Environmental management system

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An environmental management system (EMS) is "a system which integrates policy, procedures and processes for training of personnel, monitoring, summarizing, and reporting of specialized environmental performance information to internal and external stakeholders of a firm". [1]

Contents

The most widely used standard on which an EMS is based is International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001. [2] Alternatives include the EMAS.

Goals

The goals of EMS are to increase compliance and reduce waste: [3]

Features

An environmental management system (EMS): [2]

EMS Model

The PDCA cycle PDCA Cycle.svg
The PDCA cycle

An EMS follows a Plan-Do-Check-Act, or PDCA, Cycle. The diagram shows the process of first developing an environmental policy, planning the EMS, and then implementing it. The process also includes checking the system and acting on it. The model is continuous because an EMS is a process of continual improvement in which an organization is constantly reviewing and revising the system. [8]

This is a model that can be used by a wide range of organizations – from manufacturing facilities to service industries to government agencies.

Accreditation

Environmental Management Systems can be accredited under ISO 14001.

Other meanings

An EMS can also be classified as:

See also

Related Research Articles

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A management system is a set of policies, processes and procedures used by an organization to ensure that it can fulfill the tasks required to achieve its objectives. These objectives cover many aspects of the organization's operations. For instance, a quality management system enables organizations to improve their quality performance, an environmental management system enables organizations to improve their environmental performance, and an occupational health and safety management system enables organizations to improve their occupational health and safety performance, can be run in an integrated management system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental resource management</span> Type of resource management

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eco-Management and Audit Scheme</span> International standard for environment management systems

Eco-Management and Audit Scheme or Environmental Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) is an international standard for environment management systems. It was developed in March 1993 by European Commission. It enables organizations to assess, manage and continuously improve their environmental performance. The scheme is globally applicable and open to all types of private and public organizations. In order to register with EMAS, organisations must meet the requirements of the EMAS Regulation. Currently, more than 4,600 organisations and more than 7,900 sites are EMAS registered.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Continual improvement process</span> Ongoing effort to improve products, services, or processes

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental compliance</span> Conforming to environmental laws, regulations, standards and other requirements

Environmental compliance means conforming to environmental laws, regulations, standards and other requirements such as site permits to operate. In recent years, environmental concerns have led to a significant increase in the number and scope of compliance imperatives across all global regulatory environments. Being closely related, environmental concerns and compliance activities are increasingly being aligned with corporate performance goals and being integrated to some extent to avoid conflicts, wasteful overlaps, and gaps.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have been identified as a problem area in the field of environmental regulation. Small and medium-sized enterprises are defined by the European Commission as having fewer than 250 employees, independent and with an annual turnover of no more than €50 million or annual balance sheet of €43 million.

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Robert Sroufe is a scholar of sustainability, integrated management, high-performance buildings, supply chain management and operations. He is the Falk Chair of Sustainable Business at Chatham University. His research utilizes a systemic outlook to understand triple bottom line performance, extending TBL to the contemporary term integrated bottom line (IBL) metrics reported to internal and external stakeholders. More specifically, he focuses on the most successful systems and tools for measuring and managing the relationship between performance and the environmental, social, and financial practices of businesses. His list of publications is primarily about: how firms can create productive management systems, integrate them across business functions, and measure and manage their performance; the main drivers of sustainability; the process and importance of existing buildings becoming high-performance buildings; the UN Sustainable Development Goals; and the strategic change process that occurs during a firm's sustainable development. Michigan State University conferred him a Ph.D.

References

  1. Sroufe, Robert. "Effects of Environmental Management Systems on Environmental Management Practices and Operations." Production and Operations Management. 12-3 (2003): 416–431.
  2. 1 2 Melnyk, Steven A., Robert P. Sroufe, and Roger Calantone. "Assessing the Impact of Environmental Management Systems on Corporate and Environmental Performance."
  3. Sayre, D., 1996. Inside ISO 14001: the competitive advantage of environmental management. St. Lucie Press, Delray,Beach, FL.
  4. US EPA, OLEM (16 April 2013). "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle". www.epa.gov. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  5. "Environmental Regulatory Compliance & Corporate performance - Can You Have It All?". www.emisoft.com. Emisoft. 26 October 2016. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  6. Mali, Ria. "ERA Environmental Introduces Direct Upload to TCEQ's STEERS" . Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  7. "Taking the First Step with PDCA". 2 February 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
  8. René, Gastl (2005). Kontinuierliche Verbesserung im Umweltmanagement : die KVP-Forderung der ISO 14001 in Theorie und Unternehmenspraxis. Zürich: Vdf, Hochsch.-Verl. an der ETH. ISBN   9783728130341. OCLC   181467595.
  9. "Stedelijke ontwikkeling Archives - Hans Middendorp Advies". Hans Middendorp Advies (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 May 2018.

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