Environmental Management Practices - Essay Example

Introduction Integration of environmental management practices in to the production process is a holistic approach to management which many organizations seek to acquire. However, there are costs attached in the process and therefore most of them fail to accomplish this objective. Regardless of the costs, the organizations which adopt this holistic approach have benefited in either one or many of the benefits attributed to corporate environmental management. Many organizations have realized that the environment is a major source of support for them. Many of them derive their raw materials from natural systems and therefore they have realized that failure of their protection is a failure to the organization’s productivity (Niskanen, J. & Nieminen, T. 2001 pp. 13-17). Some have succeeded in integrating environmental conservation to their management systems. However, many are still facing the problem of complying with the laws regarding environmental management in the current day. This has come at a time when issues regarding the environment are being discussed in almost every sector. People have become aware of the importance of environmental conservation. Politicians, engineers, economists and many other professions have started focusing on environmental management as a factor that is influencing a wide range of industries. Global warming was the first to raise alarm, however, in the recent past; several issues have cropped up in regard to environmental pollution. In most cases, people blame environmental pollution on industries. In this regard, standards which indicate the amount of pollutants that an industry can emit in to the environments have been set. These are usually manifested in the Environmental Management Systems (Cowton, C and Thompson, P 2000 pp. 165-178). Environmental Management Systems They are organized, scheduling and generally recognized methods used in the administration of environmental plans in organizations. Resources are usually sacrificed by the organization for safeguarding the environment in a structured way. Promotion of policies on International Standards for environmental protection is usually done by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in various consumer products as well as management of issues regarding the environment. The ISO plays a significant role in outlining the structure of the Environmental Management Systems. It is in charge of planning for the implementation of the Environmental Management Systems as well as ensuring that the environmental policy is maintained. The European Union Eco Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) is an environmental scheme of registration which is effective in the European Union. It is one of the schemes recommended by the Department of Environment, food, and rural affairs (Defra) together with the ISO 14,001 and the BS 8555. It usually necessitates possession of a performance statement for organizations which indicates their performance in relation to the organizational objectives. ISO 14001 is part of it. BS 8555 is another standard from the British origin. It makes the process of implementing the ISO 14001 and EMAS longer by breaking it in to 6 implementation stages thereby making it easier. It is usually suitable for the small companies (Niskanen, J. & Nieminen, T. 2001 pp. 43-48). Quantifying of environmental performance is usually through taking measurements of the quantity of pollutants emanating from industries for every dollar unit or through measurements of the toxic effluents released by the industries. Studies regarding compliance to the principles of the ISO usually do not take the pollution from the developing countries in to account since the data that is subjected to linear programming models is usually from the developed countries. The industries volunteer the data in order for it to be tested for compliance. Normally, the process of production is not taken in to consideration. This is because the industries measure their effluents in regard to the final output. Corporate environmental responsibility is manifested in such a case whereby organizations regulate themselves in regard to environmental protection. This is commonly referred to as corporate environmentalism. However, the failure of these organizations is that the procedures they use can not allow them to quantify their environmental performance due to the fact that they overlook the pollution which occurs in the production stages (Cowton, C and Thompson, P 2000 pp. 89-101). Apart from the ISO 14000, there exist several other standards from the ISO, each of which has specific significance in the improvement of environmental protection. These include; ISO 14004 which is significant in provision of further details regarding ISO 14001. It is essential for industries while developing organizational objectives in regard to the environment. Its components are broken down in to more specific standards which the organizations use to develop particular strategies regarding environmental protection. The first one is the ISO 14020 to 14025 which address matters regarding labeling. These are usually significant in the reduction of pollution since all the elements are classified according to the labels. There can be no mistaking between one process and the other, thereby helping the staff and any other users of materials to easily identify them in order to reduce wastage. It also provides clear guidelines for industries on issues regarding environmental protection. The next and most important standard is the ISO 14030. This is the most commonly used since it indicates guidelines which are supposed to be followed after the production is over. ISO 14O31 is usually meant for the organizations to gauge their conformity to the rules governing environmental protection. It enhances environmental management through providing a baseline for organizations to measure their success in environmental conservation (Rugman and Verbeke 2008 pp.125-132). Planning before production is discussed in ISO 14040 to 14044. Many industries do not follow these guidelines since they conduct their pollution analysis at the end of the production process. Such industries do not take in to consideration the pollution that occurs in the process. However, it is useful in improving pollution control in the sense that when workers are trained on the various techniques of pollution control, they undertake a comprehensive