An EMS is a structured way of managing an organisation’s significant environmental impacts, which may be externally assessed and certified.

The international EMS standard is ISO14001. EMAS is a similar EU standard, which has additional reporting requirements. BS8555 or ACORN[1] provides a staged route for (especially) SMEs to implement an EMS.

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All EMS standards follow the “Deming Cycle”:

Ø      Plan what you are going to do

Ø      Do what you planned to do

Ø      Check you did what you planned, and what happened

Ø      Act to make improvements

then repeat the process.

EMS are not legally required at present. However many organisations, especially public bodies, now include EMS criteria in tenders and purchasing documents and expect to see evidence of progress towards EMS when awarding contracts. Having an EMS in place is a key feature of Corporate Social Responsibility and Business Sustainability.

 

ISO14001 specifies the requirements of an EMS and provides the organisation with a framework for identifying, evaluating, managing and improving its environmental performance. It helps ensure that the environmental objectives, as set out in the environmental policy, are implemented throughout the organisation; and that external stakeholders are aware of and help the organisation achieve them. Monitoring and auditing give the management a basis for evaluating the EMS and making appropriate changes. The essence of EMS is continual, sustained improvement.

 

Environmental Policy is a declaration of overall aims and principles by senior management. It must include a commitment to continual environmental improvement and must be publicly available, both to employees and external stakeholders. It may be integrated with other policies (e.g. quality) or stand-alone.

 

Environmental Impacts must be identified  and  evaluated, with concentration on the most significant impacts, taking account of legal[2] and other (e.g. contractual) requirements.

 

Environmental Review will show

-                 which impacts are significant, and what causes them (their aspects);

-                 what activities are covered by regulation, and whether the organization is compliant and will remain so;

-                 if significant impacts are being controlled, and whether adequate controls are in place;

-                 what objectives and targets for improvement, or new controls, are necessary.

The scope of the review must be established before-hand: processes, activities, physical boundaries.

 

Aspects may be direct (result of the organisation’s operations), or indirect (influenced but not controlled by the organisation). Examples include

-                 emissions to air and water

-                 waste disposal or land contamination

-                 use of energy, raw materials, and natural resources

-                 land use and habitat loss

-                 disposal of the organisation’s products by customers and end-users

-                 environmental performance of contractors and suppliers

 

 Significance of Impacts must be assessed in a clearly defined and replicable manner: e.g. a risk matrix such as FMEA[3] (severity x occurrence x detection). Consider

-                 Size, nature, frequency, likelihood, duration of impact

-                 Sensitivity of  receiving environment, and reversibility of impact

-                 Regulatory or contractual requirements

-                 Importance to interested parties: employees, neighbours, etc

-                 Professional judgment and consultation with appropriate stakeholders

 

Controls, Targets, Objectives, Programme, Structure, Communication, Documentation

The environmental review and analysis of impacts’ significance identify operational controls and help set objectives and targets, related to the environmental policy.

All significant aspects require controls, while some will require targets for improvement.

Objectives are broad environmental goals, e.g.: reduce waste to landfill by 80% in 5 years; all staff to receive environmental training by end of current reporting period. Targets are detailed performance requirements to achieve the objectives.

The environmental programme contains practical actions to achieve the targets and objectives, responsibilities, and the necessary resources.

Management must assign responsibility: who does what, how, when, and with what authority. All staff should be involved to the extent of their role within the organisation.

Internal and external communications keep staff and other stakeholders up-to-date and engaged with progress.

The EMS and relevant procedures must be documented, and documents kept current and available for both internal and external audits.

 

Monitoring and Audit are essential to track progress and confirm compliance with legal and sector-specific requirements, and ensure that the EMS is functioning as intended.

 

The Management Review checks that the EMS is achieving its desired outcomes, and performance is improving.

 

Certification and Accreditation

While a company may self-declare that it is meeting ISO14001, external certification by a UKAS-accredited[4] organisation gives

-                 confidence that the EMS meets recognized standards

-                 momentum to keep the EMS live and drive continued improvement

-                 recognition by third parties (regulators, customers, suppliers and others) that the organisation is acting responsibly, which will be increasingly important as the policy of Sustainable Procurement by public and private bodies gains momentum.