Prior to the development of the ISO 14000 series, organizations voluntarily constructed their own EMSs, but this made comparisons of environmental effects between companies difficult; therefore, the universal ISO 14000 series was developed.
Sebelum adanya ISO 14000, organisasi-organisasi menyusun sendiri EMS-nya secara sukarela, tetapi hal ini menyebabkan perbandingan dampak-dampak lingkungan antar perusahaan menjadi sulit; oleh karenanya, serial ISO 14000 yang universal disusun.