What is Environmental Management in Business and Why Achieve It?

Businesses that are unaware of the environmental consequences caused by their manufacturing and logistics operations have the potential to cause huge impacts to natural resources. With excessive consumption of materials and energy sources, the release of by-products, and the emission of greenhouse gases, businesses are leaving severe impacts on the natural environment, which needs to be checked. A strong environmental framework is required by organizations to oversee their activities and control the harmful impacts on their surroundings. ISO 14001 certification serves as the foundation for an environmental management system (EMS) and it aims to assess and control the environmental impacts.

Achieving certification will help businesses validate their EMS and their approach towards protecting and sustaining the environment.

What is Meant by Environmental Management in Business?

Ensuring environmental management in an organization is essential to reduce the damaging effects of business activities on their surroundings and at the same time sustain resources for future use by efficiently utilizing them. In other words, environmental management calls for the adoption of strict policies and practices across all processes in the business, and it leads to environmental protection and resource preservation. The ISO 14001 environmental management certification underpins crucial practices and policy requirements needed for managing impacts of business operations and efficiently using resources, and so it lays the appropriate framework for the EMS, which organizations should achieve.

Undeniably, environmental management has become a pressing need for most businesses because of the growing waste generation and uncontrolled resource consumption. So, by implementing a regulatory EMS with mandatory practices across their organizations, they can control both of these aspects and also reduce their operational costs. Key Benefits of Achieving Environmental Management

Apart from controlling your business’s impacts on the environment, the EMS helps in numerous ways to enhance your bottom-line. The following list will explain a few benefits of ISO 14001 certification.

Optimization of Material Use, Waste, and Costs

The practices for environmental management focus on reducing the materials and energy uses (including chemicals and fuels) that check the generation of wastes. Controlling the use of your resources will subsequently and considerably help in curbing your expenditure. You may also resort to alternative eco-friendly materials and energy sources that may leave no or minimal waste. With reduced waste, costs for treating and managing waste will lessen as well. With an EMS, you can experience a sharp reduction in your operational costs.

Market Reputation Improvement

By having a strict EMS validated with ISO 14001 certification, you can ensure your organization’s unfailing commitment towards sustainability and environmental protection. By implementing an international standard for environmental management, you will be able to successfully establish your business among the organizations that reduce their environmental footprint. This will leave a massive impression on your business and will help you get more opportunities in the form of partnerships, supplier contracts, and so on, in regional and international markets. Prevention of Legal Issues

This is perhaps one of the most crucial benefits of EMS certification that businesses can enjoy! Those who do not realize the environmental guidelines and general protection laws will often encounter legal cases or penalties for damaging the environment and its habitat. However, a key requirement of the ISO 14001 EMS for a business is to incorporate the regulations laid by its respective industry and the government. Therefore, by helping you achieve statutory regulatory compliance, an EMS will prevent your business from falling into lawsuits or fines. Conclusion

Well, now that you have learned about what environmental management is and how it benefits a business, it is time to learn who is responsible in the business to enforce the EMS across the business.

While an EMS is considered to be the most effective way to manage the environmental footprint of a business, reduce impacts, and ensure resource sustainability, who will ensure the implementation happens? There must be an organization-wide system that will integrate all processes, including procurement, manufacturing, packaging, and distribution to control impacts, wastes, and excessive use of resources. Therefore, there is a need for intervention and participation of the senior management in the organization, irrespective of the size of your organization or nature of business, or how widespread its environmental impacts are. Furthermore, achieving ISO 14001 certification to confirm the effectiveness of the EMS is not possible unless the management is involved. They must ensure training about the environmental practices is provided for the employees, and make the associates aware of the advantages of EMS and ISO 14001 standard so that they can follow them.

Damon Anderson is the director of an ISO certification consultancy which advises businesses in different sectors to achieve a required ISO certification easily.