Learn About Environmental

Management Systems
An Environmental Management System (EMS) is a set of processes and practices that
enable an organization to reduce its environmental impacts and increase its operating
efficiency. This site provides information and resources related to EMS for small
businesses and private industry, as well as local, state and federal agencies.

 What is an EMS?
 Costs and Benefits of an EMS
 International Organization for Standardization 14001

What is an EMS?

An Environmental Management System (EMS) is a framework that helps an organization

achieve its environmental goals through consistent review, evaluation, and
improvement of its environmental performance. The assumption is that this
consistent review and evaluation will identify opportunities for improving and
implementing the environmental performance of the organization. The EMS itself does
not dictate a level of environmental performance that must be achieved; each
organization's EMS is tailored to the its own individual objectives and targets.
Basic EMS
An EMS helps an organization 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. An EMS can also
help address non-regulated issues, such as energy conservation, and can promote
stronger operational control and employee stewardship. Basic Elements of an EMS
include the following:

 Reviewing the organization's environmental goals;

 Analyzing its environmental impacts and legal requirements;
 Setting environmental objectives and targets to reduce environmental impacts and
comply with legal requirements;
 Establishing programs to meet these objectives and targets;
 Monitoring and measuring progress in achieving the objectives;
 Ensuring employees' environmental awareness and competence; and,
 Reviewing progress of the EMS and making improvements.

Costs and Benefits of an EMS

Internal

 Staff/manager time (represents the bulk of EMS resources expended by most

organizations)
 Other employee time

External

 Potential consulting assistance

 Outside training of personnel

Potential Benefits

 Improved environmental performance

 Enhanced compliance
 Pollution prevention
 Resource conservation
 New customers/markets
 Increased efficiency/reduced costs
 Enhanced employee morale
 Enhanced image with public, regulators, lenders, investors
 Employee awareness of environmental issues and responsibilities
EMS under ISO 14001

Figure 1: The continuous improvement cycle.

An EMS encourages an organization to continuously improve its environmental

performance. The system follows a repeating cycle (see figure 1). The organization first
commits to an environmental policy, then uses its policy as a basis for establishing a
plan, which sets objectives and targets for improving environmental performance. The
next step is implementation. After that, the organization evaluates its environmental
performance to see whether the objectives and targets are being met. If targets are not
being met, corrective action is taken. The results of this evaluation are then reviewed
by top management to see if the EMS is working. Management revisits the
environmental policy and sets new targets in a revised plan. The company then
implements the revised plan. The cycle repeats, and continuous improvement occurs.
The most commonly used framework for an EMS is the one developed by
the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for the ISO 14001 standard Exit.
Established in 1996, this framework is the official international standard for an EMS
which is based on the Plan-Do-Check-Act methodology. The five main stages of an EMS,
as defined by the ISO 14001 standard Exit, are described below:
1. Commitment and Policy - Top management commits to environmental
improvement and establishes the organization's environmental policy. The policy is the
foundation of the EMS.
2. Planning - An organization first identifies environmental aspects of its operations.
Environmental aspects are those items, such as air pollutants or hazardous waste, that
can have negative impacts on people and/or the environment. An organization then
determines which aspects are significant by choosing criteria considered most important
by the organization. For example, an organization may choose worker health and
safety, environmental compliance, and cost as its criteria. Once significant
environmental aspects are determined, an organization sets objectives and targets. An
objective is an overall environmental goal (e.g., minimize use of chemical X). A target is
a detailed, quantified requirement that arises from the objectives (e.g., reduce use of
chemical X by 25% by September 1998). The final part of the planning stage is devising
an action plan for meeting the targets. This includes designating responsibilities,
establishing a schedule, and outlining clearly defined steps to meet the targets.
3. Implementation - A organization follows through with the action plan using the
necessary resources (human, financial, etc.). An important component is employee
training and awareness for all employees. Other steps in the implementation stage
include documentation, following operating procedures, and setting up internal and
external communication lines.
4. Evaluation - A company monitors its operations to evaluate whether targets are
being met. If not, the company takes corrective action.
5. Review - Top management reviews the results of the evaluation to see if the EMS is
working. Management determines whether the original environmental policy is
consistent with the organization's values. The plan is then revised to optimize the
effectiveness of the EMS. The review stage creates a loop of continuous improvement
for a company.
https://www.epa.gov/ems/learn-about-environmental-management-systems#what-is-an-EMS

Environmental Management Systems (EMS)

An Environment Management System (EMS) is a tool for managing the impacts of an organisation's activities on the
environment. It provides a structured approach to planning and implementing environment protection measures.

