Environmental Management

Environmental Management

The concept of environmental management has been around for some time now, but first became really in vogue in the United States during the 1980s. During this time a slow realization spread through industry and business that they needed to pay particular attention to the impact on the environment and pollution was no longer an acceptable byproduct of just doing business.

The environmental management movement gathered pace in the 1990s as first the European Community and then the International Standardization Organization introduced standards which essentially forced compliance. Prior to these standards, many jurisdictions, local and national governments had implemented punitive regulations, but many viewed these as too heavy-handed. Following the introduction of the ISO standard, it was now the responsible thing to do.

The Bruntland Commission placed particular emphasis on environmental management as part of an overall response to pollution and sustainable living. It was stressed that these issues needed to be addressed at international levels and that an organization should be forced to recognize that environmental issues were an internal problem and not based on the fact that the environment was generally free for everybody to use.

There has been much criticism of the ISO 14001 standard in particular, as it seems to be based more on conformity rather than performance. In other words, whether an organization has policies and procedures consistent with its environmental policy and not whether the systems actually protect the environment. In this way it could be said that it is focused inwardly rather than on strategic methods for improvement.

Environmental Management Perspective

It seems frequently true that internal management is unaware of the broader implications of environmental management standards and frequently focus on departmental isolation within the organization. Often, the focus is on conforming to written standards rather than a proactive effort to make a difference.

Complications facing the adoption of environmental management standards can be viewed through the reluctance of many developing countries and organizations within to adopt international standards, referring to the additional compliance costs as barriers to trade.

Overall Environmental Management

International standards seem to have a place in the world of environmental management as a whole, even though many view them as simply part of an overall marketing approach. The existence of the standards does not lead to a direct environmental improvement, but serves to focus attention on the overall issue.

Environmental management in the future will achieve more of a focus based on the introduction of market-based instruments and more direct government involvement. As cap and trade schemes are introduced to control carbon pollution, this will have a significant role in focusing attention on environmental issues across the board, as a decreased reliance on the burning of fossil fuels, a consolidation of water resources and a reduction in waste will all seek to directly benefit the environment.

About Verisae

Verisae helps measure, manage and reduce equipment and energy costs including the related business and environmental impacts of carbon emissions. The Sustainability Resource Planning (“SRP”) software platform improves operational efficiency, protects brand integrity and helps ensure regulatory compliance for distributed enterprises across many industries. Verisae delivers a broad range of sustainability solutions to dozens of clients globally with thousands of daily users including an extended network of third-party suppliers. Verisae’s integrated sustainability platform actively tracks millions of assets across thousands of sites worldwide.

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