ISO 14001 is recognised internationally as the reference standard for environmental management systems (EMSs) and is applicable to organisations of all sizes and sectors. ISO 14001 provides a management framework for the integration of environmental management practices, pursuing environmental protection, pollution prevention, and the reduction of energy and resource consumption. ISO 14001 does not prescribe any specific environmental performance criteria per se, but applies to environmental aspects that the organisation identifies as those it can control and those over which it can exert influence. Once obtained, the SOA Certification is valid for five years (subject to confirmation of validity in the third year) and is issued, by specially authorised SOA Bodies, at the end of a thorough assessment of the requirements imposed by law, found in the last ten years of activity of the company concerned; in particular, the works carried out in the last ten years and the five best income documents among the last ten approved and deposited will be taken into consideration.