In 2015, the main standard required by the public sector and large corporate procurers will be upgraded, altering the way they view and apply their Environmental Management Systems (EMS). However, there are growing concerns that many companies are not prepared for the changes.
The standard to be upgraded is ISO 14001, which addresses several aspects of environmental management.
Research conducted by the manufacturer's organisation EEF, which involved speaking to 650 companies across the UK and a range of sectors, indicated that many companies would be left with large holes in their EMS when the new standard was implemented.
Results showed that up to nine out of ten firms have an EMS that is not fully fit for purpose, leaving a lot of work to be done over the next few months if they want to be up to standard.
A common area of weakness that emerged from the research was lack of contribution from top management, with four in ten companies stating that they thought top management had little or no involvement with the EMS. Once top management begin to understand what an EMS can do to drive operational and strategic business value, they may begin to take it more seriously.
Even more frustrating is the lack of companies maximising benefits available from their EMS, with only one in ten companies ensuring it takes into account the complete lifecycle of the product or service.
Greg Roberts, EMS expert at EEF and UK expert on the international ISO committee, commented, "These findings show that for many businesses and for many senior management teams having an environmental management system is simply a box ticking exercise. They are not grasping the full potential and opportunity of this powerful approach which, if treated strategically, can drive real value.
"The fact is that whether you think of the natural environment or trading environment, things are in a constant state of flux. Companies are facing new and difficult issues such as the scarcity of resource and material supply, climate change and stakeholders who want more, demand more and know more. Implementing a well-designed, fully thought-through and completely integrated EMS can help firms tackle these issues, while grasping the very many opportunities that are there for the taking too."
Although ISO 14001 will remain to be a standard that is voluntary, there is a growing demand from customers for it to be reached. It brings many positives along with it when implemented correctly, such as reducing the costs of environmental permits and fulfilling conditions for environmental permits.