An EMS monitors environmental performance, similar to the way a financial management system monitors expenditure
and income and enables regular checks of a company's financial performance. An EMS integrates environmental
management into a company's daily operations, long term planning and other quality management systems.

Components of an EMS
To develop an EMS, an organisation has to assess its environmental impacts, set targets to reduce these impacts, and plan
how to achieve the targets.
 The most important component of an EMS is organisational commitment. For an effective EMS to be developed and
implemented, you need commitment from the very top of the organisation, as well as all staff. Following are more
examples of components that should be considered when developing an EMS.

Environmental Policy: this is a statement of what an organisation intends to achieve from an EMS. It ensures all
environmental activities are consistent with the organisation's objectives.
Environmental Impact Identification: identification and documentation of the actual and potential environmental
impacts of an organisation's operations need to be undertaken. This can be achieved through undertaking an environmental
audit.
Objectives and Targets: an environmental audit forms the basis of determining an organisation's environmental
objectives and targets. An organisation can find benefits in adopting more stringent longer term objectives to encourage it
to improve its performance. To continually improve, targets should be regularly reviewed.
Consultation: staff and community consultation should be undertaken before, during and after establishment of an EMS.
This is necessary to ensure that all staff are involved in, and committed to the EMS. It can also help to improve public
perception of the company, one of the benefits of implementing an EMS.
Operational and Emergency Procedures: all procedures should be reviewed to ensure they are compatible with the
organisation's environmental objectives and targets. Any changes should be included with the documentation.
Environmental Management Plan: this details the methods and procedures which an organisation will use to meet its
objectives and targets.
Documentation: all objectives, targets, policies, responsibilities and procedures should be documented along with
information on environmental performance. Documentation is useful for verifying environmental performance to staff,
regulators and the community.
Responsibilities and Reporting Structure: responsibilities need to be allocated to staff and management to ensure the
EMS is implemented effectively.
Training: staff should undergo environmental awareness training to familiarise them with their responsibilities for
implementing the EMS and with the overall environmental policy and objectives of the organisation. This provides staff
with the necessary skill and motivation for the effective implementation of the EMS.
Review Audits and Monitoring Compliance: review audits should be undertaken regularly to ensure the EMS is
achieving its objectives and to refine operational procedures to meet this goal. In order to ensure regulatory and other
requirements are being met, it is often necessary to undertake regular environmental monitoring.
Continual Improvement: an important component is continual improvement. An EMS comes into its best use when used
to review progress towards the targets and objectives set by a company to protect the environment. The procedures set in
place to meet these objectives should be constantly examined to see if they can be improved or if more effective systems
can be introduced.

Benefits of an EMS
An EMS can assist a company in the following ways:

 minimise environmental liabilities;

 maximize the efficient use of resources;

 reduce waste;

 demonstrate a good corporate image;

 build awareness of environmental concern among employees;

 gain a better understanding of the environmental impacts of business activities; and

 increase profit, improving environmental performance, through more efficient operations.

An EMS can be a powerful tool for organisations to both improve their environmental performance, and enhance their
business efficiency. An EMS is not prescriptive, rather, it requires organisations to take an active role in examining their
practices, and then determining how their impacts should best be managed. This approach encourages creative and
relevant solutions from the organisation itself.

Although the implementation of an EMS is essentially a voluntary initiative, it can also become an effective tool for
governments to protect the environment as it can assist regulation. For example, regulatory systems can encourage
organisations to use EMS to meet standards, by providing incentives for strong environmental performance.

Likewise, organisations can use EMS to ensure that their performance is within regulatory requirements, and to keep
ahead of more stringent regulations which might be introduced in the future.

International Environmental Standards - ISO 14000

The ISO 14000 series, currently being developed by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), is a
collection of voluntary standards that assists organisations to achieve environmental and financial gains through the
implementation of effective environmental management. The standards provide both a model for streamlining
environmental management, and guidelines to ensure environmental issues are considered within decision making
practices.

ISO 14001 is the standard for Environment Management Systems. Many large businesses, particularly overseas, have
obtained certification under the standard.

Benefits of International Certification

The benefits of having ISO 14001 certification are mainly realised by large organisations, as Small to Medium Enterprises
(SMEs) have a smaller turnover and thus a correspondingly small return on the costs of certification.

