Environmental Management Systems. What is Environmental Management? Evolution of EM. Benefits of EM. Environmental Management Systems 1

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1 Environmental Management Systems Objectives Environmental Management Systems ISO The Exxon Valdez Disaster March 24, 1989 Valdez carrying 1.2 million barrels of oil struck Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound Over 250,000 barrels (11 million gallons or 125 olympic-sized pools) of oil spilled Oil slick spread from original 4 square miles to over 900 square miles, impacting 1,300 miles of pristine coastline 2 What is Environmental Management? EM encompasses all efforts to minimize the negative environmental impact of a firm s products throughout their life cycle. Firms around the world are now integrating EM into their core business operations 3 4 Evolution of EM Increasing concern about the health of our natural environment Emergence of sustainable development belief that environmental protection and economic growth are compatible Competitive pressures in industry to improve environmental performance Growing consumer demands & public Benefits of EM Companies that integrate EM into their core business strategy can achieve increased productivity and improved environmental performance Environmental performance measures how well a firm does in reducing its impact on the environment scrutiny 5 6 Environmental Management Systems 1

2 Potential Benefits of EM Proactive EM Strategies Improved environmental performance Increased productivity (efficiency) Reduced liabilities Reduced production costs Increased profit margins Improved corporate image Competitive advantage in the market place Increased market share 7 Pollution prevention waste reduction, energy efficiency and materials management minimizes waste before it is created Product Stewardship looks at full life cycle of products. Emphasis placed on design issues e.g. recycling machine parts & supply chain management 8 Proactive EM Strategies Environmental Management System Clean Technology incorporate environmental factors into research and development to reduce use of harmful materials in production process (Chlorine free paper). Sustainability vision whereby employees, company leaders and stakeholders define goals for long-term sustainability and make EM the responsibility A system is a number of interrelated elements functioning together to achieve a clearly defined objective. EMSis a number of interrelated elements that function together to achieve the objective of managing those activities, products and services that impact the environment. of every employee EMS designed to help a company: Process vs. Performance Based Manage, measure and improve environmental aspects of its operations Improve efficiency in meeting regulatory requirements Change company culture by incorporating EM into overall business operations and planning Improve Occupational Health and Safety 11 EMS can be process based or performance based or both Process guided by standards Performance based on level of performance or rate of improvement to be achieved 12 Environmental Management Systems 2

3 International Organization for Standardization The purpose of ISO is to: Facilitate international trade through the development of worldwide standards; mitigate conflicting regional standards, such as those associated with screw thread types, radio broadcasting, and measurement systems. Members 162 national standards organizations from over 100 countries; Ex. American National Standards Institute and Canadian Standards Association. Include government, companies, NGOs World s leading developer of international standards 13 Member Tasks: Inform parties in home country of relevant international standardization initiatives and opportunities; Represent their country's interests during standards agreements and negotiations; Work on technical committees of interest; Pay dues ,000-plus Standards to Promote Sustainable Development Standard Classes Engineering Materials/Textiles Electronics/Information Technology Management Transport/Distribution Health, Safety and Environment Agriculture/Food Construction Two Families of Standards 9,000 series Quality management Human resources 14,000 series (initiated in 1996) Environmental management Sustainable growth and development Special Technologies (Military) ISO 14,000 Technical Committee Members include: Asian Productivity Org. European Paper Ind. Env. Defense Fund Global Ecolabeling Int l Aluminum Inst. Int l Chamber of Commerce Int l Iron and Steel Inst. Sierra Club UN Environment Programme World Health Org. World Resources Inst. World Trade Org. 14,000 Standards include: EMS (14,001) Environmental auditing (14,011) Environmental labeling (14,020) Environmental communication (14,063) Life cycle assessment (14,040) Environmental product design (14,006) Greenhouse gas management (14,064) Carbon footprint of products (14,067) ,000-plus certificates across 148 countries Act Plan ISO 14,000 Family of Standards Check Do 18 Environmental Management Systems 3

4 III. ISO EMS Continual improvement Management review Corporate Commitment Preparatory Review Environmental Policy Checking & Corrective Action Planning Implementation & Operation 19 Environmental Policy Continual improvement on a periodic basis; Prevention of pollution focus on reduction and substitution to less toxic chemicals; Comply with relevant environmental legislation; Policy must also explain how company will prove their adherence to these policies; Policy must be publicly available; 20 Planning Implementation and Operation Environmental review of: Legislative requirements Activities that significantly impact the environment (previous incidents) All existing EM practices and procedures Set quantifiable objectives and targets cut energy use by 20% in next 20 years Identify time frame and people responsible. 21 Structure and responsibility of everyone involved must be clearly defined; Training, awareness and competence; System to communicate EMS between departments and externally; Documentation of all procedures, particularly for critical environmental aspects; Emergency preparedness and response plans. 22 Checking and corrective action Monitor and measure objectives and targets Investigate and correct non-conformance; Establish procedures to mitigate impacts of nonconformance clean up dumped chemicals; Management Review Periodically review and change EMS in light of: Audit results Changes in internal and external environment New products or processes (such as upgrades in technology). Internal Audits scope, frequency, who, how, communicate results throughout company. 23 Reviews should refine the setting of new objectives and targets and improve. 24 Environmental Management Systems 4

