Seminar

Report on

The Efficiency of Environment Management System

Submitted To: Submitted By:

Dr. Raminder Kaur Garima Kalia

Roll no.22421015

MBA-1 (Section-A)
INTRODUCTION

Environmental Management System (EMS) refers to the management of an organization’s

environmental programmers in a comprehensive, systematic, planned and documented manner. It
includes the organizational structure, planning and resources for developing, implementing and
maintaining policy for environmental protection. The International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) has defined environmental management system as that “part of the overall
management system that includes organizational structure, planning activities, responsibilities,
practices, procedures, processes and resources for developing, implementing, achieving,
reviewing and maintaining the environmental policy (ISO, 1996). It provides a systematic way to
ensure environmental issues are managed consistently and systematically throughout an
organization. For cities and local authorities, an EMS can assist in comprehensively addressing
environmental issues, while achieving increased credibility with key stakeholders, including
regulatory agencies and citizens. Effectively applied, an EMS can help integrate environmental
considerations with overall operations. It sets out environmental policies, objectives and targets
with pre-determined indicators that provide measurable goals, and a means of determining if the
performance level has been reached.

An EMS is an excellent mechanism for both understanding and promoting positive change
within a city or local authority. It enables private companies, central and state agencies, and other
organizations to establish and assesses the effectiveness of, procedures to set environmental
policy and objectives, achieve compliance, and demonstrate such compliance to others. This is
because EMS focuses attention upon a number of critical organizational factors, including
productive processes and technologies, management styles and systems, worker education and
participation, internal communications, and relations with regulatory agencies, other
governments, and neighboring communities. The process of establishing an EMS requires “buy-
in” from different levels of management and from employees. The successful implementation of
an EMS creates positive change, environmental awareness and continuous improvement.

EMS applied to local authorities provides a systematic approach to develop policies, practices
and procedures that are able to respond to the social, economic and environmental challenges
ahead. In order to accomplish their goals for implementing an EMS efficiently, accurately and
effectively, organizations need tools to assist them. In particular, experts and city managers
recognize and highlight a lack of education and training tools specifically designed to enable
local authorities assess the benefits, design and implement an EMS that meets their specific
needs. Organizations in particular local authorities of cities and towns need a sound
understanding of the environmental effects and impacts of the lifestyles, behaviors and values of
its citizens. Need to understand that the environment has strategic implications which must be
addressed by all stakeholders - at the global and local levels. Need for decision-making tools and
decision support systems that enable implementation of EMSs. After reading this unit, you will
be able to:

• Describe the key environmental issues concerning urbanization and in particular the
opportunities for better environmental management of cities and urban areas.

• Explain to decision-makers the need for co-operation

• Develop easy to use environmental management tools that can be used to implement
coordinated environmental policies and programmers involving all concerned stakeholders.

The Concept of Environmental Management System

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) defines environmental management

systems as “that part of the overall management system which includes organizational structure,
planning activities, responsibilities, practices, procedures, processes, and resources for
developing, implementing, achieving, reviewing, and maintaining the environmental policy.”

In other words, an EMS focuses on environmental management practices, rather than the
activities themselves. The EMS provides the structure by which the specific activities can be
carried out efficiently and in a manner consistent with key organizational goals, but does not
specify levels of performance (just for instance the EMS will ensure that proper procedures are
in place and that operator training exists, but won’t specify methods or frequency of sampling).
The EMS allows an organization the flexibility to adapt the system to its needs and priorities,
rather than forcing a “one size fits all” mentality. Implementation of an EMS is a voluntary
approach to improving environmental performance. Over the years, many public and private
sector organizations have implemented EMSs, and their numbers grow daily. These
organizations report a number of important EMS benefits.

Need to Introduce an Environmental Management System

The environment has become an important factor in the decision-making process of companies
around the world. Environmental issues are becoming more 62 Sustainable Development
complexes and interconnected. Traditional ways of addressing environmental issues - in a
reactive, ad-hoc, end-of-pipe manner - are proving to be highly inefficient. As competition
increases within the expanding global market, environmental laws and regulations are setting
new standards for business in every region of the world. But good environmental performance is
not just a legal or moral obligation. It also makes good business sense. Reducing pollution means
increasing efficiency and wasting fewer resources. Improved health and safety conditions result
in a more productive workforce. Supplying goods and services that respect the environment
helps to expand markets and improve sales.

In short, companies become more competitive when they practice good environmental
management system.

On the other hand, the risks posed by mismanaging environmental issues are complex and
varied. They include the obvious, such as damage to the environment with negative
consequences for the overall standard of living. They can also include damage to a company’s
reputation and a resulting loss of confidence among customers, neighbors and shareholders, the
loss of market share, and, of course, legal liabilities. Such risks cannot be dealt with on an ad-hoc
basis. As with any financial or commercial risk, only a well-founded and properly implemented
management approach can provide a measure of confidence that good performance is not an
accident and that poor performance can be identified and rectified. By properly implementing an
appropriate environmental management system (EMS), any company, large or small, can ensure
that they effectively manage environmental risks while identifying and exploiting the myriad
opportunities proper environmental management can bring. Such a systematic approach to
environmental management is at the very heart of the ISO 14001 standard. This checklist is
intended to allow managers of industrial facilities to review existing operations and management
approaches against this standard to determine how well they measure up to what is soon to be
considered as “state-of-the-art” in effective approaches to environmental management.

An Environmental Management System (EMS) performs the following functions:

• Serves as a tool to improve environmental performance

• Provides a systematic way of managing an organization’s environmental affairs

• Analyze the aspect of the organization’s overall management structure that addresses
immediate and long-term impacts of its products, services and processes on the environment

• Gives order and consistency for organizations to address environmental concerns through the
allocation of resources, assignment of responsibility and ongoing evaluation of practices,
procedures and processes

• Focuses on continual improvement of the system

ISO 14000

ISO is the International Organization for Standardization. It has a membership of 160 national
standards institutes from countries large and small, industrialized, developing and in transition,
in all regions of the world. ISO’s portfolio of more than 18 000 standards provides practical tools
for all three dimensions of sustainable development: economic, environmental and societal.

