CHAPTER 6

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

WHAT IS EMS

EMS is a set of processes and practices that enable an organization to reduce its environmental impacts and increase its operating efficiency.

It is a framework that helps a company achieve its environmental goals through consistent control of its operations.

An EMS helps a company address its regulatory demands in a systematic and cost-effective manner. This proactive approach can help reduce the risk of non-compliance and improve health and safety practices for employees and the public.

It is also an important system approach towards achieving sustainable development & maintaining the balance btw env, society and economy.

• Formal EMS emerged in early 1990s to provide organizations with a proactive, systematic approach for managing the potential env. consequences of their operations.

• EMS should also identify key resources and stakeholders of responsibility for determining & implementing env. Policy.

• The system for env. mgt have been formalized in the ISO 14000 series of quality standards.

OBJECTIVES OF EMS IMPLEMENTATION

To improve corporate image of an organization

Help organization to establish a systematic way to introduce environmental issues into every aspects of the company’s operations

Offers an organized approach to manage environmental issues.

To enable an organization to comply with the current and impending legislation.

Improving the environmental performance of the organization in reducing pollution, minimizing the use of resources and protecting the natural environment.

TYPES OF EMS

1. British Standard BS 7750 was one of the first to appear. It became the basis for the ISO 14000 standard.

2. International Standard Organisations -ISO 140000 series std

3. European Union standard Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS).

4. Responsible CARE: an environmental management process used by the chemical industry.

EMS & ISO 14000 SERIES OF STD

• EMS promotes env. conservations.

• It is an important approach for business & industrial sectors to comply with when it comes to environmental related regulations.

• International Standard Organisations (ISO)

– ISO set a voluntary international std measures in 1996 to help companies, organizations & governments measures & attain improvement on env. Performance.

– These std have a common approach to env. mgt & reduce barriers in trade by allowing easier cross-broader complience.

– ISO has established an ISO 14000 series of std for env mgt.

– ISO technical committee (ISO /TC) 207: Env,. Mgt is responsible for developing & maintaining the ISO 14000 family stds.

• ISO 14000 STANDARDS

• ISO 14000 family of std for env. Mgt provide practical toolbox to assist in

implementation of actions supportive to sustainable development.

• Mechanism for sustainability have been developed between the ISO 14000 & ISO 9001 std to facilitate their use by organizations that wish to implement both environmental & quality mgt systems.

• ISO 14000 family is designed to be implemented according to the same PLAN-DO-CHECK-ACT (PDCA) cycle underlying all ISO mgt systems std.

Table 1 : List of ISO 14000 family standard

EMS COMPONENTS

SUCCESS FACTORS FOR EMS

Top management should have a clear understanding on what are critical success factors in their implementation of EMS.

Success factors:

- leadership and support

- learning and training,

- internal analysis

- sustainability

- management commitment

- employee empowerment

- Rewards

- feedback & review

Top management should put greatest effort in identifying environmental aspects, environmental management system (EMS) documentation, training, EMS audits, operational control, environmental management program, objectives and targets, and document control

BENEFITS OF EMS