5 WHY implement ISO 14000? Criticisms of ISO WTO recognizes and favors international standards that are process oriented Companies are becoming proactive to stay ahead of regulations and to gain competitive advantage Market pressure strong in W. Europe Government adoption Defense Department Reduces insurance costs 25 Only measures a company s conformance with its own environmental policy; Multinational corporations do not have to use the same standards world-wide; Once the EMS standard is achieved by a company, what will happen to the environment?; No limits on energy use, resource consumption, emissions Companies not required to focus on all of their environmental effects, only a commitment to continually improve in chosen areas; 26 Forestry Programs All Based on ISO Forest Stewardship Council (1993) Guidelines for all forests Accrediting certifiers Sustainable Forestry Initiative (1994) American Forest and Paper Association Canadian Standards Association (1995) Standards Council of Canada INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY EMS in Overdrive What is Industrial Ecology? A new approach to industrial design of products and processes: incorporates the cyclical patterns of ecosystems into designs for industrial production processes sustainable manufacturing strategies by redesigning production processes for conservation of resources integrating economic and environmental accounting 29 costing depletion and degradation The Genesis of Industrial Ecology An institute held in 1992 gives meaning to the term industrial ecology brings together two communities 1 The natural scientists 2 The human dimensions community Industrial ecology became the study of how industry can become agent of change; proactive beyond accommodate 30 Environmental Management Systems 5

6 Industrial Ecology involves... Designing industrial infrastructures as if they were a series of interlocking man-made ecosystems interfacing with the natural global ecosystem. Developing industrial ecosystems fostering cooperation among various industries whereby the waste of one production process becomes the feedstock for another. Must curtail (abandon, if possible) end-of-pipe The driving force for change: Human activities are threatening the planet s natural resources exhaustion of oil less than a century away waste disposal sites are increasingly in short supply increasing population (by 230,000 per day) by 2030, 10 billion on planet, producing 400 billions tons of solid waste annually (bury greater L.A. 100 meters deep) declining fresh water resources 1 billion do not have access to safe drinking water one third of food production require irrigation declining fisheries (quadrupled the catch worldwide since 1950) stream of waste From linear systems to cyclical Industrial systems tend to be LINEAR raw material -> manufacturing --> product (and waste) Biological systems are CYCLICAL. Wastes are re-cycled through numerous levels of the food chain Linear system worked when industry small, labor intensive and relatively unobtrusive No longer the case, require a more cyclical 33 system which promotes recycling Industry role: move beyond business as usual This environmental stress is creating pressure for industry and consumers to move from a linear model; to a semicyclic model; to a cyclic model of materials flow 34 Alleviating Environmental Stress Need to work with the assimilative capacity of nature (Leopold s Land Ethic) capacity to assimilate pollution/wastes without adverse effects on human health and natural ecosystems Goals: not allow deviation from the natural state that are large in comparison to natural fluctuations minimize amount of waste that nature must reprocess An Example of Industrial Ecology from Kalundborg, Denmark acceptable levels Environmental Management Systems 6

7 The Industrial Ecosystem Benefits of Industrial Ecology Reduced Inputs of Water, Oil and Coal and Sulfur and Gypsum Reduced Outputs of Ash, Sludge, Waste Heat and Waste Water Heat For Greenhouses and Fish Farming Clean Fertilizer for Agriculture Material for Cement and Road Building Sustainable Industrial Ecology Previous example used large fossil fuel inputs. In the future, solar or biomass fuels could drive the economic process. Raw materials derived from agriculture and forestry products could substitute for synthetics. 39 Constraints facing Industrial Ecology Economic system does not provide incentives to alter current processes focus on production focus on short-term bottom line focus on competition, not cooperation Rapid rate of technological evolution and obsolescence contributes to waste stream impacts relationships with potential cooperators 40 Organizations promoting the concept of industrial ecology ISO Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES) worldwide leader in standardized corporate environmental reporting formed in 1989, unique partnership between large financial institutional investors ($150 billion in invested capital) and environmental groups to promote greater responsibility on CERES Principles (formerly the Valdez Principles) Protection of bioshpere sustainable use of resources reduction and disposal of wastes energy conservation risk reduction (human health and safety) Safe products and services environmental restoration public participation management commitment audits and reports Endorsed by 70 companies and organizations, including GM, Ford, Dell, Sunoco, Nike, American Airlines, Coca Cola, Pepsico and of environmental issues course Levi, Ben & Jerry s. Environmental Management Systems 7

8 To implement industrial ecology: Require: 1. Planning (long-term) 2. Organizing (cooperation) 3. Leadership (vision) 4. Controlling (monitoring) 43 Environmental Management Systems 8