The term environmental management system refers to a holistic and strategic framework with the introduction of which companies commit themselves to higher quality standards in the areas of eco-efficiency and eco-effectiveness as well as environmental protection. The two most significant environmental management systems are the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme and ISO 14001. These systems consist of many different subsystems. Among them are pollution control and waste management.
Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS)
Developed by the EU, EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) is a robust system designed to help organizations enhance their environmental performance and demonstrate their commitment to sustainability. To obtain an EU label under EMAS, organizations must meet the following requirements:
-
Continuous Improvement: EMAS requires organizations to commit to continuous improvement of their environmental performance. This involves implementing measures to reduce environmental impact over time.
-
Reporting on Environmental Targets: Organizations must report on the achievement of environmental targets set within their environmental management system. This ensures transparency and accountability in environmental efforts.
-
Validation by Independent Auditor: EMAS certification involves validation by an independent auditor to ensure compliance with legal environmental requirements. This validation provides credibility to the organization's environmental claims and demonstrates legal compliance.
EMAS provides a structured framework for organizations to manage and improve their environmental performance, offering both environmental and reputational benefits.
ISO 14001
ISO 14001 is a key component of the globally recognized ISO 14000 family of environmental management standards, offering a systematic approach to environmental management. It emphasizes the process of continuous improvement to minimize environmental impact. Key components of ISO 14001 include:
-
General Requirements: ISO 14001 outlines general requirements for establishing an environmental management system (EMS) within an organization.
-
Environmental Policy: Organizations are required to develop and implement an environmental policy that sets out their commitment to environmental protection and compliance.
-
Implementation and Execution: ISO 14001 guides organizations in the implementation and execution of their environmental management system, including identifying environmental aspects and establishing objectives and targets.
-
Control and Corrective Actions: The standard emphasizes the need for control measures and corrective actions to address any deviations from the environmental policy and objectives.
-
Evaluation by Top Management: ISO 14001 requires evaluation and review by top management to ensure the effectiveness of the EMS and to drive continual improvement.
ISO 14001 provides a structured framework for organizations to manage environmental responsibilities effectively, leading to improved environmental performance and compliance with regulatory requirements.
Central Elements of Environmental Management
Regardless of the standard chosen, all environmental management systems have very similar key elements:
- Definition of environmental goals and strategies to reach them
- Quantification and evaluation of operational environmental performance
- Consideration of the entire life cycle of products (upstream and downstream environmental impacts)
- Planning, execution and control of tangible improvement measures
How to Measure Environmental Performance?
In order to define achievable environmental goals, knowledge about the current environmental performance should be available as a first step. The relevant environmental aspects must be made measurable. Especially for the quantification of environmental performance and a life cycle approach, numerous data, figures and facts have to be evaluated.
Environmental indicators
In order to make the strategy for achieving the targets verifiable, specific environmental indicators must be derived. In the EMAS environmental management system, for example, these are divided into six key areas:
- Energy efficiency
- Material efficiency
- Water
- Waste
- Biological diversity
- Emissions
Additionally, it's essential to identify all possible interfaces between a business and the environment and quantify these interfaces. This helps in understanding the environmental impact across the organization's operations and processes, facilitating informed decision-making and effective environmental management.
Assessing Environmental Performance over the Entire Life Cycle
Assessing environmental performance over the entire life cycle has become increasingly important, particularly since the ISO 14001 revision in 2015. The updated standard not only mandates quantification and evaluation of improvement measures on a site-specific basis but also emphasizes the importance of adopting a life cycle perspective, as it is also applied in the Circular Economy.
This approach aims to go beyond assessing direct environmental impacts within the company to also considering indirect impacts along the entire supply chain. It involves evaluating environmental aspects from the extraction of raw materials, through production and use, to end-of-life disposal or recycling. By considering the entire life cycle, organizations can better understand and address their full environmental footprint, leading to more comprehensive and effective environmental management practices.
Benefits for Companies
Implementing corporate environmental management successfully is a challenging task in any company. But the effort is worthwile: Establishing an environmental management system, for example certified to ISO 14001 or EMAS, leads to a clear competitive advantage nowadays, since various stakeholders expect companies not only to commit themselves to sustainability, but also to implement environmental protection operationally.
Our Software Solutions for Your Environmental Management System
Our software solutions offer comprehensive support for environmental management, focusing on life cycle assessment (LCA) and environmental product declarations (EPD), as well as product carbon footprints (PCF) and corporate carbon footprints (CCF), enhancing both product and corporate sustainability. Driven by data, our solutions are designed to meet the evolving needs of businesses striving for environmental excellence.
Umberto - Software for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Experts
Our goal is to support your environmental management system with professional software that can calculate environmental impacts over the entire life cycle of your products. Our software for LCA experts Umberto provides support at every stage of ISO 14001, making environmental performance and improvement transparent to internal and external stakeholders. It facilitates the evaluation of options, forming the database for your decisions to achieve reduction targets. Additionally, Umberto is invaluable in environmental audits (eco-audit), checking your company's interfaces with the environment. It promotes the continuous improvement process by helping you achieve environmental goals and documenting your success towards ISO 14001 certification.
iPoint Product Sustainability - Integrate LCA into Your Business
Discover our holistic product sustainability software, which combines sustainability and compliance aspects for a comprehensive environmental management approach. It automates life cycle assessment and carbon footprinting through predefined parameterized LCA Models using Umberto as the calculation engine, integrates with business workflows (e.g., BOM Import and ERP interface like SAP), and combines material compliance and sustainability information to enhance a responsible product stewardship.
