Environmental Management Systems (EMS)
Level 5
The Role of a Policy
Unit 4
Implementing an Environmental Policy


An organisations environmental policy is a commitment to reduce the environmental impact by improving its environmental performance. For those organisations aiming for certification, the policy is a public declaration of that commitment.

The policy has to meet defined criteria under ISO 14001 and EMAS. These requirements are detailed below.

Policy Requirements of ISO 14001
(Taken from BS EN ISO 14001: 1996 Environmental management systems)

  • Defined by top management

  • Appropriate to the nature, scale and environmental impacts of its activities, products and services

  • Includes a commitment to continual improvement

  • Includes a commitment to pollution prevention

  • Includes a commitment to comply with relevant environmental legislation and regulations, and other requirements to which the organisation subscribes

  • Provide a framework for setting and reviewing environmental objectives and targets

  • Be documented, implemented, and maintained

  • Communicated to all employees

  • Available to the public

Policy Requirements of EMAS
(Taken from EC Eco Management and Audit Scheme, A participants guide)

  • Enable the company to develop a sense of responsibility for the environment

  • Integrate into the companys overall policies and decision making process

  • Address relevant environmental issues

  • Commit the company to good management practice

  • Include a commitment to comply with existing legislation

  • Make an overall commitment to continuous improvement

  • Be adopted and reviewed at the highest level

  • Be produced in written form

  • Be available to staff and public

  • Be periodically reviewed and revised as necessary

For further information, the person writing a policy can refer to Annexe A.2 of the ISO 14001 standard or Annex I.A of the EMAS regulations. The EMAS regulations also include Annexes I.C and ID which are related to the policy.

EMAS regulations, Annex I.C. Issues to be addressed within the framework of the environmental policy:

  1. Assessment, control, and reduction of the impact of the activity concerned on the various sectors of the environment.

  2. Energy management, savings and choice.

  3. Raw materials management, savings, choice and transportation; water management and savings.

  4. Waste avoidance, recycling, reuse, transportation and disposal.

  5. Evaluation, control and reduction of noise within and outside the site.

  6. Selection of new production processes and changes to production processes.

  7. Product planning (design, packaging, transportation, use and disposal).

  8. Environmental performance and practices of contractors, subcontractors and supplies.

  9. Prevention and limitation of environmental accidents.

  10. Contingency procedures in cases of environmental accidents.

  11. Staff information and training on environmental issues.

  12. External information on environmental issues.

EMAS regulations, Annex I.D. Good management practices that the companys environmental policy must be based on:

  1. A sense of responsibility for the environment amongst employees at all levels, shall be fostered.

  2. The environmental impact of all new activities, products and processes shall be assessed in advance.

  3. The impact of current activities on the local environment shall be assessed and monitored, and any significant impact of these activities on the environment in general, shall be examined.

  4. Measures necessary to prevent or eliminate pollution, and where this is not feasible, to reduce pollutant emissions and waste generation to the minimum and to conserve resources shall be taken, taking account of possible clean technologies.

  5. Measure necessary to prevent accidental emissions of materials or energy shall be taken.

  6. Monitoring procedures shall be established and applied, to check compliance with the environmental policy and, where these procedures require measurements and testing, to establish and update records of the results.

  7. Procedures and action to be pursued I the event of detection of non-compliance with its environmental policy, objectives or targets, shall be established and updated.

  8. Cooperation with the public authorities shall be ensured to establish and update contingency procedures to minimise the impact of any accidental discharges to the environment that nevertheless occur.

  9. Information necessary to understand the environmental impact of the companys activities shall be provided to the public, and open dialogue with the public should be pursued.

  10. Appropriate advice shall be provided to customers on the relevant environmental aspects of the handling, use and disposal of the products made by the company.

  11. Provisions shall be taken to ensure that contractors working at the site on the companys behalf appply environmental standards equivalent to the companys own.

The environmental policy should not just be thought of as a public relations exercise. It is a strategic document that states the companys environmental aims and objectives and forms the basis of the EMS. Even companies who do not want to implement a certified EMS, should design the policy carefully, as customers will want to see it.