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Introduction to Environmental Management System
What is an EMS?
An environmental management system (EMS) is part of an overall management system. As the name implies, an EMS provides a systematic process for identifying and managing a business' environmental risks. Specifically, it assists management and other staff to manage their operations in order to meet the winery's environmental legal obligations, achieve corporate environmental objectives, avoid any unintended environmental effects and identify opportunities to use resources more effectively.
Environmental management systems are an increasingly accepted means, both in Australia and overseas, of achieving a proactive approach to environmental management and resource efficiency.
What are the benefits of an EMS?
An effective EMS will:
- reduce pollution risks, the potential for environmental incidents and avoid the costs associated with such incidents
- reduce the risk of legal noncompliance and possible associated fines and bad publicity
- enable the winery to demonstrate due diligence in environmental issues
- identify opportunities for more effective use of resources
- enhance public image and offer marketing opportunities.
Another major benefit of implementing an EMS (and a Cleaner Production Program) is the opportunity it gives management and staff to work together in examining winery processes and improving environmental performance and production efficiencies. In many companies, this has significantly improved staff attitudes and performance.
Environmental Management System for Wineries
The main documents in the EMS module are a set of six procedures and guidelines which describe the six stages of implementing an environmental management system (described below).
To implement the EMS, you simply work through the six stages shown in the main menu and follow the instructions contained in them.
The six stages of the EMS are as follows:
1. Identify Environmental Effects
The first step in controlling your environmental effects is to identify the processes and operations in your winery that can damage the environment or use resources unsustainably. These are recorded in a Register of Environmental Effects.
2. Control Environmental Effects
The processes and operations identified in the previous step are then examined to see if current controls are adequate and to improve these controls where necessary to prevent environmental damage and to conserve resources.
3. Set Environment Policy
An environment policy is a set of principles and goals which communicates to staff, customers and the community your winery's commitments to maintaining and improving environmental performance. It provides a framework for action and for setting environmental goals. During this stage, an environment policy is set and promoted to your staff, customers and suppliers.
4. Train Staff
Training of staff is essential to good environmental practices and for controlling environmental effects. During this stage, you decide who needs training and carry out that training. Much of this training will be aimed at making staff aware of environmental effects and the controls that have been put in place.
5. Check Environmental Performance
Without some form of monitoring and measurement, you cannot know whether your environmental management is effective. During this stage, you will decide what needs to be measured in order to monitor your environmental performance.
6. Review
The senior manager needs to periodically review the EMS and the winery's environmental performance. This is necessary to ensure:
- the winery is complying with its legal obligations
- environmental risks have been identified are being adequately controlled
- improvement programs are delivering the benefits expected of them.
ISO 14001
The Environmental Management Kit is not designed to fulfill all the requirements of the international standard for environmental management, ISO 14001. To be compliant with ISO 14001, an environmental management system needs 16 formal system procedures covering such functions as document control, records management, communication, nonconformance and corrective action. Many of these procedures don't need to be formalised in a small winery and so are not included in the kit.
Get more details about the ISO 14001 compliance.
Next
First EMS procedure (Identifying Environmental Effects).
End of Introduction
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