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Environmental Management Systems
Resource Center Links
Environmental Improvement Categories
Environmental Management Systems
Environmental Management Systems (EMSs) are designed to identify, assess, and reduce facilities' environmental impacts. An EMS enables a facility to improve the environmental, health and safety conditions throughout its business operations. Implementation of an EMS can help facilities:
- establish clear environmental policies
- identify measurable objectives and targets for significant environmental aspects
- develop procedures to meet environmental goals
- monitor and track progress toward meeting goals
- take corrective action when needed
An EMS can help facilities make improvements in all environmental categories and aspects over time. Bottom-line benefits of implementing an EMS can include all of the benefits associated with the other performance categories (e.g., energy management, water management), as well as:
- reduced risk and liability for accidents, wastes, and non-compliance
- reduced legal and insurance costs
- product and process innovation
- enhanced revenues due to product and process improvements
- improved community and stakeholder relations
- increased employee satisfaction and retention
EPA and many non-governmental organizations, trade groups, and companies collect and share information on techniques and tools for improving a facility's environmental management system. The links provided below highlight some useful sources of information on the following topics:
Disclaimer: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides this information as a free and open service to the public. EPA does not endorse any company or product identified on this or any subsequent pages listed herein, and makes no claims regarding the accuracy, validity, or effectiveness of this or any other product or service represented by these data.
If you would like to suggest additional resources to feature on this website, please email a description of the site (including what topics the site addresses) and the URL to hamilton.luctrician@epa.gov.
EMS Design
EPA's EMS Web page contains links to key information on EPA's efforts to develop policies and related materials about environmental management systems.
EPA's Design for the Environment Integrated Environmental Management Systems (IEMS) website includes the six main steps for creating an IEMS that incorporates the Design for the Environment principles. The site also includes useful publications to assist companies with implementing an IEMS. Also look at tips for establishing a Design for the Environment based EMS.
EMS Implementation Guides for different sectors from the EPA Sector Strategies program.
The
Global Environmental Management Initiative
(GEMI)
offers a series of benchmarking reports
on EMS best practices.
EPA Office of Water's Voluntary Environmental Management Systems/ISO 14001 includes the report "Environmental Management Systems: An Implementation Guide for Small and Medium-Sized Organizations," which provides a plain English guide to organizations interested in implementing an EMS. The website also includes a report on EMS implementation experiences of 18 organizations of various sizes and types.
Recognizing
and Providing Incentives for Excellence in Water and
Wastewater Utility Management (PDF, 8 pp, 542K) is
a brochure developed by Performance Track and EPA's Office
of Water to encourage more wastewater and water
utilities to implement EMSs and join Performance Track
and/or state performance-based programs. The brochure
explains the benefits of membership in performance-based
programs, describes the value of an
EMS, and provides information on tools that EPA provides
to help utilities develop an EMS. More details on
these tools can be found at the Public
Entity EMS Resource (PEER) Center website.
ISO 14001
The
International Standards Organization
describes the concept of the ISO 14000
series of standards, including ISO 14001
standards for Environmental Management
Systems.
Pennsylvania's
Department of Environmental Protection
provides a broad range of publications
relating to ISO 14001, including information
on ordering the standards, implementation
guides, case studies, and presentations.
General Management Resources
EPA Partnership Programs links to information on 20 innovative, voluntary partnerships with facilities, industry sectors, states, and others. These partnerships address diverse environmental issues such as green chemistry, product labeling, climate change, waste reduction, and extended producer responsibility.
- Climate Leaders is an EPA industry-government partnership that works with companies to develop comprehensive climate change strategies. Partner companies complete a corporate-wide inventory of their greenhouse gas emissions based on a quality management system, setting aggressive reduction goals, and annually reporting their progress to EPA.
Greenbiz.com
is a comprehensive resource for
facilities striving to improve their
environmental performance. This site provides a database of articles on compliance and EMS related topics with reports, tools, and
how-to guidance.
Sustainable Business
The U.N. report on Environmental Management Accounting (PDF) (153 pp, 1.5MB)
is designed to motivate businesses to
understand the full spectrum of their
environmental costs, and integrate these
costs into decision making.
The World
Business Council for Sustainable Development
(WBCSD)
aims to develop closer cooperation
between business, government and all other
organizations concerned with the environment
and sustainable development. WBCSD also seeks
to encourage high standards of environmental
management in business itself by influencing
policy development and demonstrating best
practices.
The Coalition
for Environmentally Responsible Economies
(CERES)
provides a network for dialogue on
corporations' environmental and social
practices for companies, non-governmental
organizations, and socially responsible
investment institutions. The Web page offers
access to corporate environmental reports,
information on global sustainability
reporting (see below, GRI), and other
publications.
The
Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
is an international, multi-stakeholder
effort to elevate the comparability and
credibility of sustainability reporting
practices worldwide. GRI's Sustainability
Reporting Guidelines on economic,
environmental, and social performance are
available to download from the Web page.
The
World Resources Institute (WRI) Business
Center
promotes improved management of
environmental issues by the private sector.
This Web page includes research, resources,
publications, and programs addressing a wide
range of sustainable business issues.
Business for
Social Responsibility (BSR)
is a membership organization for
companies of all sizes and sectors. BSR
provides innovative products and services
that help companies be commercially
successful in ways that demonstrate respect
for ethical values, people, communities and
the environment.
The
Natural Step
offers a framework for businesses,
communities, academia, government entities
and individuals working to redesign their
activities to become more ecologically and
economically sustainable. This Web page
describes the framework and offers case
studies.