Environmental Management Systems (EMS)

( Article Type: Explanation )

Care for the environment includes concern about how industry manufactures products and the impact that such products and manufacturing processes could have on the environment. Controlling this requires a documented environmental management system (EMS) so that everyone understands how they must work to protect the environment from pollution and degradation. There are many different types of environmental management systems, which can be used by companies of differing sizes.

In 1996, the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) published a code of practice, SABS ISO 14001 that provides companies with guidelines and requirements for adopting an environmental policy and implementing an environmental management system. This code helps companies to set their own environmental policies and objectives. The code is an international standard and provides the basis for a uniform EMS, which will conform to wider international standards and requirements.