To meet the environmental challenges that threaten the planet’s future, there are two types of action: regulatory constraint and voluntary commitment. The environmental management system (EMS) is in the second group. Building one is by no means compulsory, but it is recommended to increase efficiency, avoid forgetting anything along the way, and sometimes even win business.
The principles of the environmental management system
In concrete terms, an EMS is a set of procedures that an organization implements to reduce and control its impact on the environment. It begins with an analysis of the initial situation, highlighting the organization’s strengths and weaknesses in terms of waste, energy, biodiversity, water, pollutants, raw materials and so on. These quantified data are used to define quantified improvement targets and a series of actions to achieve them within a given timeframe (staff training, industrial process changes, energy savings, eco-design, etc.). The voluntary ISO 14001 standard is recognized worldwide as the best reference for building an EMS.
The EMS, a management tool for continuous improvement
An EMS impacts every aspect of a company, from production to marketing and communications. No box on the organizational chart is overlooked, including seemingly ancillary services such as the company canteen or sanitary facilities… Internal audits regularly check that the environmental management system is running smoothly, to ensure that it is constantly improving and that environmental performance is crescendoing.
An EMS is often an integral part of a Quality Safety Environment (QSE) approach, alongside a QMS for quality (ISO 9001), an EMSn for energy (ISO 50001) or even an ISMS for information systems (ISO 27001). In terms of safety, for example, it limits the risk of a site shutdown following an environmental accident.
An environmental management system helps to meet and anticipate regulatory compliance, while improving competitiveness by controlling the costs associated with environmental impacts. Done properly, it enhances the company’s image, increases sales and improves relations with stakeholders. It also helps to involve all staff, from the bottom to the top of the hierarchy, by reinforcing team spirit.