ISO standards for business, government and society as a whole make a positive contribution to
the world we live in. They ensure vital features such as quality, ecology, safety, economy,
reliability, compatibility, interoperability, conformity, efficiency and effectiveness. They
facilitate trade, spread knowledge, and share technological advances and good management
practice.

ISO develops only those standards that are required by the market. This work is carried out by
experts on loan from the industrial, technical and business sectors which have asked for the
standards, and which subsequently put them to use. These experts may be joined by others with
relevant knowledge, such as representatives of government agencies, testing laboratories,
consumer associations and academia, and by nongovernmental or other stakeholder
organizations that have a specific interest in the issues addressed in the standards.

ISO and the environment

ISO has a multi-faceted approach to meeting the needs of all stakeholders from business,
industry, governmental authorities and nongovernmental organizations, as well as consumers, in
the field of the environment.

1. ISO has developed standards that help organizations to take a proactive approach to managing
environmental issues: the ISO 14000 family of environmental management standards which can
be implemented in any type of organization in either public or private sectors – from companies
to administrations to public utilities.

2. ISO is helping to meet the challenge of climate change with standards for greenhouse gas
accounting, verification and emissions trading, and for measuring the carbon footprint of
products.

3. ISO develops normative documents to facilitate the fusion of business and environmental
goals by encouraging the inclusion of environmental aspects in product design.

4. ISO offers a wide-ranging portfolio of standards for sampling and test methods to deal with
specific environmental challenges. It has developed some 570 International Standards for the
monitoring of such aspects as the quality of air, water and the soil, as well as noise, radiation,
and for controlling the transport of dangerous goods. They also serve in a number of countries as
the technical basis for environmental regulations.

Environmental management and sustainability

Organizations around the world, as well as their stakeholders, are becoming increasingly aware
of the need for environmental management, socially responsible behavior, and sustainable
growth and development.
Accordingly, as the proactive management of environmental aspects converges with enterprise
risk management, corporate governance, and sound operational and financial practices and
performance, International Standards are becoming increasingly important for organizations to
work towards common and comparable environmental management practices to support the
sustainability of their organizations, products, and services.

Furthermore, governments and regulatory bodies are increasingly looking to ISO standards to
provide a framework to ensure alignment and consistency both nationally and internationally.

ISO International Standards and related normative documents provide consumers, regulators and
organizations in both public and private sectors with environmental tools with the following
characteristics:

9 Technically credible as ISO standards represent the sum of knowledge of a broad pool of
international expertise and stakeholders

9 Fulfill stakeholder needs as the ISO standards development process is based on international
input and consensus

9 Facilitate the development of uniform requirements as the ISO standards development

process is built on participation by its national member institutes from all regions of the world

9 Promote efficiencies when the same standards are implemented across markets, sectors,
and/or jurisdictions

9 Support regulatory compliance when the standards are used to meet market and regulatory
needs

9 Enhance investor confidence because the standards can be used for conformity assessment
such as by audit, inspection or certification. This enhances confidence in products, services and
systems that can be demonstrated to conform to ISO standards and provides practical support for
regulation.
Environmental management

Origins

ISO technical committee ISO/TC 207, Environmental management, is responsible for

developing and maintaining the ISO 14000 family of standards. The committee’s current
portfolio consists of 21 published International Standards and other types of normative
document, with another nine new or revised documents in preparation.

ISO/TC 207 was established in 1993, as a result of ISO’s commitment to respond to the
complex challenge of “sustainable development” articulated at the 1992 United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro.

It also stemmed from an intensive consultation process, carried out within the framework of the
ISO Strategic Advisory Group on Environment (SAGE). SAGE was established in 1991 and
brought together representatives of a variety of countries and international organizations – a total
of more than 100 environmental experts – who helped to define how International Standards
could support better environmental management.

As a result, the ISO 14000 family of standards for environmental management was launched to
provide a practical toolbox to assist in the implementation of actions supportive to sustainable
development

Compatibility

From its beginning, it was recognized that ISO/TC 207 should cooperate closely with ISO/TC
176, Quality management and quality assurance – the ISO technical committee responsible
for the ISO 9000 family of quality management standards – in the areas of management systems,
auditing and related terminology.

Successful steps have been taken to ensure compatibility of the ISO 14001 and ISO 9001
standards to facilitate their use by organizations that wish to implement both environmental and
quality management systems to benefit themselves and their customers and stakeholders. These
steps include a common standard (ISO 19011) giving guidelines for auditing environmental
and/or quality management systems
Global participation

Membership of ISO/TC 207 is among the highest of any ISO technical committee and is both
broad and diverse in representation, two key indicators of the worldwide interest in the work of
this technical committee. National delegations of environmental experts from over 100 countries
participate in ISO/TC 207, including 27 developing countries. The leadership of the committee is
“twinned” between a developed and developing country (currently Canada and Brazil).

The national delegations are chosen by the national standards institute concerned and they are
required to bring to ISO/TC 207 a national consensus on issues being addressed by the technical
committee. This national consensus is derived from a process of consultation with interested
parties and stakeholders in each country.

ISO/TC 207 continues to explore new and innovative ways to allow member countries to
contribute and participate in the standards development process without increasing their carbon
footprint.

