Smaller companies which want to demonstrate their environmental credentials often find 
ISO14001 and similar standards too demanding in terms of time, money and paperwork. 
STEM (Steps to Environmental Management) is a new scheme specifically designed for 
SMEs. As the name implies, it is a step-by-step guide to introducing an environmental 
management system. 

STEM is
* Simple and straight-forward, with a minimum of paperwork: mainly supplying information 
and answering questions on a self-assessment form.
* Endorsed by the Carbon Trust and IEMA (Institute of Environmental Management and 
Assessment) as a starting point towards cutting carbon and achieving accreditation, 
for example, to the Carbon Trust Standard or BS8555 / ISO14001. Kent County Council 
recommends it “to businesses seeking to reduce their operating costs and stand out from 
the crowd as environmentally sustainable organisations”.
* Free: you’ll receive a certificate and unique numbered logo, and your success will be 
publicly acknowledged on the STEM website

STEM is organised in 3 levels:
BLUE – the business has top management support for its environmental programme and 
has carried out a baseline assessment of its current situation.
SILVER – the business has measured its Carbon Footprint and taken action to reduce it. 
It has identified the resources, legal requirements, training and communication needed 
for its environmental programme
GOLD – the business is measuring and monitoring its environmental impacts and taking 
action to reduce them. It has reported publicly on its progress.

Starting from scratch, each level takes about four months. The GOLD standard is 
equivalent to Phase 3 of BS8555 and covers many of the requirements of ISO14001. 
A STEM GOLD company can therefore move quickly to full EMS accreditation if it so 
desires.

STEM is funded by the South East Regional Development Fund Competitiveness 
Programme 2007-13 and Kent CC. As long as your firm is an SME in the South East of 
England you are eligible to take part. 
You must first become a member of the South East Business Carbon Hub (SEBCH), an 
online community of businesses taking action against climate change – and that’s free to 
join too. Then you download the assessment form, complete and submit it, and provided 
you meet the criteria, receive your unique registration which is valid for a year.

Charnock Environmental is the first organisation in Hampshire to achieve STEM 
certification: certificate number 1000251. They will be delighted to advise other companies 
in the South East and guide them through the STEM process. 
To learn more about STEM and SEBCH, contact Charnock Environmental or 
visit www.kent.gov.uk/businesscarbonhub.