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Chapter 15

Management systems

3.1 Eco-management systems

 a voluntary initiative designed to improve companies’ environmental
performance.

 requires participating organisations to regularly produce a public environmental
statement that reports on their environmental performance.

 accuracy and reliability is independently checked by an environmental verifier to
give credibility and recognition to that information.

 requires participating organisations to implement an environmental
management system (EMS).

There are four key elements of the scheme:

 Legal requirement

 Dialogue/reporting

 Improved environmental performance

 Employee involvement.

3.2 ISO14000

 a series of standards dealing with environmental management and a supporting
audit programme.

 the ISO formulates the specifications for an EMS.

 EMAS compliance is based on ISO 14000 recognition – although many
organisations comply with both standards.

 focuses on internal systems although it also provides assurance to stakeholders
of good environmental management.

 to gain accreditation an organisation must meet a number of requirements
regarding its environmental management

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