Environmental management is about taking a systematic approach to minimizing your company’s impact on the environment and surrounding community. Moving away from ad hoc processes gives you an overview that makes your environmental programs easier to manage, measure, and improve. It is the first step on a journey toward continual business improvement.

Stakeholders are increasingly insisting that companies work actively to reduce any impact its operations have on employees and the public, surrounding communities, and the environment.

With an Environmental Management System:

• You can take a structured approach to setting environmental objectives and means to achieve them.
• You can identify your environmental risks and opportunities to improve your environmental performance.
• You can ensure that you are complying with all relevant environmental legal requirements.
• You can cut costs related to energy consumption, waste, and raw materials.
• You can initiate continual improvement of your environmental performance and strengthen your organization's ability to meet strategic objectives.

It is important to anchor your environmental management system on all levels and functions of an organization, and commitment from top management is crucial. 

Putting the environment first
An effective Environmental Management System can reduce your organization’s impact on the environment, improve operational efficiency, identify opportunities for cost savings, and reduce environmental liability. Taking your environmental responsibility seriously will build public image towards clients, regulatory bodies, and other stakeholders. It can also help you report your environmental performance to your shareholders.

What standards can you be certified to?
To get on the road to certification, you should begin by reading about:

• The international ISO 14001:2004 environmental management standard applicable to any type of organization.