ISO/TC 207 has relationships with over 30 international organizations that serve as liaison
members to the technical committee. These organizations include the following:

9 Asian Productivity Organizations

9 Confederations of European Paper Industries

9 European Commissions

9 Environmental Defense Fund

9 Global Ecolabelling Network

9 International Aluminum Institute

9 International Chamber of Commerce

9 International Institutes for Sustainable Development

9 International Irons and Steel Institute

9 Organizations for Economic Co-operation and Development

9 Sierra Club

9 United Nations Environment Program

9 World Business Council for Sustainable Development

9 World Health Organization 9 World Resources Institute 9 World Trade Organizations.

Scope of ISO/TC 207’s work

Published documents and ongoing work of ISO/TC 207 address the following areas:

9 Environmental management systems

9 Environmental auditing and related environmental investigations

9 Environmental performance evaluations

9 Environmental labeling

9 Life cycle assessment

9 Environmental communications

9 Environmental aspects of product design and development

9 Environmental aspects in product standards

9 Terms and definitions

9 Greenhouse gas management and related activities

9 Measuring the carbon footprint of products.

The ISO 14000 family of standards reflects international consensus on good environmental and
business practice that can be applied by organizations all over the world in their specific context.
Overview of the ISO 14000 family of standards

Published standards

ISO 14001 is the world’s most recognized framework for environmental management systems
(EMS) – implemented from Argentina to Zimbabwe – that helps organizations both to manage
better the impact of their activities on the environment and to demonstrate sound environmental
management.

ISO 14001 has been adopted as a national standard by more than half of the 160 national
members of ISO and its use is encouraged by governments around the world. Although
certification of conformity to the standard is not a requirement of ISO 14001, at the end of 2007,
at least 154 572 certificates had been issued in 148 countries and economies.

Other environmental management tools developed by ISO/TC 207 include: ISO 14004, which
complements ISO 14001 by providing additional guidance and useful explanations.

Environmental audits are important tools for assessing whether an EMS is properly implemented
and maintained. The auditing standard, ISO 19011, is equally useful for EMS and quality
management system audits. It provides guidance on principles of auditing, managing audit
programs, the conduct of audits and on the competence of auditors.

ISO 14031 provides guidance on how an organization can evaluate its environmental
performance. The standard also addresses the selection of suitable performance indicators, so
that performance can be assessed against criteria set by management. This information can be
used as a basis for internal and external reporting on environmental performance.
Communication on the environmental aspects of products and services is an important way to
use market forces to influence environmental improvement.

Truthful and accurate information provides the basis on which consumers can make informed
purchasing decisions.
The ISO 14020 series of standards addresses a range of different approaches to environmental
labels and declarations, including eco-labels (seals of approval), self-declared environmental
claims, and quantified environmental information about products and services.

ISO 14001 addresses not only the environmental aspects of an organization’s processes, but also
those of its products and services. Therefore ISO/TC 207 has developed additional tools to assist
in addressing such aspects. Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a tool for identifying and evaluating
the environmental aspects of products and services from the “cradle to the grave” : from the
extraction of resource inputs to the eventual disposal of the product or its waste. The ISO 14040
standards give guidelines on the principles and conduct of LCA studies that provide an
organization with information on how to reduce the overall environmental impact of its products
and services.

ISO 14064 parts 1, 2 and 3 are international greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting and
verification standards which provide a set of clear and verifiable requirements to support
organizations and proponents of GHG emission reduction projects.

ISO 14065 complements ISO 14064 by specifying requirements to accredit or recognize

organizational bodies that undertake GHG validation or verification using ISO 14064 or other
relevant standards or specifications.

ISO 14063, on environmental communication guidelines and examples, helps companies to

make the important link to external stakeholders

ISO provides guidance for addressing environmental aspects in product standards. Although
primarily aimed at standards developers, its guidance is also useful for designers and
manufacturers.

Upcoming new standards

Sustainable development policy and practice has attracted considerable attention and debate in
the past 15 years. Our understanding of and concerns about environmental and sustainable
development issues have also evolved over time. Just as the existing ISO 14000 standards play
an important role in helping organizations to address today’s priorities, so too can future
standards help to address future priorities.
 An integral part of an organization’s EMS is the commitment to continual improvement.
ISO/TC 207 takes this principle to heart and is constantly improving its process to identify and
respond to new standardization needs. ISO/TC 207’s success in continuing to work on relevant
standards is evidenced by the development of the following new standards:

ISO 14045 will provide principles and requirements for eco-efficiency assessment. Eco-
efficiency relates environmental performance to value created. The standard will establish an
internationally standardized methodological framework for eco-efficiency assessment, thus
supporting a comprehensive, understandable and transparent presentation of eco-efficiency
measures.

ISO 14051 will provide guidelines for general principles and framework of material flow cost
accounting (MFCA). MFCA is a management tool to promote effective resource utilization,
mainly in manufacturing and distribution processes, in order to reduce the relative consumption
of resources and material costs.

MFCA measures the flow and stock of materials and energy within an organization based on
physical unit (weight, capacity, volume and so on) and evaluates them according to
manufacturing costs, a factor which is generally overlooked by conventional cost accounting.
MFCA is one of the major tools of environmental management accounting (EMA) and is
oriented to internal use within an organization.

ISO 14067 on the carbon footprint of products will provide requirements for the
quantification and communication of greenhouse gases (GHGs) associated with products. The
purpose of each part will be to: quantify the carbon footprint; and harmonize methodologies for
communicating the carbon footprint information and also provide guidance for this
communication.

ISO 14069 will provide guidance for organizations to calculate carbon footprint of their
products, services and supply chain.

ISO 14005 will provide guidelines for the phased implementation of an EMS to facilitate the
take-up of EMS by small and medium-sized enterprises. It will include the use of environmental
performance evaluation. ISO 14006 will provide guidelines on eco-design.
 ISO 14033 will provide guidelines and examples for compiling and communicating
quantitative environmental information.

