The business Charter of International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) for sustainable development accords environmental management as among the highest corporate priorities and as key determinant to sustainable development; to establish policies, programmes and practices for conducting operations in an environmentally sound manner.The growing concern for maintaining and improving the quality of environment and protecting human life and health can no longer be ignored. The whole issue of environmental degradation and abuse is like a ticking time bomb. It is likely to blow up in our faces if not tackled urgently.
The environmental performance of organisations are of increasing importance to both internal and external parties. Achieving sound environmental performance requires organisational commitment to a systematic approach and to continual improvement.
The Environmental Management System (EMS) is a powerful tool to arrive at such a systematic approach and continual improvement. EMS provides order andconsistency to organisational efforts to address environmental concerns through allocation of resources, assignments of responsibility and ongoing evaluation of practices, procedures and processes. As such, EMS needs to become an integral part of an organisation's overall management system and co-ordinated with existing efforts in other areas.
The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) has published an international standard ISO 14001: 1996 "Environmental Management Systems - Specification with guidance for use" which provides requirements for such a system. The emphasis of the standard is on prevention and not expensive end-of-pipe control measures. Its focus is on continual improvement of the environmental performance. The standard encourages an organisation to comply with statutory and regulatory requirements, set its own objectives and targets and thereby improve its environmental performance gradually and at its own pace (based on availability of resources).
The standard ISO 14001: 1996institutionalizes the approach on a international level. Besides providing the frame-work for implementation and mechanism for continual improvement, it requires an organization to conduct periodical verifications, monitoring, measurements, status checks and reviews. It focuses the attention of the organisation on processes and procedures, how to make them more environmental friendly, how to avoid or minimize waste, how and what to recycle and reuse, how to conserve resources (water, energy, materials), promotes bottomup implementation and gives top management a key role in managing the environment.
Involvement of all employees in protection of the environment has been given primary importance in the standard and rightly so. Employees at all levels are required to be given awareness training to enhance their knowledge about environment and make them more sensitive to it. The standard requires the employees to be aware of the environmental laws and company's own objectives.
Some key principles of ISO 14001are:
Recognition that environmental management is among the highest corporate priorities. Establishment and maintenance of communications with internal and external parties. Determination of legislative requirements. Determination of environmental aspects and impacts associated with the organisation's activities. Development of management and employee commitment to the protection of the environment and assignment of clear accountabilities and responsibilities. Provision of appropriate and sufficient resources to achieve targets. Evaluation of environmental performance against policies, objectives and targets and seek improvement where appropriate.The standard requires the company to accept responsibilities and take full control of environmental consequences of its products, services and activities. The company does "what is necessary to protect the environment". The standard fosters understanding, esprit and commitment. It brings about a transformationin company's environmental culture.
It is understood that about 7,000 companies worldwide have been certified to this standard so far, of which 70 companies are in India. The experience of these companies shows that expensive end-of-pipe control measures can be replaced by cheaper process integrated measures to avoid releases of hazardous materials in the environment.
The investments for environmental protection can be planned better. The financial liability that threatens the existence of the company for environmental consequences of the releases of hazardous materials can be reduced. Appreciable savings in costs have been realised through waste minimization and resource conservation efforts.
All stakeholders including customers, employees, shareholders, government authorities, neighbours, environment pressure groups and owners are feeling more comfortable and confident. Acceptance of EMS by the authorities can simplify the process of gaining environmental permits and consents for existing and newactivities. Most importantly, the general awareness and greaeter sensitivity created amongst employees, and their acceptance of ownership and responsibilities for protection of environment will go a long way in improving the overall environmental climate at the company and country level.
This powerful tool is readily and freely available to all companies in India. The experiences gained by those companies that have adopted this standard should encourage the others to look at this standard seriously. In a highly competitive environment in which corporates are placed today, a company can achieve significant reduction in costs and increase in profits while dischaerging its social, legal and moral responsibility of protecting the environment.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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