FIND OUT WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT FOR COMPANIES TO TAKE THE ENVIRONMENT INTO ACCOUNT
Exploitation and intensive consumption of resources are the main cause of environmental deterioration on the planet.
The interest in the protection of the environment increased significantly during the second half of the 20th century, placing it as a positive and differentiating value for organizations, which voluntarily, or required by the demands of interest groups, have incorporated into its corporate strategy, in order to obtain competitive advantages or comply with regulatory requirements.
Environmental Management allows organizations to control their environmental aspects, minimizing and/or eliminating the environmental impacts associated with their activities.
The inclusion of environmental management in the strategy of an organization requires the integration of environmental implications in the decision-making and in the operations of the organization, for which the commitment and real support of the Management, the measurement and evaluation of the environmental impacts caused during the exercise of the activity, the development of processes and products that respect the environment, and participation in initiatives that promote environmental responsibility.
Organizations that proactively assume their environmental responsibility show better performance and more efficient management, which leads to a reduction in costs and an improvement in relations with their stakeholders.
The UNE-EN ISO 14001:2015 Standard defines an environmental management system as the set of interrelated or interacting elements of an organization to establish policies, objectives and processes for the achievement of those objectives, used to manage environmental aspects, meet the requirements legal and other requirements and address risks and opportunities.
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS CAN BE OF TWO TYPES:
- under UNE-EN ISO 14001:2015 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS : REQUIREMENTS WITH GUIDANCE FOR ITS USE
- under EMAS: REGULATION (EC) No. 1221/2009 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL , of November 25, 2009, regarding the voluntary participation of organizations in a community environmental management and audit system (EMAS)
Caring for the environment, together with the implementation of an environmental management system, provides organizations with multiple benefits:
- reduction in the consumption of resources (natural, energy, etc.): it implies a reduction in costs, as well as an increase in productivity, and therefore in competitiveness
- knowledge of the environmental performance of the organization, allowing an improvement of the processes and the development of procedures and defined work instructions
- increase in market share and business opportunities, as they are standards of recognized national and international prestige
- access to tenders and public tenders
- anticipation and rapid adaptation to future changes
- detection of risks and prevention of their effects
- increase in reputation by demonstrating good management and the fulfillment of its commitments
- guarantee of compliance with environmental legal requirements
- reduction of the risk of environmental accidents
- Increased customer satisfaction due to respect for the environment
- improvement of the image of the organization in front of the community
- development of technologies from the organization, which allow cleaner production processes