Finally, ISO 14066 will specify competency requirements for greenhouse gas validators and
verifiers.

The development program of ISO/TC 207 is constantly evolving, driven by market needs.
Hence the above is a small sample of areas where standards are currently in development.

Environmental and economic benefits

Although the ISO 14000 standards are designed to be mutually supportive, they can also be used
independently of each other to achieve environmental goals. The whole ISO 14000 family of
standards provides management tools for organizations to manage their environmental aspects
and assess their environmental performance. Together, these tools can provide significant
tangible economic benefits, including the following:

9 Reduced raw material/resource uses

9 Reduced energy consumption

9 Improved process efficiency

9 Reduced waste generation and disposal costs

9 Utilization of recoverable resources.

Of course, associated with each of these economic benefits are distinct environmental benefits
too. This is the contribution that the ISO 14000 series makes to the environmental and economic
components of sustainable development and the triple bottom line.

The ISO 14000 family and the PDCA cycle

Plan Do Check Act
Environmental management Conduct life cycle assessment Conduct audits and evaluate Communicate and use
system implementation and manage environmental environmental performance environmental
aspects declarations and claims
ISO 14050:2009 Environmental ISO 14040:2006 ISO 14015:2001 Environmental ISO 14020:2000
management – Vocabulary Environmental management – management – Environmental Environmental labels and
Life cycle assessment – assessment of sites and declarations – General
Principles and framework organizations (EASO) principles
ISO 14001:2004 Environmental ISO 14044:2006 ISO 14031:1999 Environmental ISO 14021:1999
management systems – Environmental management – management – Environmental Environmental labels and
Requirements with guidance for Life cycle assessment – performance evaluation – declarations – Self-
use Requirements and guidelines Guidelines declared environmental
claims (Type II
environmental labeling)
ISO 14004:2004 Environmental ISO/TR 14047:2003 ISO 19011:2002 Guidelines for ISO 14024:1999
management systems – General Environmental management – quality and/or environmental Environmental labels and
guidelines on principles, systems Life cycle impact assessment – management systems auditing declarations – Type I
and support techniques Examples of application of ISO environmental labeling –
14042 Principles and procedures
ISO/DIS 14005 Environmental ISO/TS 14048:2002 ISO 14025:2006
management systems – Environmental management – Environmental labels and
Guidelines for the phased Life cycle assessment – Data declarations – Type III
implementation of an documentation format environmental
environmental management declarations – Principles
system, including the use of and procedures
environmental performance
evaluation
ISO/AWI 14033
Environmental
management –
Quantitative
environmental
information – Guidelines
and examples
Address environmental aspects Evaluate greenhouse gas
in products and product performance
standards
ISO :2008 ISO/TR 14049:2000 ISO 14064-3:2006 Greenhouse ISO 14063:2006
Guides for addressing Environmental management – gases – Part 3 : Specification Environmental
environmental issues in product Life cycle assessment – with guidance for the management –
standards Examples of application of ISO validation and verification of Environmental
14041 to goal and scope greenhouse gas assertions communication –
definition and inventory Guidelines and examples
analysis
Plan Do Check Ac

ISO/CD 14006 ISO/CD 14051 Environmental management – Material flow ISO 14065:2007
Environmental cost accounting – General principles and framework Greenhouse gases –
management systems – Requirements for
Guidelines on eco- greenhouse gas
design validation and
verification bodies for
use in accreditation or
other forms of
recognition
ISO/WD 14045
Eco-efficiency assessment – Principles and requirements
Manage greenhouse gases
ISO/TR 14062:2002 ISO 14064-1:2006 Greenhouse gases – Part 1: Specification ISO/CD 14066
Environmental with guidance at the organization level for quantification Greenhouse gases –
management – and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and removals Competency
Integrating requirements for
environmental aspects greenhouse gas
into product design validators and verifiers
and development document
ISO 14064-2:2006 Greenhouse gases – Part 2 : Specification
with guidance at the project level for quantification,
monitoring and reporting of greenhouse gas emission
reductions or removal enhancements
ISO/WD 14067-1 Carbon footprint of products – Part 1:
Quantification ISO/WD 14067-2 Carbon footprint of
products – Part 2: Communication
ISO/AWI 14069 GHG – Quantification and reporting of GHG
emissions for organizations (Carbon footprint of
 organization) – Guidance for the application of ISO 14064-1

Plan

ISO 14000
Act Family of Do
Standards

Check

Incorporating EMS into Corporate Business Practices

As an EMS is integrated into an organization’s business decision-making processes, it can

improve program management and enhance environmental performance. Some speakers’
organizations found that the EMS improved overall productivity. As an EMS is incorporated into
central management systems and organizational strategies, there is less need for external
oversight as core business operations take ownership of environmental responsibility. The full
cost of implementing an EMS includes the salary and time costs of in-house staff devoted to the
project, as well as costs of any certification program. Total costs will vary, depending on the
quality of the organization’s existing environmental management/protection systems. Several
speakers concluded that an EMS, once implemented, should result in cost savings over time. One
speaker from a large corporation stated that, with the implementation of a corporate wide
management system, his organization’s long-term vision includes facility self-governance,
incorporating self-auditing of their compliance with environmental regulations. Several speakers
addressed the benefit of dealing with environmental, safety, and health issues together as part of
business planning and operational risk assessment. They agreed that integrating these issues into
the same management concepts makes good business sense.

MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: AN OVERVIEW

Basics about Management

The management process involves performance of certain fundamental functions. One useful
classification of managerial functions has been given by Luther Gulick, who abbreviating them
using the word POSDCORB - Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, Coordinating,
Reporting and Budgeting. There is no commonly held opinion about the managerial functions
proposed by different experts. By combining many of those views, this unit discusses the
managerial functions under the headings

i) Planning
ii) Organizing
iii) Staffing
iv) Directing
v) Coordinating
vi) Controlling
vii) Budgeting
viii) Delegation
ix) Leading

Management Process

Management is a distinct process consisting of various functions of management to determine

and accomplish stated objectives by the use of human and other resources. As a process,
management consists of three aspects:

i) Management is a social process – Since people are central in the process of

development, human factor is most important among the other factors. As managers
 of developmental programs are concerned with developing relationship among
people. It is the duty of manager to make interaction between people for attaining
developmental goals.
ii) Management is an integrating process – Manager undertakes the job of bringing
together human, physical and financial resources so as to achieve organizational
purpose. As it is an important function to bring harmony between various resources
and integrate them to attain the developmental goals.
iii) Management is a continuous process – It’s a never ending process and concerned
with constantly identifying the development problems and solving them by taking adequate
steps.
iv) Human betterment and social justice – Through increased productivity and
development, management ensures better standards of living for the society. It
provides justice through its uniform policies.

Importance of Management

i) It helps in achieving group goals – It arranges, organize and integrate the resources
in effective manner to achieve developmental goals. It directs group efforts towards
achievement of pre-determined goals. By defining objectives of development clearly,
there would be no wastage of time, money and effort.
ii) Optimum utilization of resources – Management utilizes all the physical and human
resources productively in the process of development. Management provides
maximum utilization of scarce resources by selecting its best possible alternate use.
iii) Reduces costs – It gets maximum results through minimum inputs by proper
planning of physical, human and financial resources in such a manner which results in
best combination to reduce costs.
iv) Establishes sound organization – It establishes effective authority and responsibility
relationship that is who is accountable to whom, who can give instructions to whom,
who are superiors and who are subordinates. Management fills up various positions
with right persons, having right skills, training and qualification.
v) Establishes equilibrium – It adapts organization to changing demand of people /
changing needs of society.
 vi) Essentials for prosperity of society – Efficient management leads to better
economical production which helps in turn to increase the welfare of people. Good
management makes a difficult developmental task easier by avoiding wastage of
scarce resources.

BASIC ELEMENTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

(EMS)

The key elements of any environmental management system are:

• Environmental policy - Develop a statement of the organization’s commitment to the

environment. Use this policy as a framework for planning and action.

• Environmental aspects - Identify environmental attributes of products, activities, and

services. Determine those that could have significant impacts on the environment.

• Legal and other requirements- Identify and ensure access to relevant laws and regulations,
as well as other requirements to which the organization adheres to.

• Objectives and targets - Establish environmental goals for the organization, in line with the
policy, environmental impacts, the views of interested parties, and other factors. Sustainable

• Environmental management program - Plan actions necessary to achieve objectives and

targets.

• Structure and responsibility - Establish roles and responsibilities for environmental

management and provide appropriate resources.

• Training, awareness, and competence - Ensure that the employees are trained and capable of
carrying out their environmental responsibilities.

• Communication - Establish processes for internal and external communications on

environmental management issues.

• EMS documentation - Maintain information on EMS and related documents.

• Document control - Ensure effective management of procedures and other system documents.
• Operational control- Identify, plan, and manage the operations and activities in line with the
policy, objectives, and targets.

• Emergency preparedness and response - Identify potential emergencies and develop

procedures for preventing and responding to them.
 • Monitoring and measurement - Monitor key activities and track performance. Conduct
periodic assessments of compliance with legal requirements.

• Non conformance and corrective and preventive action - Identify and correct problems and
prevent their recurrence.

• Records - Maintain and manage records of EMS performance.

• EMS audit - Periodically verify that the EMS is operating as intended.

• Management review - Periodically review the EMS with an eye to continual improvement.

Elements of ISO 14001

ISO/DIS 14001 is one of a series of emerging international environmental management
standards, which aims at promoting continual improvement in company environmental
performance through the adoption and implementation of an environmental management system.
The (draft) standard specifies the core elements of an EMS, but contains only those elements that
may be objectively audited for certification or self-declaration purposes. A companion guidance
standard, ISO/DIS 14004 includes examples, descriptions and options that aid in the
implementation of an EMS and in integrating the EMS into overall management practices. It is
not intended for use by certification/registration bodies. ISO/DIS 14001 defines an overall
environmental management system, closely modeled on the ISO 9000 quality systems standard,
and covers the following key elements:

i) Establishment of an appropriate environmental policy that is documented and

communicated to employees and made available to the public, and which includes a
commitment to continual improvement and pollution prevention, regulatory
compliance and a framework for setting objectives.
ii) A planning phase that covers the identification of the environmental aspects of the
organization’s activities, identification and access to legal requirements,
establishment and documentation of objectives and targets consistent with the policy,
and establishment of a program for achieving said targets and objectives (including
the designation of responsible individuals, necessary means and timeframes).
iii) Implementation and operation of the EMS including the definition, documentation
and communication of roles and responsibilities, provision of appropriate training,
assurance of adequate internal and external communication, written management
system documentation as well as appropriate document control procedures,
documented procedures for operational controls, and documented and communicated
emergency response procedures.
iv) Checking and corrective action procedures including procedures for regular
monitoring and measurement of key characteristics of the operations and activities,
procedures for dealing with situations of non-conformity, specific record maintenance
procedures and procedures for auditing the performance of the EMS.
v) Periodic management reviews of the overall EMS to ensure its suitability,
adequacy and effectiveness in light of changing circumstances. The EMS provides a
structured process for the achievement of continual improvement, the rate and extent
of which is determined by the organization in light of economic and other
circumstances. Although some improvement in environmental performance can be
expected due to the adoption of a systematic approach, it should be understood that
the EMS is a tool which enables the organization to achieve and systematically
control the level of environmental performance that it sets itself. The establishment of
an EMS will not, in itself, necessarily result in an immediate reduction of adverse
environmental impact. Indeed, care needs to be taken that the mere establishment of
an EMS does not lull the organization into a false sense of security. But effectively
used, an EMS should enable an organization to improve its environmental
performance and avoid or reduce adverse environmental impacts over time.

