What is an Environmental Management System (EMS)?
An EMS is an organized approach to improving the environmental performance of an organization — private or public, small or large. Through EMS, companies address the immediate and long-term environmental impacts of their products, services, and processes. For more information, see the environmental management systems section of tips for your business.
An Environmental Management System (EMS) is a set of cohesive elements that an organization may use to minimize its impact on the environment. A successful EMS will often borrow many of the management systems inherent in an organization, and may include such diverse areas such as how it manages quality issues (corrective action), training, communicates with its people and the general public.
An Environmental Management System is part of an organization’s management structure that addresses the impact of an organization’s products, services and processes on the environment. The EMS provides order and consistency by allocating resources, assigning responsibilities and continually evaluating practices, procedures and processes. The EMS is a management framework. ISO 14000 provides a disciplined approach and a structured method of thinking about an environmental management system. It really does address a system for managing the effects that an organization has on the environment.
An EMS is an organizational-management framework that addresses the immediate and long-term environmental impacts of a Facility’s products, services, and processes. Some Environmental Management Systems conform to international standards that may be registered with an independent standards organization such as ISO.
