The EMS Advantage
An Environmental Management System (EMS) makes good sense – for your business and the environment. Companies that get strategic about environmental performance are going to have a real advantage in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
What is an EMS?
An EMS is a set of processes and practices that enable an organization to reduce its environmental impacts and increase its operating efficiency. An EMS helps your organisation systematically manage its environmental "footprint" – the environmental impact associated with its activities, products, and services.
By reinforcing your existing operations with a comprehensive approach to environmental management, an EMS can help you streamline operations, create awareness that environmental protection is every employee’s job, and improve environmental performance.
The best time to start is now
Don't wait until your environmental management issues reach a crisis stage before you are forced to take action. Proactive planning means fewer surprises and prevents growing problems from going unnoticed.
At a more basic level, an EMS can help you secure access to certain markets. Many industries, such as vehicle manufacturing, require their suppliers to meet codes of conduct or to be certified under the international EMS standard, ISO 14001.
How we can help
Some of the services we can offer in evaluating your environmental management needs include:
- Analysis of your manufacturing processes to identify weaknesses, legal compliance shortfalls and any potential environmental risks
- Assess specific site skills and devise a works instruction register (staff and equipment required)
- Create a works instruction document for step-by-step safe operations
- Divide waste streams into recyclable and non-recyclable items
- Identify and separate recyclable waste streams for income recovery
- Separate Hazardous and Non-Hazardous waste and prepare for disposal
- Sample and test hazardous waste to recommend the correct storage method until it's transported to the appropriate treatment facility for safe disposal
- Formulate site-specific emergency environmental response processes
A continuous cycle
An EMS is a continual cycle of planning, implementing, reviewing and improving the processes and actions that an organisation undertakes to meet business and environmental goals. Most EMS are built on the "Plan, Do, Check, Act" model which leads to continual improvement based upon:
- Planning, including identifying environmental aspects and establishing goals
- Implementing, including training and operational controls
- Checking, including monitoring and corrective action
- Reviewing, including progress reviews and acting to make the necessary changes to the EMS.
Seize the Advantage
Properly implemented, your EMS will allow you to integrate environmental responsibilities into your day to day operations.
This can help you:
- Improve your environmental performance levels
- Become more competitive
- Save money and increase profits
- Boost your public image
- Meet regulatory and customer requirements
ISO 14001 is the cornerstone of the ISO 14000 series of international standards for environmental management.
It specifies a framework of control for an Environmental Management System against which an organisation can be certified by a third party and is applicable to every type of business, regardless of size or location.
This standard is applicable to any organisation that wishes to:
- Implement, maintain and improve an Environmental Management System
- Assure conformance with its own stated environmental policy
- Objectively demonstrate conformance
- Ensure compliance with environmental laws and regulations
- Ensure compliance with customer certification requirements