Environmental Management System (EMS)

WHAT IS AN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM? 

The ISO 14001 Definition

     The overall management system that includes organizational structure, planning activities, responsibilities, practices, procedures, processes and resources for developing, implementing, achieving, reviewing and maintaining the environmental policy.

An Effective EMS is:

•Flexible

• Transparent

• Useful to the “practitioner”

• In harmony with mission focus

• Focused on continual improvement

Important EMS Terms

•“Shall”

•“Establish and Maintain”

•“Responsibility and Authority”

Benefits of an EMS

•Improved environmental awareness, involvement and competency across organization

•Better communication of environmental issues - internal and external

•Positive effect on regulatory compliance and environmental performance

•Improved efficiency, reduced costs, greater consistency in environmental program unregulated

hazards

•Flexibility and opportunity to correct imperfections through “continual improvement” 

The Three C’s of an Effective EMS

Conformance

         Meets the requirements (Implements the “shalls”)

Consistency

    Various elements inter-related  (i.e., Significant aspects reflected in emergency planning, etc.)

Continual improvement

        Mechanisms are in place to improve the EMS and organizational performance, supported by management commitment and support

An environmental management system (EMS):

1.        Served as a tool, or process, to improve environmental performance and information mainly "design, pollution control and waste minimization, training, reporting to top management, and the setting of goals"
2.           Provides a systematic way of managing an organization’s environmental affairs
3.          Is the aspect of the organization’s overall management structure that addresses immediate and long-term impacts of its products, services and processes on the environment. EMS assists with planning, controlling and monitoring policies in an organization.
4.         Gives order and consistency for organizations to address environmental concerns through the allocation of resources, assignment of responsibility and ongoing evaluation of practices, procedures and processes
5.        Creates environmental buy-in from management and employees and assigns accountability and responsibility.
6.           Sets framework for training to achieve objectives and desired performance.
7.         Helps understand legislative requirements to better determine a product or service's impact, significance, priorities and objectives.
8.       Focuses on continual improvement of the system and a way to implement policies and objectives to meet a desired result. This also helps with reviewing and auditing the EMS to find future opportunities.
9.           Encourages contractors and suppliers to establish their own EMS.
10.          Facilitates e-reporting to federal, state and provincial government environmental agencies through direct upload

ISO 14001:2015 and EMS

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) developed an international standard, ISO 14001, to specify requirements for environmental management systems. According to ISO, more than 300,000 organizations in 171 countries have certified to ISO 14001.

The standard was revised in 2015. As part of the development process, ISO conducted a continual improvement survey to develop an understanding of the needs of current, past, and potential users.

The purpose of the ISO 14001 management system standard is to specify general requirements and guidelines that, when followed, should provide reasonable assurance that the outputs from the system will have minimal negative environmental impact and improved environmental performance. It should be noted that the ISO 14001 standard is nonprescriptive; that is, it details what should be done, not necessarily how to do it.

The ISO 14001 standard is developed around W. Edwards Deming’s plan-do-check-act (PDCA) model of improvement, an iterative process that must be applied regularly to ensure benefits are being realized and the standard is being upheld. The primary operational components of an ISO 14001 EMS can be grouped as follows:

1. 1. Create/update environmental policy
   2. Plan:
   1. Environmental aspects
   2. Legal and other requirements
   3. Objectives, targets, and programs
   3. Do:
   1. Resources, responsibilities, and authority
   2. Competence, training, and awareness
   3. Communication
   4. Documentation
   5. Control of documents
   6. Operational control
   7. Emergency preparedness and response
   4. Check:
   1. Monitor and measure
   2. Evaluate compliance
   3. Nonconformity, corrective and preventive action
   4. Control of records
   5. Internal audits
   5. Act:
   1. Management review
   2. ISO 14001 audit

Benefits: How can an EMS help your organization?

Overall, the advantages of using an environmental management system include:

• Ensuring a holistic approach to environmental impacts
• Focusing on only critical aspects and processes
• Making use of time-tested, mature approaches recognized worldwide
• Establishing positive relationships with regulators

Economic benefits of implementing an environmental management system or good environmental stewardship that an organization can expect are discussed in greater detail in Joe Kausek’s book Environmental Management: Quick and Easy. Kausek identifies four significant economic benefits:

1. Corporate reputation and image
2. Lower environmentally related costs and fees
3. Increased access to new customers
4. Direct savings through environmental source reduction

Susan L.K. Briggs discusses the ways to measure and show value of an EMS within an organization in her article “Do Environmental Management Systems Improve Performance?” In addition to the obvious quantifiable benefits in reductions in pollutant emissions and waste, there are three approaches to measuring improvements within an organization:

• Management system improvement—qualitative and quantitative improvements to management support processes, such as employee training and awareness, compliance assurance processes or corrective/preventative action programs
• Organizational reputation—unquantifiable improvements in an organization’s reputation or improved relations with regulatory bodies, community organizations, or other interested parties
• Financial benefits—quantitative cost savings or cost avoidance associated with any of the improvements

Since the ISO 14001 standard is non-prescriptive, it is important to understand that an environmental management system is what any organization makes it. If one organization does not realize the expected benefits from its management system, an improvement team should identify the organization’s level of maturity and take the steps needed to proceed to the next level in order to reach the full potential of the EMS.

