scholarly journals STAKEHOLDER PERCEPTIONS OF THE BENEFITS AND BARRIERS OF IMPLEMENTING ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS IN THE NIGERIAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 79-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria O. OWOLANA ◽  
Colin A. BOOTH
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Weighted Average ◽  
Iso 14001 ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Environmental Management Systems ◽  
Technological Support

This study investigates stakeholder opinions of the major benefits and barriers of Environmental Management Systems (EMS) to the Nigerian construction industry, and the perceived issues to EMS adoption among organisations in the industry. The study highlights the environment as an important stakeholder in the industry because it affects and is affected by construction activities on a regular basis. It identifies the importance of ISO 14001 in ensuring adequate consideration for the environment is maintained on construction projects. The research adopts a quantitative approach by analysing responses from an online survey among construction industry professionals in Nigeria. The questions on the survey were drawn from a similar study carried out in Asia and the results were analysed using the Weighted Average and Standard Deviation statistical approach. Results reveal that the major benefits of EMS to the Nigerian construction industry were improved efficiency in waste management and environmental protection, as well as an overall increase in employee motivation due to better opportunities for training and development. Lack of technological support in organisations and the high cost of implementing EMS were viewed as the major barriers towards its uptake in construction companies. The findings also indicate that a feasible EMS implementation strategy must not ignore the unique nature of the Nigerian construction industry, which comprises mostly small and medium enterprises. The study concludes by recommending the use of a waste management plan based on the Reuse-reducerecycle-Recover model and an employee training plan to ensure continuous improvement in the organisation’s environmental management strategy.

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY: A REVIEW

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 453-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Selih ◽  
Lucila M.S. Campos ◽  
Andrea C. Trierweiller ◽  
Danielly Nunes de Carvalho
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Environmental Management Systems

scholarly journals ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AS A DRIVER FOR SUSTAINABILITY: STATE OF IMPLEMENTATION, BENEFITS AND BARRIERS IN GERMAN CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 150-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan-Simon SCHMIDT ◽  
Rainard OSEBOLD
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
The State ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Environmental Management Systems ◽  
Large Measure ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Ecologically Sustainable ◽  
Corporate Business

The construction industry, as one of almost every economy’s major generators of environmental impact, can contribute in large measure to achieving the goals of sustainability. However, most publications in this field deal with sustainability with reference to selecting construction materials and improvements in the operating phase of buildings. When considering ecological sustainability the focus has to be extended from the finished building to the building pro­cess. Therefore the actors of the construction sector who are responsible for the production process have to be studied: the construction companies. The goal of this paper is to study the state of ecologically sustainable corporate business management in construction. The state of application of elements of environmental management systems (EMS) is used as an indicator of the current situation in German construction companies. EMS can help continuously to environmen­tally improve the operating processes of the firms. A broad survey about the extent of EMS has been conducted consid­ering the barriers and drivers. In general, a relatively low interest in EMS and a lack of knowledge is noticeable within the sector. As a result, strategic recommendations are made on how to promote environmental management to foster sustainable thinking in the German construction industry.

scholarly journals Corporate Environmental Management Systems and Outcomes: A Case Study of ISO 14001 Implementation in a Cable Manufacturing Company in Tema, Ghana

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (31) ◽  
pp. 320
Author(s):  
Nancy, Botchway ◽  
Shine Francis, Gbedemah
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Iso 14001 ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Environmental Management Systems ◽  
Annual Data ◽  
Manufacturing Firm ◽  
Corporate Environmental Management ◽  
Before And After

The potential for the firm to improve its resource use especially energy management by using Environmental Management Systems (EMS) like ISO 14001 has been shown to be possible. Yet, no in-depth research has been conducted to explore this possibility in Ghana. The implementation of EMS integrates the corporate environmental management strategies and management commitment to sustainable development but most of the organisations in developing countries of West Africa are slow to adopt the management system. The aim of this paper is to assess the drivers, the competitive advantages of ISO 14001 EMS certification and the environmental impact of ISO 14001 EMS certification, in terms of energy consumption. Before and after methods of evaluation were used to analyse the data collected. Purposive sampling technique was used to administer questionnaires and interview guides to employees of the cable manufacturing firm. A review was also made of annual data for electricity consumption before and after ISO 14001 EMS certification. The findings indicate that the main driver of the ISO 14001 EMS certification by the firm is to take advantage of certification to expand its market share. It was also found out that reduction in potential environmental liability risks is the main competitive advantage of ISO 14001 EMS certification. In terms of energy consumption, the findings show that the firm is saving a lot of energy thus cost. It is recommended that more efforts should be made by the energy commission of Ghana through the provision of funds to firms who want to implement environmental management systems.

Potential for Implementation of Environmental Management Systems & the EU Ecolabel in the Marble Sector

2013 ◽  
Vol 548 ◽  
pp. 157-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Gazi ◽  
George Skevis ◽  
Maria Founti
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Iso 14001 ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Environmental Management Systems ◽  
Technical Requirements ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Eu Ecolabel ◽  
Marble Industry

Marble is a financially important and highly versatile material used extensively in construction, decoration and art. The marble industry however is generated with low production efficiency, high waste material generation, high production costs and overall lack of sustainable resources management. A step towards improving the energy efficiency and environmental performance of the marble sector would be the adoption of ecological schemes that are already into force both at national and international levels. The most commonly used schemes are Environmental Management Systems that are focused on the general environmental performance of the enterprise, such as the EU EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) and the international EN ISO 14001:2004 standard and ecolabelling schemes, such as the EU Ecolabel, focusing on specific products or services. The present work aims to provide a concise summary of the technical requirements and procedures for obtaining such environmental certificates, assess the current state of the art in terms of environmental performance of a typical marble plant and enhance the ecological awareness of the sector. A detailed analysis of the technical requirements for achieving EMAS III registration and obtaining the EU Ecolabel for hard floor coverings is presented and the potential for a typical SME marble industry for meeting the above requirements is quantified. Possible measures that may improve the overall environmental impact are proposed. It is further shown that the process of meeting the necessary criteria for obtaining the above certificates will also lead to the adoption of best engineering practices and the production of high added value products.

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