To get the top management interested in ISO 14001, you need to show them the business benefits of implementing this standard. There are at least six potential benefits:
- Improve your organization's image and credibility - Having an ISO 14001 certification for your contracts or tenders is advantageous. However, even without a formal requirement, your customers, neighbors, and local community often show interest in your environmental care.
- Help you comply with legal requirements - Implementing ISO 14001 provides a framework for identifying, monitoring, and complying with environmental compliance obligations relevant to your organization, which is a significant benefit.
- Improvement in cost control - Environmental management systems can contribute to cost control for companies. By using such a system, companies can identify, control, and reduce environmental incidents, which minimizes liability costs associated with fines, cleanup, and reparations. Companies can act systematically to reduce wastage and promote savings. This helps in achieving cost reduction objectives.
- The higher success rate when implementing changes - Accurate data plays a vital role in effectively implementing changes, as emphasized in the ISO 14001 standard. By incorporating good data collection practices and tracking change activities, the likelihood of achieving successful results on the first attempt significantly increases.
- Enable quicker improvement of processes – The ISO 14001 requirements emphasize continual improvement, enabling organizations to progress from small improvements to significant enhancements in their processes. This aspect supports the ongoing development of organizational practices.
- Reduce employee turnover - When given the option to choose between a company that demonstrates genuine regard and consideration for the environment and one that does not, the majority of individuals would favor the former company.

Examples:
Top management from a company decided to implement an Environmental Management System according to ISO 14001 and get its certification after a report by the Sales Department quantified the market of potential customers who only work with companies certified according to ISO 14001.