Environmental Management Systems: Understanding Organizational Drivers and Barriers

Implementing an Environmental Management System (EMS) has become a crucial consideration for large organizations. This book offers insight to practitioners and professional students as to why they have been developed, how they are implemented and the barriers that can impact on their effectiveness. A practical, experience-based text written by leading consultants and researchers, the book explores the drivers that have led to the development of environmental strategies and the benefits of formulating a complete EMS. The book examines the way in which EMSs are structured to ensure that a company achieves continuous improvement in environmental performance. Alongside practical advice for businesses that wish to achieve accreditation, the book addresses key issues to be aware of to ensure optimum benefits, different strategies that companies may adopt to establish an EMS and the challenges that arise when trying to integrate an EMS into the business strategy. Also included is a review of the ways in which academics try to categorize and predict the effectiveness of these different approaches to EMS using modelling tools. Finally, case studies are presented to demonstrate examples of companies that have implemented their own EMS, the different approaches that they have taken and the resulting issues that have emerged. This is essential reading for all environmental practitioners as well as students of environmental management and business.

Table of Contents:

The Theory of Environmental Management Systems  Environmental Risk Minimization  Organizational Drivers for Environmental Management  Interventions for Drivers  Economic Success Versus Environmental Improvements  Managing the Environment  Corporate Environmental Plan  The Development of Environmental Management Systems  Implementing an Environmental Management System  Management Commitment  The Environmental Audit  Aspects and Impacts Analysis  Register of Legislation  Objectives and Targets  Organization and Responsibility  Environmental Operating Procedures and Environmental Management Procedures  Monitoring and Measuring  Environmental Management System Audit  Management Review  The Corporate Environmental Plan  The Audit of Environmental Management Objectives, Policies and Activities  Environmental Management Plan Budget  Organizational Barriers  Organizational Theory  Organizational Barriers  Barriers in Small to Medium Enterprises  Models for Classifying Environmental Management Strategies  Types of Environmental Strategy  Studying Environmental Management Using Comparative Models  An Integrated Approach  Towards a Conceptual Research Model  Linking Environmental Management with Business Strategy  Devoid EMS Model   Isolated EMS Model  Devolved EMS Model  Integrated EMS Model  Use of Devoid, Isolated, Devolved and Integrated Models  Appendix: Examples of Environmental Charters