: what has changed, what has worked, where there is still room to improve. The outcome is not a given, because certification is renewed when a company demonstrates it deserves it — not simply because it held it before.

An environmental certification doesn't live in documents. It lives in the daily habits of the people who work: in how waste is handled, how an anomaly gets flagged, how a procedure is followed even when no one is watching. That's why each audit, more than an external check, is first and foremost an internal snapshot. And for POSA, that snapshot is the starting point for continuing to do better.

What exactly does ISO 14001 certify? It certifies that an organisation has a structured system for managing its environmental impacts, complying with applicable regulations, and improving its performance over time. It does not certify that a company "doesn't pollute" — it certifies that the company knows how to monitor and reduce its environmental effects.

Is POSA ISO 14001 certified? Yes. POSA holds ISO 14001:2015 certification and in May 2026 is undergoing its second renewal cycle, with audits scheduled at its sites in Sale Marasino, San Dorligo della Valle and Brugherio.

 

How often does ISO 14001 certification need to be renewed? The certification is valid for three years. Annual surveillance audits are required throughout the cycle; at the end of the three-year period, a full renewal audit recertifies the organisation from scratch.