Environmental Management

Posted under environment by Daniel Stouffer

During the 1980s, it became quite stylish to pay attention to environmental management issues. An increasing number of organizations slowly came to realize that merely referring to pollution as a simple byproduct of doing business was not sufficient and that they had to pay particular attention to the impact on the environment.

Following closely on the heels of the European Community, the International Standardization Organization introduced stringent standards in the 1990s, causing a significant focus on environmental management issues. Prior to this point, many governments and jurisdictions had put in place rather punitive regulations, but companies saw the new standards as being something tangible and a program that was now “responsible”.

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.

When the ISO 14001 standard was introduced, it was certainly a milestone in the movement. However, over time there has been considerable criticism leveled stating that the standard really looks to see whether an organization is conforming, rather than performing. It seems to be acceptable for a business to have policies and procedures in place consistent with an environmental policy, rather than checking to see whether they actually help to protect the environment in the long run.

Many significant organizations do not seem to be able to grasp the implications of environmental management standards fully. It seems often the case that responsibility is delegated to junior management and to a process of conforming to standards rather than a proactive effort to make change.

There are certainly hurdles to overcome as environmental management standards are implemented. Many organizations and a large number of developing countries see the imposed international standards as barriers to trade and as the creator of additional unwanted costs.

There is no doubt that international standards are very important in the field of environmental management. While many view them as part of a marketing approach and they may not lead to a direct improvement within the environment, they nevertheless focus attention on the issue.

Environmental management issues are about to become front and center as we see more direct government intervention and the introduction of market-based instruments to help control. Organizations must now reduce carbon pollution, probably through “cap and trade” schemes. As our reliance on fossil fuels is reduced, we will also produce less waste and through efficiencies will be considerably more adept at water usage.

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