Environmental protection: our best practices kit

An environmental management system (EMS) is a set of procedures that an organization implements in order to reduce and control its impact on the environment. It begins with an analysis of the initial situation, highlighting the organization's strengths and weaknesses in terms of waste, energy, biodiversity, water, pollutants, raw materials, etc. Based on this quantified data, quantified improvement targets are set and a series of actions are defined to achieve them within a given timeframe (staff training, process changes, energy savings, eco-design, etc.).

An EMS impacts all aspects of a company: from production to marketing to the company cafeteria. An EMS is often an integral part of a Quality, Safety and Environment (QSE) approach, alongside a QMS for quality (ISO 9001), an EnMS for energy (ISO 50001) or an ISMS for information systems (ISO 27001). An EMS enables regulatory compliance to be met and anticipated, while improving competitiveness by controlling costs related to environmental impacts. In terms of safety, for example, it limits the risk of a site being shut down following an accident related to the environment.

ISO 14001 is globally recognized as the best standard for building an effective EMS. It is based on the Deming cycle and its four key steps (plan, do, check, act) aimed at continuous improvement. The ISO 14001 standard lists 18 requirements grouped into six

• chapters: General
• requirements Environmental
• policy
• Planning Implementation of actions to meet environmental policy
• Controls and corrective actions
• Management review

Environmental management as organized by the ISO 14001 standard requires knowledge of the LCA method. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is an approach, also standardized (NF EN ISO 14040 and 14044 standards), decryptions consists of inventorying the environmental impacts of a product or service at each stage of its life, from cradle to grave. LCA makes it possible to anticipate pollution transfers from one stage to another and ultimately reduce the net impact of the product or service studied throughout its life cycle. It is also a very useful concept in the circular economy.