scholarly journals Learning from third party certified environmental mangement systems in local authority organizations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Greg Davis
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Environmental Management System ◽  
Iso 14001 ◽  
Third Party ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Management Standards ◽  
Iso 14001 Certification ◽  
The City ◽  
Environmental Mangement

Cities face immense environmental challenges with limited resources to implement management solutions. Relevant trends in the private sector toward third party certification to external environmental management standards have yet to be fully embraced by governing Local Authorities (LAs). As the first city in North America to obtain ISO 14001 certification, the City of Calgary is examined as a case study of the implementation of a certified Environmental Management System (EMS) from impetus through to ongoing effects on learning. Investigation demonstrates that the unique characteristics of LA organizations are important factors in considering the strengths and challenges of using a voluntary external standard to establish environmental priorities. While LAs must avoid overemphasizing the standard itself, an informed approach increases organizational transparency and accountability, and enables collective problem solving. The certification process is a motivating surrogate force for cities which typically lack the competitive pressure found in for-profit sectors.

scholarly journals Learning from third party certified environmental mangement systems in local authority organizations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Greg Davis
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Environmental Management System ◽  
Iso 14001 ◽  
Third Party ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Management Standards ◽  
Iso 14001 Certification ◽  
The City ◽  
Environmental Mangement

Cities face immense environmental challenges with limited resources to implement management solutions. Relevant trends in the private sector toward third party certification to external environmental management standards have yet to be fully embraced by governing Local Authorities (LAs). As the first city in North America to obtain ISO 14001 certification, the City of Calgary is examined as a case study of the implementation of a certified Environmental Management System (EMS) from impetus through to ongoing effects on learning. Investigation demonstrates that the unique characteristics of LA organizations are important factors in considering the strengths and challenges of using a voluntary external standard to establish environmental priorities. While LAs must avoid overemphasizing the standard itself, an informed approach increases organizational transparency and accountability, and enables collective problem solving. The certification process is a motivating surrogate force for cities which typically lack the competitive pressure found in for-profit sectors.

scholarly journals Costs, Benefits, and Motivations for ISO 14001 Adoption in China and Around

2006 ◽  
Vol 1 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 239
Author(s):  
Susan Summers Raines ◽  
Tan Rong ◽  
Xu Fei
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Management System ◽  
National Level ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Environmental Management System ◽  
Iso 14001 ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Voluntary Standards ◽  
Iso 14001 Certification

In an attempt to overcome barriers to trade posed by numerous and often contradictory national-level enveironmental requirements, the International Orgnaization for Standardization (ISO) has created a voluntry set of uniform environmental management system guidelines for firms, formally known as ISO 14001. Firms may decide to implement an ISO 14001 environmental management system (EMS) and become third-party certified in order to improve their environmental management and to increase their marketability. This study examines the relative costs, benefits, and motivations for ISO 14001 certification for China compared to other economically developing and developed countries. These comparisons allow us to better understand the ways in which the unique economic and political conditions within China affect the incentives for Chinese firms to join in voluntary self-regulatory measures. Survey results indicate that ISO 14001 certified firms in China and experiencing benefits equal to or greater than their peers in other countries. Benefits to environmental management appear to be significant and they generally outweigh the costs of implementation and certification. However, as with most voluntary standards, the potential for abuse remains. Therefore regulators and policy makers are advised not to grant regulatroy relief or reduced inspections except on a case-by-case basis.

scholarly journals The Purpose of ISO 14001 Certification: Independent Assurance or Improved Environmental Management System?

