Which environmental

WHICH ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARD?
(from T&G's Trade unionists and eco-auditing)

While there is no international safety management standard, standards for environmental management systems have been around for some time.

The European standard: EMAS, the Eco Management and Audit Scheme, was introduced as a result of a European law (Council regulation (EEC) No. 1836193, 29 June 1993), which permitted voluntary participation by companies in the industrial sector - mining, maufacturing, power and waste disposal. Since 1995, all European Union member states have been required to have an EMAS scheme in operation (also see pages 20-23).

The British standard: The British Standard BS 7750 Specification for "environmental management systems" was introduced in 1992, three years before EMAS took effect. Many of its requirements also appear in EMAS. Participating companies must earn an externally-assessed certificate. They must set up procedures for receiving and responding to communications concerning environmental effects and carry out environmental audits and environmental management reviews. An annex to BS7750 indicates that good management practice involves employee consultation and training programmes on environmental matters.

The International standard: The international standard, the ISO 14000 series (and the linked standard ISO 14001) is the new international environmental management standard and was launched in September 1996. A recent US survey found that 30 per cent of the companies that had signed up to the quality standard ISO 9000 intended to implement ISO 14001 within a year - so it will be influential. Moves are afoot to make both BS7750 and the ISO 14000 series EMAS compatible and formally recognised steps towards full EMAS registration.

How do the schemes differ?

EMAS is the most comprehensive and open of the three environmental management systems. EMAS built on and improved the BS7750 system. The ISO 14000 system is the most lax, its less prescriptive standards deemed necessary to make it acceptable across international markets.

The main differences are:
- Openness and environmental statements: EMAS requires a company's environmental policy, programmes and management systems to be publicly available and to be published as part of an environmental statement, validated by the independent verifier. The statement is then submitted to the competent body - the Department of the Environment in the UK - who check with enforcement authorities that there is no reason for opposing registration for non compliance. BS7750 and ISO 14001 require that only the policy be publicly available.
- Contractors, suppliers: The level of control over contractors, suppliers and other outside agencies undertaking work or providing goods or services for a company is not as stringent in ISO 14001, which only requires that they are informed of required procedures.
- Review: Only EMAS has a mandatory preliminary environmental review.
- Audits: ISO 14001 is unlike EMAS and BS7750 because although it does require environmental audits, it does not specify how frequent they should be.
- Register of effects: ISO 14001 alone does not require a register of environment effects or legislation.

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