EMS Standards

Having identified the need for EMSs, a natural progression on a national or international scale, is to establish a standard format. This allows systems to be compared, verified, certified and saves companies the time and expense of each re-inventing a format. Three main standards have been developed:

BS 7750: the British Standards Institute EMS was the first to be launched in the UK in 1995 but has since been replaced by the international standard - ISO 14001.
EMAS: the Eco Management and Audit Scheme is the EU EMS standard and is similar to BS 7750 in content, with the additional requirement of an environmental statement covering past and current environmental performance and the aims for the future. This process of revealing potentially sensitive information has made some industrial sectors nervous due to worries about the potential for civil or criminal law-suits.
ISO 14001: the international EMS standard.
BS 8555: Guide to the Phased Implementation of an Environmental Management System. The newest of the standards, BS 8555 is split down into 6 stages to which companies can be assessed. Therefore, recognition is gained during the process of implementation, not just when a full system has been installed. In addition, companies may not want a full EMS but may decide to remain at a halfway house, such as stage 3:
- Phase 1: Commitment and establishment of baselines.
- Phase 2: Identification and compliance with environmental legislation.
- Phase 3: Development of objectives, targets and programmes.
- Phase 4: Implementation and operation of an EMS .
- Phase 5: Checking, auditing and review.
- Phase 6: Environmental management system certification