An organization has the freedom and flexibility to define the boundaries of its system
and may choose to implement an EMS throughout the entire organization, or within
specific operating units or activities of the organization. If it is implemented for a
specific operating unit or activity, policies and procedures developed by other parts of
the organization can be used to meet the requirements of an environmental
management system, provided that they are applicable to the specific operating unit
or activity that will be subject to the environmental management system. The level of
detail and complexity of the environmental management system, the extent of
documentation and resources dedicated to it will be dependent on the size of the
organization and the nature of its activities. This may be the case in particular for
small and medium-sized enterprises.
Integration of environmental matters with the overall management system can
contribute to the effective implementation of the environmental management system,
as well as to the efficiency and clarity of roles. In many aspects, the ISO 14001
standard shares common management system principles with the ISO 9000 series of
quality system standards. In the beginning of the ISO 14001 standard, it states that
“organizations may elect to use an existing management system consistent with the
ISO 9000 series as a basis for its environmental management system. It should be
understood, however, that the application of various elements of the management
system may differ due to different purposes and different interested parties. While
quality management systems deal with customer needs, environmental management
systems address the needs of a broad range of interested parties and the evolving
needs of society for environmental protection.”
 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS IN
MUNICIPALITIES
Since its publication in 1996, the manufacturing industry has embraced the concept of
Environmental Management Systems. However the ISO standard was not designed specifically
for implementation in manufacturing, or even just for-profit businesses; it specifically uses the
word “organization” to imply any group of individuals that come together for a specific purpose
under a specific administrative structure. The benefits of the EMS approach – which will also be
discussed in this section – have led to its application in other locations, such as local
governments, with similar success. Several pilot studies have been commissioned at the
International, Federal and State levels to demonstrate this, and the evidence is clear that
municipalities can realize benefits at least equal to those achieved by business. Much like
businesses, municipal governments have a complex system of organizational management and
are subject to large number of regulatory requirements. However, unlike many businesses,
municipalities typically have a very wide scope of activities that encompass power generation,
water and wastewater treatment, solid waste collection and disposal, maintenance of the local
infrastructure, and enforcement of numerous federal, state and local codes. Further, many of
these operations interact directly with the environment and have a high potential for significant
impact if a problem occurs. For these reasons, an EMS may in fact be more useful for protecting
the environment in a municipal setting than in a business setting.

i) Municipal EMS Pilot Project

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), in conjunction with Five

Winds International, conducted a Municipal EMS Pilot Project with seven Pennsylvania
municipalities from 2001 – 2003. The materials used by those municipalities form the core of
this guidebook, having been refined based on their experiences and recommendations.

ii) Municipalities Participating in the PA EMS Pilot Project

 Brockway Borough – Wastewater Treatment Facility
 Crawford County – Crawford County Correctional Facility
 City Of Erie – Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority
 Hampden Township – Wastewater Treatment Facility
 Lawrence County – Long-Term Care Facility
 City of Philadelphia – Solid Waste Collection Operations and NW Transfer Station
 Venango County – Two Mile Run County Park

Examples from these case studies are included throughout this section to illustrate the benefits of
implementing an EMS as have been realized by Pennsylvania municipalities. Additionally,
success factors for implementation identified by pilot municipality participants are described.
ii) Benefits of a Municipal EMS
Multiple studies have been performed to examine the benefits of the EMS approach,
The evidence indicates that the systems approach to managing environmental issues
that is fundamental to an EMS causes a deep, cultural shift in how the organization
addresses these issues. Every employee must incorporate environmental
considerations into their daily job functions. Thus the documented benefits of
implementing an EMS range from improved compliance with environmental
regulations and often a reduction in fines to increased management efficiency and
even a reduction in waste production and energy consumption. The systematic EMS
approach to the daily management of energy and environmental objectives leads to
benefits that can only be created by an integrated effort across the entire organization,
and are typically difficult to foresee prior to the implementation of the EMS.
A particularly useful element of an EMS is the incorporation of stakeholder
requirements and external communications. Because municipalities are public entities
designed to serve local communities, the increased transparency and ability to
respond to the needs of the community typically improves relationships between the
municipality and its various stakeholders. The increased management and operational
efficiency gained with an EMS also improves the ability of the municipality to
provide its services to the community inexpensively and with greater effectiveness.
The Pennsylvania EMS Pilot Project Participants anticipate realizing many of the
benefits common to EMS implementation; however it is still relatively early to
predict whether long-term benefits, such as improved relationships with regulators
and regulatory compliance, will be achieved. Despite this, numerous benefits have
been noted by Pilot Project Participants, including:
• Capturing Institutional Knowledge;
• Streamlining Operations.
iii) Primary EMS Benefits for Municipalities
• Positive effect on environmental performance and compliance
• Improved EHS/ emergency response training, awareness, involvement and
competency
• Increased management and operational efficiency
• Improved relationships with regulators and the community
• Reduced waste production and energy consumption
• Process for inclusion of multiple stakeholder requirements • Increased transparency
and ability to respond to community requests for information

Each of these benefits is discussed below in three broad heads:

a) Capturing Institutional Knowledge

All municipalities involved in the Pilot Project strongly agreed that the most
significant, initial benefit they recognized from the EMS implementation process was
to capture the institutional knowledge contained in the heads of employees. By
consulting with employees and documenting the “how-to” of routine municipal
operations, the participants found that the time required for training new staff
decreased, and that they were protected from the loss of critical operating knowledge
when senior employees retire. Additionally, the documentation of ongoing
maintenance efforts required of the EMS has allowed many municipalities to
coordinate municipal activities with greater efficiency and improve service delivery
in some instances.

