What Environmental Management Systems are:

Environmental Management Systems are systems that are developed

and integrated in order to reduce the risks of pollution, and help the managers
to associate their business with better environmental practices in an
organized and efficiency way. In other words, the EMS is a process aimed to
resolve, mitigate, and prevent problems of an environmental nature, with the
objective of sustainable development. According to ISO 14001, EMS is
defined as part of the management system that includes organizational
structure, responsibilities, practices, procedures, processes and resources to
apply, prepare, review and maintain the company's environmental policy, and
also comply with the government laws.
The ISO 14000 System:
The ISO 14000 System is the most used Environmental Management
System in the world, and its certification is internationally recognized and
respected. This system is the standard that establishes the requirements for
the implementation and operation of the EMS, providing means of ensuring
business an effective and efficient management of environmental issues. The
ISO 14000 is a set of standards started in 14001 (comes to major
requirements for companies to identify, control and monitor its environmental
aspects, being the most common certification among all) until 14066.
A lot of companies around the United States are certificated with one of
the ISO 14000 standards (most common is the ISO 14001), for example, Ford
Motor Company, Xerox X-ink, Sony Semiconductor Company of America, 3M,
Apple Computer's Sacramento Operations Center, and much more. In New
Mexico, Westinghouse Waste Isolation Division and Philips Semiconductors
are certificated. Around the world, there are the Petrobras - Petrleo Brasileiro
SA, General Motors.
There are a lot of advantages and disadvantages over the
implementation of ISO 14000, according to the companies certified with ISO
14000, and researchers, but it is unanimous that the advantages outweigh the
disadvantages. Companies certified with EMS can have the ensuring of policy
implementation because the use of this EMS can forces the organization to
really achieve its goals, and its commitments with the law, consumers and the

environment, they can compete in the international competition, enabling

companies to do business with other companies that have the same
environmental responsibility, they have the customer satisfaction and
improved public image, especially in the case of manufacturers of durable
goods, where many ISO standards are more widespread. Regarding of the
disadvantages, one of the most cited was the cost of implementation.

REFERENCES:
[1]

Understanding and Implementing an Environmental Management System.

Retrieved from:
<http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/permits_ej_operations_pdf/p2emsstep1.pdf>
[2]

ISO

14000

Environmental

management.

Retrieved

from:

Retrieved

from:

<http://www.iso.org/iso/iso14000>
[3]

Environmental

Management

Systems

(EMS).

<http://www.epa.gov/ems/#basic>
[4]

ISO 14000. Retrieved from:

<http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/encyclopedia/Int-Jun/ISO-14000.html>
[5]

ISO14000 News & List of Companies Certified to ISO14001, updated for

2010. Retrieved from:

<http://www.ehso.com/EHSservices/iso14new.htm#newmexico>