About ISO

ISO is an independent, non-governmental international organization with a membership of 162 national standards bodies.

SO, the International Organization for Standardization, is an independent, non-governmental organization, the members of which are the standards organizations of the 163 member countries. It is the world's largest developer of voluntary international standards and facilitates world trade by providing common standards between nations. Over twenty thousand standards have been set covering everything from manufactured products and technology to food safety, agriculture and healthcare.

Use of the standards aids in the creation of products and services that are safe, reliable and of good quality. The standards help businesses increase productivity while minimizing errors and waste. By enabling products from different markets to be directly compared, they facilitate companies in entering new markets and assist in the development of global trade on a fair basis. The standards also serve to safeguard consumers and the end-users of products and services, ensuring that certified products conform to the minimum standards set internationally

WHY OBTAIN ISO CERTIFICATION?

There are three main reasons why companies adopt an ISO management system:

•                    To increase success on public and private tenders

•                    To improve internal efficiency and reduce costs

•        Subliminal marketing – by showing our logo on your marketing you prove to your prospective clients you are credible.

IS ISO CERTIFICATION RIGHT FOR OUR COMPANY?

•                    Are there any areas of your business you would like to improve?

•        Would you like to save time and money on recurring problems by resolving them permanently first time round?

•                    Would you like to tender for contracts within your sector?

•                    Would you like better utilisation of your time though improved resource management?

•        Would you like to enhance the customer/supplier relationship by responding pro-actively to customer feedback?

•                    Would you like to see an improvement in your internal efficiency?

•                    Would you like to potentially reduce company on-going permit and insurance fees?

If you can answer yes to any of the above questions ISO Certification may be for you.

 SIX CORE PRINCIPLES OF ISO CERTIFICATION

•                    Document Control

Issuing a document with a reference and version number to ensure that the right document, is in the right place, at the right time.

•                    Record Control

A record is a completed document (see above). Record control is an efficient method of finding individual records. It can also refer to how you file, remove, archive and destroy individual records.

•                    Internal Review

An in-depth review of your management system, to ensure you are on track for your end of year validation audit. This also ensures the company satisfies internal audit requirements laid out in the standard.

•                    Non-Conformance

A non-conformance is when something happens within the business that wasn’t planned. This could be: Internal E.g Out of date process / procedure, human error etc. External E.g Customer complaints, supplier issues etc.

•                    Corrective Action

A plan created by management to rectify a non-conformance (see above), and to prevent it from recurring

•                    Preventative Action

An action to clarify and address potential risks to the business, with a view to reduce future non-conformances.

 

Membership

ISO has 168 national members.

ISO has three membership categories:

•        Member bodies are national bodies considered the most representative standards body in each country. These are the only members of ISO that have voting rights.

•        Correspondent members are countries that do not have their own standards organization. These members are informed about ISO's work, but do not participate in standards promulgation.

•        Subscriber members are countries with small economies. They pay reduced membership fees, but can follow the development of standards.

Participating members are called "P" members, as opposed to observing members, who are called "O" members.

·     International Standards Requirements
     Given these non-harmonized standards on the same technology from different countries or regions, it may result in a kind of technical barriers to trade (TBT) or technical trade barriers. The exporting industries have long felt the need for approval of world standards that can help overcome these barriers in the process of international trade. From the emergence of this problem was initially established ISO organization. International standardization was formed for a variety of technologies covering various fields, including information and telecommunications, textile, packaging, distribution of goods, energy generation and utilization, shipbuilding, banking and financial services, and many again. This will continue to grow for the benefit of various sectors of industrial activity in the future.

This development is expected to grow rapidly among others due to the following matters:
• Progress in free trade worldwide
• Penetration of technology across sectors
• Communication systems around the world
• Global standards for technology development
• Development in developing countries

      Industrial standardization is a necessary reality within a particular industry sector when the majority of goods and services produced must meet a recognized standard. Such standards need to be drawn from agreements through consensus of all parties involved in the sector, especially from producers, consumers, and often the government. They agree on various specifications and criteria to be applied consistently in choosing and classifying goods, production facilities, and terms of services offered. The purpose of standard compilation is to facilitate trade, exchange and transfer of technology through:

• Increasing the quality and suitability of production at a reasonable price level
• Improved health, safety and environmental protection, and waste reduction
• Better interoperability and reliability of components to produce better goods and services
• Simplifying product design for increased reliability of goods and services
• Improved efficiency of product distribution and ease of maintenance

Users (consumers) are more confident in goods and services that have been guaranteed in accordance with international standards. Guarantees of conformity can be obtained either from the statement of the goods producer or through the examination by an independent institution.