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 157
Author(s):  
Janet Morrill ◽  
Sylvie Berthelot
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Management System ◽  
Environmental Management System ◽  
Iso 14001 ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Environmental Management Systems ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Iso 14001 Certification

This study provides evidence of the value of third party certification of environmental management systems. We examine the relative importance of improving an environmental management system as a result of certification, versus being able to communicate the quality of that system credibly to outsiders through third party certification. We use survey data where one half of the respondents had indicated that they had an environmental management (EMS) in place before seeking ISO 14001 certification, while the other half of respondents did not. Our analyses comparing the two groups find that the group already having an EMS report similar motivations for ISO 14001 certification and perceive to have received similar levels of benefits as firms having no pre-certification EMS. We conclude that even for organizations that already have an EMS, the ability to communicate credibly the quality of that system is a compelling reason to obtain ISO certification.

scholarly journals A contribution of the Cleaner Production Program to the ISO 14001 Management System: a case study in the metal-mechanic sector

2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando Magnani Cervelini ◽  
Maria Tereza Saraiva Souza
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Management System ◽  
Environmental Management System ◽  
Cleaner Production ◽  
Iso 14001 ◽  
Production Program ◽  
System A ◽  
Iso 14000

The aim of this work is to identify the contributions of the Cleaner Production Program to the Environmental Management System certified to ISO 14000. The results of the research indicate that the procedure standardization demanded by normalization leads the company to adopt environmentally adequate procedures; besides, the implementation of the Cleaner Production Program acts as a complementary tool in the EMS, with a view to improving environmental performance.

Making Environmental Self-Regulation Mandatory

2006 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Arnold ◽  
Andrew B. Whitford
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Political Change ◽  
Public Procurement ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Environmentally Friendly ◽  
Environmental Management System ◽  
Iso 14001 ◽  
Third Party

We describe a simple mechanism for achieving two goals: (1) to encourage firms to take environmentally friendly action, and (2) to make environmental protection impervious to political change. We assert that there is wide evidence now that firms adopting an environmental management system (EMS) like ISO 14001 improve their environmental performance. This is because ISO 14001's third-party audits reduce the chance firms will fully fail to comply with regulations, and the EMS procedure reduces the chances firms will be in noncompliance due to ignorance. Our mechanism is intended to harness the power of EMS systems within firms, while reducing the chances that political change will nullify our solution. We argue that to achieve these goals, governments should make firms' participation in public procurement programs contingent on their adoption of an EMS such as ISO 14001.

AN INDIAN EXPERIENCE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

2010 ◽  
Vol 07 (04) ◽  
pp. 423-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. K. KHANNA
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Management System ◽  
Environmental Management System ◽  
Cleaner Production ◽  
Iso 14001 ◽  
Export Market ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Iso 14001 Certification ◽  
Indian Industries

The last two decades have seen a remarkable increase in both interest and reactions to the concept of preserving the environment. This can be attributed to the increasing statutory and regulatory requirements of government and the pressure from consumers and the life-threatening of global ecosystem deterioration. Therefore, organizations are constantly under pressure to develop and implement Environmental Management System (EMS). While some sincere efforts have been made by the Indian organizations to implement EMS and their performance have been very good, still countrywide efforts are not adequate. This paper presents the adoption of EMS in Indian organizations, extent of EMS elements used and the status of implementation of cleaner production activities by the industries. This paper also presents the benefits accrued by the Indian industries based on 56 industries feedback who are either ISO 14001 certified companies or in the advance stage of ISO 14001 implementation. This has been supplemented by some case studies of the leading Indian organizations. Most of the Indian organizations feel that EMS has a positive effect in their performance. It is observed that Indian organizations are more inclined towards getting ISO 14001 certification rather than taking full advantage of EMS However, it is evident from the statistical analysis that overall adoption of cleaner production activities are at the low level. The majority of the organizations seem to be implementing EMS out of pressure from competition, customer, government, domestic and export market. The paper concludes that though environmental awareness is on the increase in India, and commitment as well as compliance levels are far higher than before, India still lags behind in the implementation and has to go a long way. The investigation and research findings are still exploratory. Future research can focus on the organizations that are at the initial stage of EMS implementation and comparison can be drawn. Future research can focus on sector wise performance. Broadly based and larger sample size would provide better picture of EMS implementation status in Indian organizations. Analysis is based on questionnaire based feedback. The study has been able to identify the extent of the usage of key EMS elements, implementation of cleaner production activities and drivers for the implementation of EMS. The findings have been supported by the select Indian case studies.

