Environmental Management System

Standards

• BS7765
•  EMAS ( European Union’s Eco-Management and Audit Scheme)
• ISO 14000 series

EMS is a system designed to

• Meet the regulatory and legislative requirements
•  Improve the control of environmental impact
•  Giving out positive signals to consumers that products and service are manufactured with least negative impact on environment
•  Give competitive edge in changing environment in marketplace
•  Reducing the environmental costs
•  Gain media and public support

Plan-Do-Check-Act Model

Core elements of EMS

•  Environmental policy
• Environmental Action Plan
•  Environment related Organisational Structure
•  Integration of Environmental Concern

Benefits of EMS

• Improved environment performance
•  Enhanced compliance
•  Prevention of pollution
•  New customers
• Increased efficiency/reduced costs
•  Enhanced employee morale
• Enhanced image in public
• Employee awareness
• Cost reduction in terms of insurance costs as insurance firms are increasingly excluding environmental/pollution incidents

Certifications are issued for compliance based on addressing of non-conformities, training for all staffs etc.

Regulatory compliance is monitored by surveillance audits (ISO 14010,11,12) which includes interviewing key people involved in EMS, checking the action plan, implementation scheme, effectiveness of EMS and actions taken for non-conformities.

EMS Document

• Environmental Management Manual
•  Clarifies responsibilities
•  Is useful for audit purposes
•  Effective for training of new employees
•  Approval of licenses become easier
• Used for marketing purposes

ISO 14000 Series

ISO was formed in 1947 and has more than 100 member countries each represented by respective country standards body. It has developed many standards including the famous QMS standard ISO 9000. It considers three main principles while developing standards namely consensus, industry wide applicability and voluntary nature. ISO formed SAGE (Strategic Action Group on the Environment) in 1991.

Principles and Structure

• Understand all activities and principles of the organisation
•  Identify potential aspects associated with the activities and assess their impact
•  Determine the processes that can be controlled to minimize the adverse impacts
•  Identify the regulatory requirements and the tolerance limits
• Establish monitoring mechanism
• Establish corrective actions
• Establish emergency systems
• Establish verification system to check EMS is working fine
• Establish documentation

Categories of standards

• product based
• process based

Types of standards

• Normative –guidance that can be audited (only ISO 14001 in 14000 series)
•  Informative—guidance that need not be audited (rest all in 14000 series)

ISO 14001 has 17 general requirements or clauses and 3 annexes.

Steps involved in the establishment of an EMS

1. Obtain management commitment
2. Review current environmental programs
3.  Conduct gap analysis
4.  Identify environmental aspects
5.  Identify significant aspects
6.  Decide the environmental policy
7.  Identify environmental management plans
8.  Identify the training need
9.  Establish communication system
10. Create proper documentation
11. Conduct EMS audits
12.  Conduct management reviews
13. Perform a final gap analysis

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गुड्डू रंगीला 

Knowledge Partner

Charcha Kendra