More than ever, businesses across the country are looking to improve their environmental performance.
Following the UK Government publishing their Net Zero Strategy and a successful COP26, organisations want the advantage of being in the foreground when it comes to operating in a sustainable way.
Implementing an Environmental Management System (EMS) is a powerful and efficient way to manage your environmental impact.
What Does an Environmental Management System Involve?
The starting point is an assessment of your business’s activities, processes and products to determine how they might impact the environment.
We’ll ask for information such as your energy use, waste streams and any potentially hazardous materials you keep.
We make sure that you’re complying with any environmental legislation and regulations that apply to you, and identify any risks.
An Environmental Policy will be developed, to show your commitment to the environment and act as a framework for operational policies and procedures – how you’re going to control, measure and monitor your impacts.
Staff roles and responsibilities will be defined, with recommendations for further training where needed, and we’ll help you with internal and external communication on environmental issues.
The process will help you identify areas of improvement, and we’ll work with you to set targets and determine how your progress will be recorded.
Together we’ll develop policies to allow you to identify and correct when something doesn’t go to plan, and what procedures to follow if this happens. We’ll also help you plan regular reviews of your Environmental Management System and policies, and can assist with auditing.
How Can an Environmental Management System Help My Organisation?
Businesses of all sizes have a responsibility to reduce their environmental impact while ensuring their profitability, and an Environmental Management System brings a wide range of advantages.
- Ensure you’re compliant with environmental legislation – avoiding potential fines and legal action.
- Improve resource efficiency – reducing unnecessary expenditure.
- Boost your reputation by avoiding environmental incidents and demonstrating a commitment to local, national and global sustainability.
- Be more competitive – many organisations require suppliers to have an Environmental Policy in place in order to work with them.
- Be ahead of the curve – more legislation and regulations are inevitable. You can be prepared for the future and ensue you’re in the best position to adapt to any changes.
- Improve staff retention and attract new employees – employees are more engaged and have higher morale when they feel an organisation is doing “the right thing” and working towards goals they support.
There’s no “one size fits all” approach to Environmental Management Systems, whether you’re looking at accredited systems such as ISO14001, or a bespoke system that meets the specific needs of your organisation.
Groundwork Sustainable Business Consultants work in partnership with you to find the pathway that best suits your requirements – and we’re on hand to guide you through every step of the process.
For more information on how we can assist you with environmental management systems, please get in touch.
We’ll put you in contact with a local consultant who can discuss your needs and options.