ISO

In the era of globalization companies face a very tough challenge so that inevitably must improve competitiveness or death. Globalization means a transparency which gradually eliminates all forms of constraints and requirements that implicate the increase of human mobility, goods and services from one country to another. And of course likes or dislikes, local companies must be prepared to face the penetration of foreign companies. To respond to these developments requires a smart business strategy, especially in improving product competitiveness, such as how to compete with products from China that flood the local market with relatively cheap and mass price. The business strategy applied can be in the form of internal and external performance improvement. Improved performance internally one of its efforts by improving the company's management system to be better and organized. Through this paper, we will try to know more closely what ISO and some types of ISO standards that have been published. Basically, ISO stands for The International Organization for Standardization, although technically it stands for IOS, but its default is ISO.

The International Organization for Standardization is a world standard body established to promote international trade related to changes in goods and services. This institution or organization is based in Geneva, Switzerland. The institute has published many ISO standards among others the most favorite is ISO 9001. Obviously, in addition to ISO 9001 many more types of standards published by The International Organization for Standardization. In this occasion we will discuss some of the ISO standards commonly applied in companies in Indonesia.

 ISO 9001

ISO 9001 is a quality management system and is the most popular system management requirement in the world. ISO 9001 has undergone several revisions and the most recent revision is ISO 9001: 2008. One of the characteristics of ISO 9001 implementation is the application of process approach. This process approach aims to improve the effectiveness of the quality management system. This approach requires the organization to identify, implement, manage and improve continuous improvement.

Type of ISO

• ISO 9001 = model quality assurance system in the design / development of production, installation and service.
• ISO 9002 = model of quality assurance system in production and installation.
• ISO 9003 = model of quality assurance system in inspection and final testing.

 4 jenis dokumen untuk memenuhi persyaratan registrasi

• Quality Manual (first level document) = strategic document containing quality management disclosure requirements.
• Procedures (document II) = written procedures to achieve the quality policy stated in the Level I document.
• Instructions (document level III) = operational documents, containing written instructions issued as part of the implementation of procedures 2 in document II.
• Forms (document level IV) = document database, containing quality records.

Strategy to Obtain ISO 9000

1. Top management commitment.
2. Establish ISO steering committee / coordinator.
3. Studying standards & assessing ISO needs.
4. Conduct training of all staff of the organization.
5. Start a management review.
6. Identify the quality policy, procedures & instructions required as outlined in the written document.
7. Implementation of ISO quality management system.
8. Audit the company's quality system.
9. Choose a registrar.
10. Registration.

Choose an ISO certification body

• ISO certification bodies = companies that have authority in issuing ISO 9001 with established provisions o / International Organization of Standarization.
• Certification bodies can be from within & abroad. The difference? should choose which one?
• What is the recommended Certification Body?

Benefits of Implementing ISO Quality Management System for Top Leaders

• Be a powerful tool for measuring company performance.
• 5 parameters to measure company performance:

1. Customer satisfaction survey
2. Customer complain.
3. Internal audit.
4. Control of products is not appropriate.
5. Achieving quality objectives.

 IS014001
            Unlike the ISO 9001 standard relating to the quality management system, ISO 14001 is a standard that contains environmental management system requirements. The concept used in ISO 14001 is in principle the same as ISO 9001, ie continuous improvement only in ISO 14001 is in managing the environment. Companies implementing ISO 14001 must be able to identify the environmental aspects and impacts caused by the company's activities or operations on the environmental aspects. In this case not only management of waste or pollution, but also including creative efforts to save energy, water and fuel consumption.

ISO22000
       Food or beverage companies are required to pay attention to the health and safety aspects of their customers, thus increasing the control of their internal control especially in the production process.
ISO 22000 is a standard that contains the requirements of the food safety management system. This standard focuses on controlling in systems and production processes of food and beverage products. Each type of product either food or beverage should be made a plan of process and control. Basically ISO 22000 is not much different from ISO 9001, the difference is found in clause 7: product planning and realization and clause 8: validation, verification and system improvement.

ISO/IEC27001
         Progress in the world of information technology or better known as IT has brought huge changes in the business world. Started with the implementation of the internet in the business world such as websites, emails to the use of other social networks. This change makes known the existence of on-line transactions, data and information in the form of computer files and so on. In 2005, The International Organization for Standardization issued standards familiar with ISO / IEC 27001. ISO / IEC 27001 is an information security management system standard or known as the Information Security Management System (ISMS). ISO / IEC 27001 nowadays has been applied by many companies that use IT application in their business activity.