Environmental EMS

Organizations have policies in place to manage their finances and personnel. It is equally critical that they implement an Environmental EMS Management System to handle their environmental issues. Accordingly, there are various environmental management systems to which an organization might adhere.

What is an Environmental EMS?

An Environmental Management System (EMS) is a collection of procedures and practices that allow a business to reduce its environmental impacts while increasing its operational efficiency. Additionally, the Environmental EMS is a framework that assists an organization in achieving its environmental goals by continuously reviewing, evaluating, and improving its environmental performance. The Environmental EMS does not specify a level of environmental performance. Each organization should customize the EMS according to its goals and objectives. An Environmental EMS helps a business in meeting its regulatory obligations in a methodical and cost-effective manner. Furthermore, this proactive strategy can help decrease the risk of non-compliance while similarly protecting the environment and improving health and safety standards for employees and the general public.

What are the Advantages of an Environmental EMS?

A company may benefit greatly from having an Environmental EMS in place. The following are some advantages of an EMS:

Enhancement of environmental performance
Increased compliance
Preventing pollution and conserving resources
Prospective customers/markets
More efficiency/lower expenses
Improved employee morale
Better reputation among the general public, regulators, lenders, and investors
Raising employee awareness of environmental issues and responsibilitie

What are Different Environmental EMS?

The table below summarizes some of the most recognized environmental management systems:

Environmental Management System	Introduced/Developed by	Applied to	Focuses on
ISO 14001	International Organization for Standardization (ISO)	any organization worldwide	Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) approach leading to continuous improvement
EMAS	European Commission (EC)	any organization worldwide	meeting the requirements of the EU EMAS regulation (EC) No. 1221/2009 (similar to ISO 14001) and publishing an environmental statement with performance information by an independently verified third party
IECQ QC 080000	International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)	all organizations in the electrical and electronic sectors	reducing or eliminating the production of hazardous substances through Hazardous Substance Process Management (HSPM) system
NAS411	Aerospace Industries Association (AIA)	aerospace companies	managing hazardous materials (HAZMAT) used in products and services through Hazardous Materials Management Program (HMMP)
ESG	United Nations (UN)	any investor worldwide	managing risks and opportunities related to three pillars of sustainability (Environmental, Social, and Governance)

ISO 14001

ISO 14001, introduced by International Organization for Standardization, is part of the ISO 14000 family of standards that outlines requirements for an effective environmental management system. Any organization, regardless of size, location, activity, or industry sector, can follow ISO 14001 framework. Generally, an ISO 14001-certified company performs better in managing environmental aspects, fulfilling compliance obligations, and addressing risks and opportunities. Notably, ISO management system standards adhere to the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) approach leading to continuous improvement.

The 2015 version of ISO 14001 follows the same structure as the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems (QMS) and addresses the following topics:

Context of the organization
Leadership
Planning
Support
Operation
Performance evaluation
Improvement

EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS)

The European Commission developed the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS). EMAS is an environmental management tool that helps organizations assess, report, and enhance their environmental performances. It is available to any small or big organization, regardless of location and activity. To be EMAS-registered, organizations must:

Meet the requirements of the EU EMAS regulation (EC) No. 1221/2009,
Implement an EMS, and
Report on their environmental performance by publishing an independently verified statement (often by a third party).

EMAS certification is advantageous to businesses for several reasons. Compared to ISO 14001 standard, EMAS places a greater emphasis on compliance with regulatory obligations. Moreover, the environmental statement is an excellent and unbiased tool for presenting environmental aspects and performances to all stakeholders.

IECQ QC 080000

The ISO 9001 QMS forms the foundation for the IECQ QC 080000 Hazardous Substance Process Management (HSPM) system. The IECQ QC 080000 addresses the essential requirements of numerous environmental protection directives, such as the Restriction of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS) and EU REACH. IECQ QC 080000 system goal is to reduce or eliminate the production of hazardous substances. Consequently, companies that have employed the IECQ QC 08000 system show their employees, customers, and shareholders that they care about sustainability and environmental protection.

NAS411

The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) developed National Aerospace Standard (NAS) 411 as an industry standard for managing hazardous materials (HAZMAT) utilized in products and services. NAS 411 addresses materials used throughout all phases of the products and services lifecycle, from initial material analysis to disposal. NAS 411 Hazardous Materials Management Program (HMMP) is a procedure to identify, evaluate, minimize, or eliminate HAZMAT risks to human health or the environment. Hence, the goal of NAS 411 HMMP is to:

ESG

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) is a management system that enables stakeholders to comprehend how a business manages risks and opportunities related to these three components. Specifically, ESG promotes the broad view that sustainability encompasses more than just environmental issues. The three components of ESG management are as follows:

The environmental components refer to an organization’s environmental impacts and risk management procedures. These include climate change adaptation and mitigation, energy resources management, waste management, pollution prevention and control, net-zero emissions strategies, etc.
The social components focus on how a business maintains its reputation and manages its relationships with stakeholders (e.g., employees, suppliers and vendors, customers, and other communities). These involve human rights, labor relations, gender and diversity inclusion, health and safety conditions, customer success, mental health, community relations, etc.
The governance components address the internal system of practices and procedures that a company establishes to manage itself, make effective decisions, follow the laws, and satisfy the needs of stakeholders. These include board structure, shareholder rights, executive compensation, cybersecurity, audits, tax strategy, etc.

Enviropass is here to help you with questions regarding implementing appropriate environmental management systems for your organization. Contact Enviropass today!