b) Streamlining Operations

By documenting the processes used to complete routine municipal duties, many

Pilot Project Participants also found that they were able to reduce the number of
steps involved in the process, saving time, energy and money. Further, the
documents allowed them to standardize the way routine tasks were performed,
improving processes and creating additional savings. The EMS implementation
process also forced participants to document training, compliance and
maintenance schedules, which helped them to stay current with these items, plan
staff schedules more effectively, and avoid schedule conflicts with other
municipal activities.

c) Regulatory Fine and Cost Avoidance

Pilot Project participants observed significant savings through the avoidance of

fines and costs that it could have incurred had the EMS not been in place. Specific
cost savings resulted through reducing incidents due to improper maintenance,
reducing the need for on-the-job training, and retaining and communicating of
critical information over time. One participant even cited a reduction in regulatory
fines due to increased employee awareness from EMS training programs.

EMAS (Eco Management and Audit Scheme)

European Commission developed EMAS (management tool) for companies and

organizations to evaluate report and improve environmental performance. EMAS
is open to any type of organization that wants to improve its environmental
performance. It covers all sectors of the economy and services and is applicable
worldwide. The EMAS system has the principle of voluntariness and accessibility
to all economic sectors. The key features of EMAS are transparency, accuracy
and efficiency. EMAS is a system harmonized at EU level (European
Commission, 2017). The EMAS system provides:
1. Greater credibility, transparency and reputation;
2. Enhanced management of environmental risks and opportunities;
3. Better environmental and financial results;
4. Greater employee motivation.
Environmental management instruments

Environmental management methods and instruments are systematic means of

obtaining environmental information and helping to make decisions about the
environmental impact of ongoing or planned activities to protect and improve the
environment, or to achieve the goals of sustainable development. These funds can
be used by all social actors (whether from the private or public sector), in Sims
and at all levels, from local, through regional, national to international (Entesar,
2018). There are a number of management tools (mechanisms, resources,
methodologies) that are currently in use or can be used to achieve specific
environmental goals. The most interesting classification of environmental
management instruments is according to the criteria of the entities applying them,
and it is possible to distinguish: instruments in the creation, implementation or
implementation of which international organizations have a leading role;
instruments for the implementation of which are the responsibility of the States;
instruments pertaining to business organizations and instruments created for the
most part to enable public participation in decision-making processes. The
complexity of individual management instruments should be taken into account.
Environmental management instruments are:
• Planning instruments;
• Economic instruments;
• Legal instruments;
• Environmental Impact Assessment;
• Monitoring and evaluation instruments and management instruments that are
largely inherent in business organizations: the concept of clean production;
integrated production policy;
• Life cycle assessment;
• Risk assessment and risk management;
• Environmental verification;
• Eco-labeling;
• Environmental performance evaluation;
• Environmental accounting;
• Green Procurement;
• Voluntary agreements;
• Environmental management systems;
• Instruments derived from the concept of integrated pollution prevention and
prevention;
• Procedures related to public participation and the concept of sustainable
production.
In practice, a greater number of eco-management and / or environmental
management tools are being implemented. Some of the instruments are used as a
legal obligation, some are standardized according to national or international
standards and their implementation is voluntary, while others are in the
development and refinement phase. According to the OECD, the following
economic instruments exist:
1. Fees and taxes on pollution emissions;
2. User fees and taxes;
3. Penalties;
4. Product fees;
5. Performance guarantees and,
6. Damages (Popov, 2011).
Strategic environmental assessment can take many forms:
1. Sectoral (transport, energy, water management development strategies);
2. Spatial (assessment of spatial plans at national, regional and local level);
3. Indirect (environmental assessment of scientific programs, plans for
privatization of public companies, etc.). The scope of strategic environmental
assessment involves testing the quality of: air, water, land, biodiversity, as well as
waste recycling. In addition, it may include multisource impact assessment
(cumulative impact assessment) and social impact assessment (Mihajlović,
Stojanović & Ilić, 2011).
 Social sustainability

In the most basic sense, ‘social sustainability’ implies a system of social organization that
alleviates poverty. In a more fundamental sense, however, ‘social sustainability’ establishes the
nexus between social conditions such as poverty and Ž . Environmental decay see Ruttan, 1991.

This theory of social organization identifies a negative linkage between sustained colonization,
sustained poverty levels, and sustained natural resource exploitation. There is a divergence of
opinion in development theory whether ‘environmental sustainability’ is a prerequisite of
economic growth and poverty alleviation, or economic growth and poverty alleviation are
needed before ‘environmental sustainability’ can even be addressed.

There is some evidence that ‘environmental sustainability’ may be a necessary pre-condition of

sustained economic growth. For example, the United States has been expanding the amount of its
land area covered by trees since the 1920s and actively managing its soils since the 1930s. These
measures have greatly improved America’s productivity in paper products and foodstuffs since
the Great Depression. On the other hand, some developing countries, for example, Costa Rica,
are jeopardizing their long-term socio-economic prospects by engaging in rapacious resource
depletion. Net losses of natural capital in these nations imperil social gains from improvements
in financial, technical and human capital see Ž Repetto, 1992.