Although a fully certified ISO EMS may not be suitable for smaller organisations, it does provide guidelines that assist
organisations to consider all the relevant issues, and thus gain the most benefit from their EMS, even without certification.
SMEs can therefore use ISO 14001 as a model for designing their own EMS.

However, larger organisations may find certification more valuable when considering the potential trade and market
advantages of an internationally recognised and certified EMS. This was a significant factor for companies seeking
certification under the ISO 9000 quality assurance standards, and is likely to be a factor in decisions regarding ISO 14001
certification.

EMS in Australia
The Standards Australia web site(link is external) provides further information about Standards in Australia. The ISO
14000 series has been adopted in Australia and New Zealand as the AS/NZS ISO 14000 series. Copies can be purchased
either from the web site or by phoning the Customer Service Centre (ph 1300 65 46 46).
The department has also developed a model EMS for Australian Government Agencies.

Links and Resources

 Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry - Australia's National Framework for Environmental Management

Systems in Agriculture(link is external)

 Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry - Biodiversity Resources Guide(link is external)

EMS Case Studies

 ACTEW

 Cranwell Collision Repair

 Geelong Wool Combing

 Schiavello Commercial Interiors

 Southcorp

 University of Queensland

Links
 Quality Network - Introduction to Environment Management Systems(link is external)

 International Institute for Sustainable Development - A comparison between ISO14000, BS7750 and EMAS(link is

external)

 Standards Australia ISO14000

http://www.environment.gov.au/node/20494

An Environmental Management System (EMS) can

help your organisation meet legal obligations,
improve environmental performance, increase
resource efficiency and cut costs.

Related

 WEBINAR: Measuring and monitoring techniques to help you save money on waste
 Measure and monitor resource use
 Downloads

 EMS building blocks - Helping you build an Environmental Management System

 Template Environmental Aspects and Impacts Register_0
 Template Legal Register
 Template Objectives & Targets
 Template Emergency Preparedness Checklist
 Template Internal Audit Schedule
 Template Audit Checklist
 Template Document Index

What is an Environmental Management System?

An Environmental Management System (EMS) is a structured, organised method of controlling and reducing the environmental impact of your operations and ensuring legal compliance. Although having an EMS is not typically
demanded by law, an operating EMS is strongly encouraged by regulatory authorities under some environmental permits and increasingly, an EMS is required by buyers.

Implementing a certified EMS, will help you to:

 comply with legislation and avoid the risk of costly fines and damage to your business reputation;

 improve resource efficiency and reduce unnecessary expenditure, as environment-related costs are increasing faster than normal inflation;

 set achievable improvement targets;

 communicate your company’s environmental credentials to employees, customers, suppliers and shareholders; and

 control your processes so that impact on the environment is minimised.

How to implement an Environmental Management System in eight

stages
1. Identify significant environmental aspects and impacts.
2. Identify legislation and evaluating compliance.
3. Write and communicate an environmental policy.
4. Set and track objectives and targets.
5. Measure and monitoring data.
6. Control operations and demonstrate emergency preparedness and response.
7. Check and audit progress.
8. Carry out a management review.

Once you have developed your EMS, implementing it requires a cyclical process based on ‘plan, do, check and review’, with the overarching aim of continual improvement.

EMS Building Blocks is a complete guide that guides you through each stage of the EMS process. Following the instructions in the publication will help you to carry out the key tasks needed to implement an EMS in your business.

Useful materials

The EMS Building Blocks guide contains links to arrange of useful tools and templates that will help you implement your EMS, including:

Environmental aspects and impacts register. Use this template to record your organisation’s environmental aspects, the potential environmental impacts and if they are significant. It provides basic examples and can be edited to suit
your organisation.

Legal register. This is a template for a legal register that can be adapted to include details of environmental legislation and guidance appropriate to your organisation.

Objectives and targets. Use this template to record your objectives, targets and management programmes. It is a basic template that can be edited to suit your organisation.

Emergency preparedness. A template to help you to identify the measures you can take to control the risk from abnormal environmental aspects. It is a basic template that can be edited to suit your organisation.

Measuring and monitoring resource use. A range of templates that will help you collate and analyse your energy, water and waste measurement data.

Internal audit schedule. This is a template for an internal audit schedule that you can use to plan your internal audit activities. It is a basic template that can be edited to suit your organisation.

Audit checklist. Here is a sample audit checklist and report that you can customise to match your needs.
EMS document index. Use this template to record your EMS documents and procedures. It provides basic examples and can be edited to suit your organisation.

http://www.resourceefficientscotland.com/content/key-task/implement-an-environmental-management-system