Enviromental Management

Environmental management of enterprises is a voluntary system of continuous improvement of the environmental profile of the given enterprise. It is a management tool, the purpose of which is to continuously change business processes in such a way as to reduce the impact on the environment. This tool is applied to the entire activity of the company and is the last preliminary step before the certification of the company to EMAS or ISO 14 001. In addition to EMAS, ISO 14 001, environmental management standards can also include Ecolabels.

Voluntary EMS commitments

They primarily include:

• environmental profile assessment and improvement;
• providing relevant information to the public.
• Environmental policy of the company
• Environmental reports
• Environmental audits
• Environmental statement

The environmental management system (EMS) thus consists in the creation, introduction and maintenance of an appropriately structured management system, which is part of the overall management system and concerns all elements of the company's behavior. It means a systematic approach to environmental protection in all aspects of business, through which companies integrate environmental care into their business strategy and normal operations.

Processes and tools for creating a complete EMS

• product life cycle analysis is the basis for "cradle to grave management"
• a strategy to prevent pollution before it happens (Pollution Prevention Pays - 3P)
• total quality management (TQM) program
• design for the environment
• market-driven strategies in action - product differentiation on the market through its ecological characteristics
• environmental marketing - based on showing consumers that the company's products are both high quality and environmentally friendly. It is a prerequisite for the reorientation of a consumer society into a sustainable society
• environmental audit as a systematic, demonstrative, regular and objective assessment of the company from the environmental point of view
• full cost accounting - also including externalities related to the future on a planetary scale
• environmental management information systems
• the company should think in a broader context and include partnerships with other entities in its considerations

Advantages of EMS

The inclusion of environmental protection issues in the business strategy leads on the one hand to a gradual reduction of the negative impacts of activities, products or services on the environment, on the other hand it also contributes to the permanent economic growth and prosperity of the company. The main benefits of a functioning environmental management and audit system include:

• bringing order
• achieving full compliance with legal requirements,
• improving relations with the public and public administration,
• limitation of efforts to transfer problems of one component of the environment to another at the cost of disproportionately high costs,
• reducing operating costs, saving energy, raw materials and other resources,
• reducing the risk of environmental accidents for which the company is responsible,
• increasing business credibility for investors, financial institutions, insurance companies, public administration,
• expansion of export possibilities and in the field of state contracts and business support