Environmental Management Perspective
The concept of environmental management has been around for some time now, but first became really in vogue in the United States during the 1980s. During this time a slow realization spread through industry and business that they needed to pay particular attention to the impact on the environment and pollution was no longer an acceptable byproduct of just doing business.
During the 1990s, the International Standardization Organization was close on the heels of the European Community to introduce standards to force people to focus on environmental management. It is certainly true that there were many punitive regulations in place within certain jurisdictions and governments, but many considered these to be too punitive. The ISO standard reflected something that was now responsible to be involved with.
The Bruntland Commission placed particular emphasis on environmental management as part of an overall response to pollution and sustainable living. It was stressed that these issues needed to be addressed at international levels and that an organization should be forced to recognize that environmental issues were an internal problem and not based on the fact that the environment was generally free for everybody to use.
There has been much criticism of the ISO 14001 standard in particular, as it seems to be based more on conformity rather than performance. In other words, whether an organization has policies and procedures consistent with its environmental policy and not whether the systems actually protect the environment. In this way it could be said that it is focused inwardly rather than on strategic methods for improvement.
It seems frequently true that internal management are unaware of the broader implications of environmental management standards and frequently focus on departmental isolation within the organization. Often, the focus is on conforming to written standards rather than a proactive effort to make a difference.
Developing countries and a large number of organizations view the imposed international standards set to address environmental management issues as the creator of additional unwanted costs. They are often referred to as "barriers to trade."
There is no doubt that international standards are very important in the field of environmental management. While many view them as part of a marketing approach and they may not lead to a direct improvement within the environment, they nevertheless focus attention on the issue.
As we move forward in our ever more aware world, we will see environmental management becoming the focus of market-based instruments and government intervention. We can see "cap and trade" schemes on the horizon to control carbon pollution and the schemes will themselves lead to a direct impact on environmental issues. As we decrease reliance on the burning of fossil fuels, our water resources will be more consolidated and our waste production will be reduced as all factors come into play.
During the 1990s, the International Standardization Organization was close on the heels of the European Community to introduce standards to force people to focus on environmental management. It is certainly true that there were many punitive regulations in place within certain jurisdictions and governments, but many considered these to be too punitive. The ISO standard reflected something that was now responsible to be involved with.
The Bruntland Commission placed particular emphasis on environmental management as part of an overall response to pollution and sustainable living. It was stressed that these issues needed to be addressed at international levels and that an organization should be forced to recognize that environmental issues were an internal problem and not based on the fact that the environment was generally free for everybody to use.
There has been much criticism of the ISO 14001 standard in particular, as it seems to be based more on conformity rather than performance. In other words, whether an organization has policies and procedures consistent with its environmental policy and not whether the systems actually protect the environment. In this way it could be said that it is focused inwardly rather than on strategic methods for improvement.
It seems frequently true that internal management are unaware of the broader implications of environmental management standards and frequently focus on departmental isolation within the organization. Often, the focus is on conforming to written standards rather than a proactive effort to make a difference.
Developing countries and a large number of organizations view the imposed international standards set to address environmental management issues as the creator of additional unwanted costs. They are often referred to as "barriers to trade."
There is no doubt that international standards are very important in the field of environmental management. While many view them as part of a marketing approach and they may not lead to a direct improvement within the environment, they nevertheless focus attention on the issue.
As we move forward in our ever more aware world, we will see environmental management becoming the focus of market-based instruments and government intervention. We can see "cap and trade" schemes on the horizon to control carbon pollution and the schemes will themselves lead to a direct impact on environmental issues. As we decrease reliance on the burning of fossil fuels, our water resources will be more consolidated and our waste production will be reduced as all factors come into play.
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