An Environmental Management System supports organizations, businesses, and authorities in promoting systematic environmental management. The system is based on environmental policies and helps the organization consider environmental work in planning, implementing, monitoring, and improving activities. Some organizations or activities must have their Management Systems certified according to Environmental Management System standards. The most common Environmental Management System standard is ISO 14001, an internationally accepted standard for reducing environmental impact.

June 19, 2024

Why is an Environmental Management System essential?

An Environmental Management System allows businesses to demonstrate to the outside world that they are working systematically to reduce their environmental impact. We take our shared responsibility by focusing more on environmental aspects in the business processes. In addition, the Environmental Management System is also cost-effective, as we reduce both the use of our resources and the costs of waste management.

What should a Environmental Management System consist of?

In short, an Environmental Management System should provide information on the measures taken by the business to reduce its negative impact on the environment. However, an equally important part of systematic environmental management is continuously working to improve. In other words, we should not only focus on optimizing our current processes. We also need to identify the risks, opportunities, and strengths that exist. This way, we can create a more sustainable environmental approach.

The Importance of Envrionmental Work

Process mapping is essential to environmental work, as our main processes and sub-processes comprise a large part of our operations. The focus should be on identifying opportunities and risks in the processes from an environmental perspective. At the same time, we need to ensure that we meet the environmental requirements imposed on the business. In this way, we can all ensure that we take responsibility for contributing to a more sustainable future. In 2c8 Apps, you map your business and create the conditions for effective and continuous work on identifying and complying with environmental requirements based on standards such as ISO 14001. The work is facilitated with the help of documents such as checklists or regulations linked to the relevant processes or activities. In this way, the organization can ensure that tasks are carried out in accordance with the applicable regulations. The continuous work with the Management System in 2c8 Apps also facilitates the identification of deviations or areas for improvement.

How to get started with your Environmental Management System

Below, we have gathered five key points to consider when you start working on your Environmental Management System:

1. Clarify a Need and a Purpose Before starting work on the Environmental Management System, it is essential to clarify its purpose. As mentioned earlier, the overall purpose of an Environmental Management System is to promote systematic environmental management. This environmental perspective must permeate the work you are about to undertake and be a clear starting point for everyone involved.
2. Engage top Management From the start, management needs to be involved in using the Environmental Management System as a tool for managing, planning, controlling, and monitoring environmental requirements.
3. Engage the right kind of people Those with the most knowledge of the organization’s processes and activities, whether theoretical or practical, should have a major role in the Management System. Gather representatives from all parts of the organization to get the best possible picture.
4. Start in Workshops Brainstorming, criticism, and spontaneous ideas last the longest! Workshops are often practical and provide space for employees to discuss and question current working methods. Are we doing the work in the best way? Do we have environmental aspects in mind during the process? How can we improve this step? All these questions result in finding areas to develop together. Click here to learn why you should use 2c8 Apps in your workshops.
5. Map the Business Visualization is the most straightforward thing there is, right? A strong recommendation is to visualize your main and sub-processes together to create a clear picture of the business. By live modeling during workshops, areas of improvement within the business will become more apparent than ever.