How does an EMS work?

An EMS is based on the classic Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle made popular in the Total Quality Management movement. It uses good business principles that are also found in most leading models for management systems. The EMS Matrix provides an excellent presentation showing the fundamental similarities of leading management models along with model language and descriptions of case studies.

There are numerous comprehensive manuals and implementation guides available for EMS. The ones written for small businesses provide a good starting place for the small and medium enterprise (SME – defined here as a manufacturing enterprise with less than 500 employees).

• A Simple Guide to Set Up an Environmental Management System, from the Hong Kong EPA, is one of the simplest guides to getting the leadership and teamwork needed in place. It also walks through the basics of an EMS.
• The US EPA has recently revised its primary manual on Environmental Management Systems: An Implementation Guide for Small and Medium Sized Organizations; this extensive guide has many examples and other resources and strongly focuses on Pollution Prevention. EPA also offers the Integrated Environmental Management Systems Implementation Guide, which is oriented to small businesses and incorporates Design for Environment principles.
• The EMS Manual for Small and Medium Enterprises from the International Finance Corporation is particularly good at practical suggestions for EMS and includes case studies. It is also important because of its source; the IFC has the status to encourage financial institutions to consider EMS as an indicator of good business performance in general.
• ISO14000: Implementing an Environmental Management System, a downloadable manual with an extensive discussion of issues.
• The EMAS Toolkit for Small and Medium Enterprises includes on-line evaluation tools for an EMS meeting European and international EMS always include checking and reviewing tools.
• EMS Plus is an interactive Environmental Management Systems Evaluation Tool that provides a scoring and evaluation of how well an EMS is working and provides an assessment for how to use the EMS to move beyond simple compliance.
• A number of other On-Line Self-Assessments are available for checking various elements of an EMS.
• The EMS Self-Assessment Checklist was designed to help university campuses implement EMS.
• The ISO 14001 Environmental Management System Self-Assessment Checklist is a similar though more complex tool.
• For a more strategic review of what an EMS is actually supposed to be achieving, the Concise Self-Assessment Guide to Environmentally Sustainable Commerce evaluates a broad range of issues facing companies.
• The Environmental Self-Assessment Program is a more complex evaluation of how well an organization is doing compared the Business Charter for Sustainable Development.

Finally, a valuable resource for any SME to consider when planning and implementing an EMS is the collective wisdom and experience of those SME peers who have already integrated an EMS with their business. Good resources include the collaborative organizations mentioned in the section of this topic hub. ISO 14000 Keys to Success presents dozens tips; other tips are offered by experts on topics that include Overcoming Obstacles to Implementation, and How to Help Small Business with EMS.

The Zero Waste Network is one of eight Pollution Prevention Resource Exchange P2RxCenters , serving as a national network of regional information centers: NEWMOA (Northeast), WRRC (Southeast), GLRPPR (Great Lakes), ZeroWasteNet (Southwest), P2RIC (Plains), Peaks to Prairies (Mountain), WSPPN (Pacific Southwest), PPRC (Northwest). We are a proud member of the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable.