Env. Mgt Systems Part 1 And 2

Question 1

Companies / organizations can have large influences on the environmental issues in the world . How can they minimize this ?

Answer 1

They can produce energy efficient products .
They can be more energy efficient , recycle more and improve logistics.
They can buy environmentally friendly equipment and resources
They can put pressure on their suppliers to be more sustainable
They can outphase harmful chemicals.

Question 2

Are there any companies that go beyond legislation (the compulsory requirements for the env.)? Examples?

Answer 2

Toyota Prius : developed the Toyota Prius the first hybrid car.
Vestas: major producers in wind energy .
Patagonia highly ranked clothes .
Unilever : were hated before because they persuaded mothers in developing countries to stop breast feeding and adopt the use of their formulary which killed babies . They have since improved drastically and have eliminated the use of plastic.

Question 3

Important things to note about chemicals and fires in an organization ?

Answer 3

Although environmental management systems are not centered on work environments for employees . The area of Chemicals and fire outbreaks are an exception because they affect both employees and the environment.

Question 4

Could public organizations do something to minimize environmental issues ?

Answer 4

Yes they can :
They can make sustainable/good choices with tax payers money (green public procurement).
They can make environmentally friendly choices ( sourcing energy efficient products/systems

Question 5

What is there to note about large companies and improvisation ?

Answer 5

Large companies are not very fond of improvisation and they like to structure the way they work this also includes environmental issues.

Question 6

The need for large companies to have a structured way to deal with environmental issues birthed Environmental management systems. True or false?

Answer 6

True.

Question 7

What are the main types of Environmental Management standards talked about in this course ?

Answer 7

ISO14001: this is the most common and popular standard.(has many companies using it ).
EMAS: used mostly in Europe ( with a total of 15 companies/organizations in Sweden using this standard ). Companies do not have to follow this but Eu has to ensure that it is easy to follow.
Miljodiplomering/ environmental diploma: this is the Swedish light version of an EMS . It was intended to be a step ladder to ISO14001 , however it is becoming very similar to it .

Question 8

What are some statistics on the Various EMS ?

Answer 8

ISO14001: as at 2022 had over 500,000 companies using the standard in 183 countries.
EMAS: started of with over 4000 companies but as at 2022 has exactly 4000companies.

Question 9

What are the differences between ISO9001,ISO14001 & ISO 50001

Answer 9

ISO19001: this is a quality management system that helps organizations meet their customer objective.
ISO14001: an environmental management system that helps organizations improve their environmental impact.
ISO150001 : ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS which helps companies optimize their energy efficiency ( abit similar to ISO14001.)

Question 10

Is the following true or false: EMAS is not as popular in Europe despite the EU trying to promote it ?

Answer 10

True

Question 11

What should be included in an environmental management system/basic approach ?

Answer 11

This is a top down approach which normally starts:
1. Usually starts with the CEO / president decides to implement and environmental strategy. It is necessary to get top mgt actively involved in this process as when they are not the employees tend not to prioritize the system.
2. Then an initial environmental review is done to assess the companies actual env. Impact . Usually most often big companies would not want to do this because they feel they have been running the company for sometime. This helps you to know what is important and what is not .
3. Environmental policy : here you write an environmental policy for the company . The env. Policy always targets two main reasons :should be able to be used for discussions outside of the company and should guide the company on how to operate to minimize env. Impact.
4. Formulating objectives and planning : here you set specific obj . for the company in order to improve env. Performances. The obj must be direct , not too many or too small , must quantified and have a specific time frame . With every obj that you set there must be a list of actions that go with it .
5. Operating and documentation of processes (formally known as procedures). Here the system is the implemented and documented. Two types of documents : steering documents (shows you what to do) and records (shows what has been done ).
6. After the first steps and AN ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT is usually done to evaluate how well the implemented is working and if the company is achieving its objectives . Usually after the audit AN ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT is put out (must be published only for EMAS). This statement usually contains tables and figures which should updated yearly with the whole report being updated every 3 years.
7. After the audit mgt reviews the system and works on areas of improvement highlighted by the audit . (Sometimes the policy is revised as needed).

Question 12

What is the difference between procedure and process?

Answer 12

Procedure is a written document that tells you how a task should be done to achieve objectives (in smaller companies could be oral )but process is set of actions that ensure / transforms input into outputs to achieve set objectives. Eg if the waste system of a company is being changed a procedure would be a document highlighting what should change and where but a process would be pasting labels of what products should go into what bin to ensure an efficient waste sorting process.

Question 13

What happens after set objectives have been achieved?

Answer 13

New ones are set still using the objective setting guidelines.

Question 14

What are som indirect objects that can be set ?

Answer 14

1. Education of employees: this is important because employees must understand the newly implemented system and the need for it in order for it to be successful.
2. Investigation of certain issues.

Question 15

What is needed in an EMS?

Answer 15

Continual improvement, this is mostly achieved when initial objectives are achieved and new ones keep being set.

Question 16

What is the scope of an EMS in the perspective of ISO14001?

Answer 16

This is done according to the PDCA (plan DO , Check and Act).
It involves initial planning , then D: support and Operations, C: performance evaluation, A: improvement.

It is all centered around leadership . You must also consider internal and external issues.as wells as the needs an expectation of interested parties.

ISO 14001 has 10 chapters the first 3 are introductory and then 4 - 10 are what must be followed to achieve intended objectives.

Question 17

What are the major differences between ISO14001 and EMAS

Answer 17

1.EMAS requires its members to publish a detailed environmental statement while ISO14001 does not require a publish state but only a published scope and goal.
2. EMAS is issued by EU and only agreed upon and used by EU countries while ISO14001 is issued by an international organization and agreed upon by 163countries.
3. When it comes to Audis in EMAS all external audits must be licensed by governmental organizations while ISO14001 audits can be carried out by certification bodies not necessarily under a governmental body but accredited by a national accreditation body that follows ISO rules.
4. ISO14001 has no procedure but EMAS has mandatory procedure because EMAS was built on the old model of ISO.
5. In ISO the standards are sold at a set price in EMAS the regulations are free but there is a registration fee.