scholarly journals Environmental Management Systems (EMS) and learning in small and medium size establishments (SME) : a case study from the beverage industry

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maureen Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Environmental Management System ◽  
Iso 14001 ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Communication Structure ◽  
Organizational Learning Theory ◽  
And Performance

For businesses that are internally motivated to incorporate environmental management into daily practice, an environmental management system (EMS) is an effective tool to address environmental impacts. Yet, certification to formal EMS standards such as ISO 14001 may pose challenges for the unique needs of a small and medium-sized establishment (SME) such as Company Y, who seeks systematized environmental management while maintaining flexibility and openness. The researcher explores the proposition that EMS implementation and performance of an SME in the position of Company Y can be optimized by incorporating key tenets of Organizational Learning theory (OLT) into decision making and operations. Primary questioning, observation and literature research are used to characterize Company Y’s environmental decision-making and communication structure. For growing SMEs that are not comfortable with the formal requirements of third party EMS certification, this thesis suggests that OLT can be an effective approach to integrate environmental management into their business.

scholarly journals Environmental Management System Implementation in MSMEs: A Literature Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Gunawan ◽  
Riri Asyahira ◽  
Filson M Sidjabat
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Management System ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Environmental Management System ◽  
Iso 14001 ◽  
Economic Growth And Development ◽  
Future Potential

<p>The amount of MSMEs units about 99.99 percent of the overall number of business operators in Indonesia showed that MSMEs play a significant role in economic growth and development. At the same time, MSMEs cumulative contribution to environmental issues is not recorded MSMEs participation in the cleaner environment <em>has not yet been noticed</em>. Thus, the environmental management system for MSMes is crucial. This study is a literature review about the implementation of the ISO 14001 environmental management system in MSMEs, challenges and its future potential. The result and discussion discussed the case study of ISO 14001 implementation in Indonesia and other countries. Case studies from Indonesia and other countries showed that implementation of ISO 14001 is possible for MSMEs. The biggest challenges of its implementation is cost, the competence of employees, and resources available for the organization. An alternative for overcoming these challenges is implementing other models of EMS that is more suitable for MSMEs. The important aspects is the environmental awareness of the stakeholders and the internal and external drivers within the organization. Further studies can be done to research specific case studies of EMS such as ISO 14001 or AMEMs implementation in MSMEs.</p>

scholarly journals Facilitating sustainability control in SMEs through the implementation of an environmental management system

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leanne Johnstone
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Management System ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Environmental Management System ◽  
Iso 14001 ◽  
Individual Values ◽  
Characteristic Type ◽  
Values And Beliefs ◽  
Iso 14001 Certification ◽  
Managerial Employees

AbstractThis paper explores the characteristic type and use of sustainability control in small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) through the implementation of an environmental management system, formally certified to ISO 14001. Through a qualitative study of 18 SMEs and seven auditors operating in Northern Europe, the paper draws on the theoretical framework of sustainability control as an analytical tool to explore the interplay between the formal design of control instruments and the operational use of these in practice for the studied SMEs. The study finds that both the formalised control instrument design and operational use of these controls by employees are characteristically formal and procedure based for ISO 14001 certification. Nevertheless, environmental management in daily tasks is also achieved by engaging non-managerial employees through their passionate interests and intrinsic motivations. In extension to previous sustainability control research, the findings emphasise that local level operator knowledge is not only the product of formalised control system design, and that external factors are also important for guiding employee behaviour in situ. This proposes that daily working tasks are achieved through a combination of organisational and extra-organisational individual values and beliefs about sustainability. Particularly, engaging non-managerial employees in SMEs through a combination of extrinsic and intrinsic rewards appears valuable for sustainable futures. Therefore, in addition to compliance-driven controls, SME owner-managers should ensure supportive structures where employees are given the autonomy to be creative and innovative.

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