What Is an Environmental Management System?

An EMS Helps an Organization Reduce Its Environmental Impact

An environmental management system (EMS) is a set of guidelines developed by an organization to minimize its environmental impact. The goal of a successful EMS is to reduce pollution and ensure compliance with environmental regulations and laws. An EMS benefits an organization by reducing its environmental risks. It can help reduce costs and increase efficiency. An organization concerned about its environmental impact can benefit from an enhanced public image.

Plan, Do, Check, Act Model

Many organizations use a simple model of Plan, Do, Check, Act to create their EMS and allow for its continued improvement.

Plan

A successful EMS begins with a plan developed by a team of employees, with input from all staff.

Do

The plan should include procedures for implementing policy and training staff.

Check

A means of monitoring and correcting procedures is essential in order to properly judge an EMS's effectiveness.

Act

To ensure the plan is meeting its goals, a review system must also be in place with a means to change the EMS should it become necessary.

References

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• "Environmental Management System--Final Report;" Craig P. Diamond; December 1996
• "Environmental Management Systems: An Implementation Guide for Small and Medium-Sized Organizations;" Philip J. Stapleton, Margaret A. Glover, and S. Petie Davis; November 2001

Resources

• National Database on Environmental Management Systems
• International Organization for Standardization