process which includes all these standards and therefore they begin practicing pollution management at the beginning of each stage of production. The environmental authorities are the ones who emphasize on the final effluent or emission. The ISO 14040 is where the organization sets its goals for production and therefore this goal usually goes together with the ISO. The ISO 14050 is significant in ensuring that every person who is involved understands the vocabulary that is used in environmental protection. It ensures that mistakes do not happen due to misunderstandings of the concepts (Rugman and Verbeke 2008 pp.123-131). The most significant standard in environmental management is the ISO 14062 which seeks to ensure the environmental protection objectives have been realized. The other significant standards focus on green house gas emissions. ISO 14064-1: 2006 is significant in ensuring that company managers are aware of what green house gases are, how their emissions can be measured as well as the reporting of these gases. This is quite important since few people understand matters concerning green house gases. The information can largely contribute to its reduction after people learn of the dangers posed by these gases. The other two standards which deal with information regarding green house gases include ISO 14064 and ISO 19011 (Rondinelli, D. A. & Vastag, G. 2000 pp. 136-141). The significance of the Environmental Management System standards can not be ignored. They are known to be helpful to organizations in many ways which contribute to improvements in corporate environmental performance either directly or indirectly. Financially, they are cost effective due to a reduction in the waste which consequently leads to the effective utilization of energy and water. These cost saving measures serve as a motivating factor for the organizations to continue managing their effluents thereby contributing to improvements in environmental performance. Any company that benefits from the Environmental Management Systems through cost saving measures always ensures that the standards are maintained in order to maximize profits. On the other hand, they also contribute to improvement of environmental protection as companies try to evade fines that are attributed to pollution. They tend to comply with the environmental laws through continuously assessing possible risks which could expose them to fines. Through these risk management techniques, the companies are able to build the confidence of insurers who are usually sensitive to businesses operating in risky environments. This compels the organizations to maintain high quality standards in order for them to continue enjoying insurance benefits such as low insurance charges (Yakhou, M. & Dorweiler, V. P. 2004 pp. 77-86). The Environmental Management Systems enhance the general internal performance of companies. There is usually operational efficiency when the EMS is utilized collect. Lack of pollution within the working environment maintains a healthy work force hence the maintenance of a highly productive work force. They compel the management to constantly monitor the occurrence of failures in the production system in order to avoid unwarranted situations whereby a system breakdown could lead to pollution. This benefits the company in two ways; first in the avoidance of pollution which could cause legal penalties and secondly, maintenance of the production system which increases the company’s output. On the other hand, external factors such as the communities surrounding the industry are saved the nuisance which may originate from broken down machinery. The industry earns their support and therefore becomes profitable to the increased market share. Such an industry will tend to comply to the environmental regulations in order to maintain its relationship with the consumers. This contributes to the improvement of the corporate environmental management (Niskanen, J. & Nieminen, T. 2001 pp. 23-37). Effective Environmental Management Systems are useful in corporate environmental management because they are usually targeted at the continuous compliance with environmental standards by organizations as well as the environmental laws. They also provide working guidelines in regard to environmental conservation. Organizations are therefore able to understand the effect of their operations to the environment using the EMS as the baseline. Without this knowledge, it is not easy for the organizations’ management to understand the exact meaning of the safe levels of pollution. They are made capable of self evaluation and verification. Companies which have a reputation of conforming to the legislation regarding environmental protection usually are capable of expanding their production in many localities. This makes the companies with prospects of expanding to be ready to comply with the underlying regulation in order to avoid chances of license denial on the basis of lack of conformity. They even tend to improve and maintain high standards of environmental protection in order for them to secure the worthy relationship between them and the environmental authorities (Delmas, M. A. & Toffel, M. W. 2004 pp. 209-222). The standards help in the improvement of environmental protection through the polluter pay principle. They offer guidance on the amount of money that is equivalent to the quantity of pollutants emitted in to the environment. Many companies tend to minimize the amount of pollution in order to either pay very little if it is totally inevitable, or avoid any costs related to pollution completely. The environmental standards are also by various state legislations regarding environmental pollution in order for them to determine the amount of incentives in form of tax waivers that should be given to companies as a reward for minimizing their levels of pollution. In such a case, companies strive to ensure that they conform to the standards in order to benefit from the tax waivers. Such kinds of waivers and aid were developed by The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Surveillance Authority in 1994. They have greatly contributed to improvement of corporate environmental protection (Van Marrewijk, M. 2003 pp. 65-76). The use of these standards ensures that potential polluters of the environment are fully aware of the environment policy. Since failure of compliance has penalties attached, companies and other people who pose a threat to the environment tend