Environmental System Consulting

More and more potential clients are asking whether you have an environmental policy and an environmental management system.  Often it is just a box to be ticked, but sometimes the potential customer requires proof.

So what is all this about?  What is happening to the world around you that requires you to think about the environment?  After all, your impact on the environment is so minimal that it is irrelevant.  Why should you spend money on a system that offers you no advantages?

These are lots of interesting questions, so let’s try to answer some of them.

Thinking about your environmental footprint is all about engaging with your community.  We put our rubbish into different coloured bins; we use solar energy to reduce electricity use; we use different electricity tariffs; we insulate our walls and roof; we use low wattage light bulbs; we update appliances with more efficient water and electricity consumption; we use low flow toilet mechanisms; we can stop using disposable bags; we can pay our bills on-line; we can reuse scrap paper; and so the list goes on.  We do these things because it reduces waste, saves on energy and makes us feel that we belong to the modern world.

If you have a Quality Management System and understand that it consists of procedures that function in a process managed environment, then you are well on the way to understanding what an Environmental Management System (EMS) is all about.  The standard used here is ISO14001 which exists to help organizations minimize how their operations negatively affect the environment; how they can comply with applicable laws, regulations, and other environmentally oriented requirements, and importantly how they can continually improve.  Just as for the home, an EMS will reduce the cost of waste management and maximise the efficient use of energy and material consumption.  It will also minimise environmental liabilities, and gain you a better understanding of how your business activities impact the environment.  It will demonstrate a good corporate image, and make your employees aware that you are concerned about the environment.

Importantly, ISO14001 does notstate requirements for environmental performance, but maps out a framework to follow; an environmental template.

It isa systemic approach to handling environmental issues within an organization.  When an organization is compliant, they can either register with a third-party registrar or self-declare their compliance.

The process to gain compliance is similar in length, content, involvement and cost as gaining compliance to ISO9001.  The main difference is that whereas the quality process is directly concerned with the results of the activities of the business, the environmental process is a measure of the impact that these activities have on the organisation’s environment.  We can help you set up an Environmental Management System (EMS) in one month of five weekly meetings, each lasting around two and a half hours.  After each meeting we send you an action list which determines what work we will each do over the next week.  There will be internal auditor training and the first Environmental Management Review Meeting will be held.