What is an Environmental Management System (EMS)?
EMS is part of an organisation’s management system used to develop and implement its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects. An EMS is a way of working that ensures an organisation takes into account, and tries to minimise, its effect on the environment. It also ensures that an organisation meets relevant environmental legislation.
At the operational level, we work with large and small organizations to implement and understand the benefits of an effective environmental management system (EMS). At the strategic level, we provide working models for those organizations that seek not just to minimise environmental risk but look to identify business growth and competitive advantage opportunities. An integrated EMS ensures that environmental issues are part of daily operational activity and through organizational growth or contraction, the integrated EMS remains as part of daily business activity.
We work with businesses to identify the type of EMS model that best suits its operational and strategic needs. The EMS models provide managers with useful discriminators to gauge the level of competitive advantage and the likely reactions of their organization in changing economic conditions. The competitive advantage gained from an effective environmental management system does not begin and end with the type of model one organization uses; it also extends to the types of models its supply chain uses.
We understand that an integrated EMS is the bedrock on which all businesses will grow effective corporate social responsibility and sustainability strategies.
SDRC can help your organisation to put in place an EMS at a pace that suits your needs. By guiding your organisation through a phased implementation approach such as the British Standard 8555, internationally recognised accreditation such as ISO14001 or EMAS can be achieved without disrupting normal business activities. We can also help you to meet sector specific standards such as the Scottish Funding Council’s “Sustainable Development Guidance for Estate Management”. Contact us for more information about how we can help your organisation.
