Environmental Management Solutions

There was a time when environmental management was the domain of politicians, scientists and earth lovers, but is now something that has been adopted within industry and commerce on a widespread basis. Up until the latter third of the last century the concept had been largely ignored, but is now being recognized in no uncertain terms as we come to grips with the challenge facing us all.

For the longest time, big business decisions were based on how much better and how much bigger we could become and driven by consumption needs. Fossil fuels were seen as the best way forward to create energy for our burgeoning needs. Sustainability was far from people’s minds and our environment was constantly ravaged as we sought to go the extra mile.

Following the introduction of the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act in the late 1960s, environmental management solutions became more widespread. When the International Standardization Organization introduced its ISO 14001 standard, following closely on the heels of the European Eco-management and Audit Scheme, everything took off. Now a series of criteria had been laid down and it was the right thing to do for organizations to adopt the standards and for others to see that they were doing so.

As it is recognized that certain businesses that are just starting off or who will operate in difficult environments could, together with emerging countries, be adversely affected if they tried to adopt the full standards as set out by ISO 14001. Other environmental management solutions have arisen, therefore, to take into account these varying circumstances.

Environmental management solutions have been put forward by the United Nations based on a natural capital approach. This advocates using accounting reform and the adoption of the triple bottom-line philosophy, to take into account ecological and social performance in addition to traditional outputs.

Some proponents of alternative environmental management solutions advocate self-regulation as a better way to proceed rather than through enforced compliance, auditory checks and other standards. As an example, consumable and durable products would then be seen as distinct from “unsalables,” otherwise classified as toxic products.

Every member of an organization has a significant role to play in the world of environmental management solutions, as each department has its own contribution within the overall lifecycle of the organization in general. As more emphasis is placed on the reduction of greenhouse gases, this approach is being widely adopted.

Environmental management solutions can form part of a wider goal to help ensure that an organization achieves sustainability. As particular focus is placed on reducing a carbon footprint, the organization must also ensure that it is environmentally efficient as a whole. Wastage at all levels will not be tolerated from a societal or economic point of view, with the twin threats of reputational harm and regulatory penalty ahead.