to ensure that they are informed in order for them not to make mistakes regarding the standards. They have descriptions on how they should be implemented with in the organization and therefore it is easy for organizations to read and comply with the rules leading to control of pollution. In order for organizations to avoid making errors in regard to environmental protection, they are compelled to construct their own environmental management systems which correspond to the EMS standards. They use these for internal purposes, thereby improving on their local environmental protection practices. In these internal plans, the organizations allocate duties to staff in order for there to be a person who is permanently in charge of environmental issues. More over, these contain the channels through which communication on environmental matters can be conveyed, as well as the people responsible for this purpose. This enhances information flow in regard to environmental issues effective, thereby improving on the overall organizational protection of the environment (Henderson, H. 2000. pp. 121-126). For organizations issuing contracts to individuals or other businesses, the standards provide a frame work under which to offer any training to those working in the business environment. This is because they may unknowingly discharge pollutants for which the host company will take responsibility. More over, employees and other stake holders working within an organization can be trained with reference to the standards. After, training, each person or contractor will be accountable and responsible for any damage to the environment. In the Environmental Management Systems, the processes which can be followed in case of incidents are clear and therefore persons at the site are informed accordingly on the necessary steps to take. They are therefore in a position to control the escalation of pollution within the organization which is a significant improvement in environmental management. Prevention of pollution is significant in the maintenance of environmental integrity. The environmental management systems provide guidelines for assessing the possible occurrence of a problem in a continuing process in order for workers to be informed in advance which enables them to effectively prevent it while they comply with the standards. The appropriate monitoring and evaluation are provided in the EMS, which enables environmental protection to be a continuous process in the organization. It is informative on the consequences of emission of toxic gases, release of harmful waste and any other activities which are considered to cause pollution (Murphy, J. 2000 pp.1-8). In case of an organization’s failure to comply with the environmental standards, it becomes easy for internal or external or external investigations to be conducted; thereby enabling the quick identification of the source of the problem hence the appropriate measures can be taken with the desired speed. This helps in avoidance of future problems. The standards assist organizations to develop an integrated system of decision making, whereby planning for environmental matters is incorporated in the decision making process with other organizational matters. That makes environmental management to be classified amongst the important managerial issues which should be revisited time and again in order to ensure compliance (Niskanen, J. & Nieminen, T. 2001 pp. 67-74). Revisiting the environmental issues ensures that constant evaluation for the success of the environmental management systems is being achieved. These standards are also used by organizations to develop programs regarding pollution prevention activities such as reducing emissions, reusing the utilizable waste as well as recycling in order to achieve the desired minimum levels of pollution. Involvement of the public in pollution control activities is of paramount importance. The environmental management systems can be used to develop a community involvement program. Guidelines on the process of community education help in ensuring that the education provided is easy to understand and put in to practice and also to ensure that it complies with the environmental standards. Hindustan Unilever Limited is one of the companies that are renowned for their environmental policy. The company uses the Environment Management System standards in collaboration with the government and the community in general to conserve the environment. It strives to regulate its activities in order to minimize environmental pollution to a level that corresponds to the ISO. Its products are environmental friendly and have passed the ISO requirements (Perkins, R. 2005. 112-118). Conclusion Environmental conservation is of utmost importance in the integrity of the management of an organization. There is no business that is fully independent. The relationships that exist between businesses necessitate sharing some of the characteristics as well as practices. Due to the wide spread campaigns regarding environmental protection, many of the organizations have integrated environmental management in their management systems, and they continue to influence others, especially the closely related ones which cooperate in one way or another. Due to pressure from legislation and non-governmental organizations, organizations will have to ensure that the issue of environmental conservation is addressed in almost all aspects of production. Environmental Management Systems are becoming a necessary tool in the process of production. Failure to comply with the legislation regarding the management of environmental issues is becoming a matter of concern in many spheres and is punishable by law in regard to the International Standards Organization. The recent realization that hazardous emissions in to the atmosphere are significant causes of global warming has resulted in intensive campaigns against green gas emissions. However, organizations which have adopted environmental management in their production process are beginning to realize multiple fringe benefits in regard to the production costs and compliance with the Environmental Management Standards. This realization is essential to their profitability and recognition in the market. More organizations should adopt cooperate environmental management in order to enjoy these benefits. Bibliography 1. Cowton, C and Thompson, P 2000. Do codes make a difference? 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