. The latter position was defended by the late Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, on the
grounds that very poor countries must accept temporary environmental degradation in order to
meet immediate needs of food and shelter before they can pursue permanent economic and
environmental improvements. Her view was that developing countries simply cannot afford to
put environmental protection before economic development. In contrast to this view, the theory
of ‘social sustainability’ posits that the alleviation of poverty need not entail environmental
decline. It aims to alleviate poverty within the existing resource base of a society
Bibliography

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(n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.icao.int/NACC/Documents/Meetings/2018/ASBU18/OD-18-

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https://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/39209/1/Unit-4.pdf
An Introduction to Responsible Care®

Responsible Care® is the chemical industry’s unique global initiative that drives continuous
improvement in environment, health, safety and security (EHS&S) performance, together with
open and transparent communication among stakeholders. Responsible Care embraces the
development and application of sustainable chemistry, which helps our industry contribute to
sustainable development while allowing us to meet the world’s growing need for essential
chemicals and chemical products. Launched in 1985 by the Canadian Chemical Producers’
Association and currently practiced in 58 chemical associations in more than 60 countries around
the globe, this dynamic initiative is constantly evolving to meet the challenges faced by chemical
manufacturers throughout the value chain. The Responsible Care Global Charter was launched in
2006 to strengthen the industry’s commitment to the initiative, focusing on the roles,
responsibilities and accountabilities of global chemical companies in support of Responsible
Care. Company CEOs signing the Charter are expected to implement Responsible Care in their
organizations and implement efforts worldwide. Within the Arabian Gulf Region, the Gulf
Petrochemical and Chemicals Association (GPCA) is accountable for ensuring that its members
implement Responsible Care, which includes fostering capacity building, the sharing of
Environment, Health, Safety and Security (EHS&S) information and employing an increasingly
rigorous system of Codes of Management Practices, performance indicators and verification
procedures. Additionally, Responsible Care outreach spans a vast range of activities from
cooperative performance-based initiatives with government agencies to local community projects
such as the development of wildlife habitats in addition to tailored programs for students and
teachers. Responsible Care has become a requirement for GPCA membership. It is an ongoing
program that provides a checklist of activities for member companies to implement. This list is
updated periodically in light of new information, new technology, new expectations, and a
constant reassessment of performance and objectives. Responsible Care is a way of doing
business. Responsible Care fostered the development of the ICCA Global Product Strategy
(GPS), which seeks to improve chemicals management, including risk assessment and
management throughout the supply chain. Responsible Care helps the chemical industry to report
and track progress on critical elements of chemicals management.
Responsible Care Global Charter

Launched in 2006, at the UN-led International Conference on Chemicals Management in Dubai

the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) Responsible Care® Global Charter
was revised in 2014 to respond to current stakeholder expectations, as well as to the
opportunities and challenges facing the global chemical industry. CEO’s signing the charter
commit to actively strengthen Responsible Care worldwide by dedicating their company, people,
technologies and business practices to the six key elements:

1. A corporate leadership culture that proactively supports safe chemicals management

through the global Responsible Care initiative.

Charter signatories commit to provide leadership and resources to:

• Implement Responsible Care principles and practices wherever the company manufactures
or sells products; • Participate in national Responsible Care programs where the company has
significant business activities;

• Contribute to the further expansion of Responsible Care in regions where the company has
significant business activities;

• Promote industry and public awareness of Responsible Care;

• Provide practical support and share best practices to enable other parties to successfully
implement Responsible Care.

2. Safeguarding people and the environment by continuously improving our

environmental, health and safety performance; the security of our facilities, processes and
technologies; and by driving continuous improvement in chemical product safety and
stewardship throughout the supply chain.
Charter signatories commit to:
• Implementing corporate principles, policies and procedures to safeguard employees,
contractors, the public and the environment;
 • Strive for continuous improvement with respect to workplace health and safety, public
safety, process safety, environmental performance and the security of the company’s
facilities and products.
3. Strengthening chemicals management systems by participating in the development and
implementation of lifecycle-oriented, sound-science and risk-based chemical safety
legislation and best practices.
Charter signatories commit to managing the safety of chemical products in accordance
with the expectations of the ICCA Global Product Strategy (GPS), including:
• Active collaboration in the development and implementation of effective, risk-based
chemicals management policies, regulations and performance standards;
• Active participation in capacity building initiatives to advance the safe management of
chemicals across the globe;
• Contributions to national and international education and research that advances
understanding of the safety of chemicals, such as the Globally Harmonized System of
Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) and the Long-range Research Initiative
(LRI).
4. Influencing Business Partners to promote the safe management of chemicals within
their own operations;
Charter signatories commit to:
• Drive continuous improvement in product safety and stewardship processes and
management;
• Provide information and assistance to enable safe chemicals management along the
value chain;
• Collaborate with chemical users on maintaining and improving processes for the safe
and effective uses of chemicals;
• Champion Responsible Care along the chemical industry value chain and encourage
similar approaches in other industrial sectors.
5. Engaging stakeholders and understanding and responding to their concerns and
expectations for safer operations and products and communicating openly on our
performance and products.
Global Charter signatories commit to:
 • Implement corporate principles, policies and processes to drive continuous
improvement in waste management, greenhouse gas emissions and the efficient use of
resources including energy, raw materials and water;
• Promote the importance of chemicals in improving quality of life and contributing to
sustainable development; • Participate in initiatives which confirm Responsible Care as a
major contributor to sustainable development and encourage others to make it part of
their own contributions to sustainability.

Commitment to the Responsible Care initiative begins at the highest level of

the organization and reaches across a company’s functional areas to each
and every employee.

Business Benefits of Responsible Care®

1. Compliance Assurance
GPCA member companies have voluntarily embarked on achieving the internationally
renowned RC14001 certification. RC14001 extends the environmental requirements of
ISO14001 to include health, safety and security and other Responsible Care® requirements,
in addition to ensuring that member companies are legally compliant with EHS&S
regulations.
2. Return on Investment
Implementation of Responsible Care practices can yield many business benefits, such as
energy efficiency, reduced emissions, improved waste management, fewer incidents, more
secure facilities and operations, which contribute to lower operating costs.
3. Risk and Liability Reduction The Responsible Care Codes of Management Practice
facilitate the identification and management of EHS&S risks and liabilities in a proactive
and sustainable manner. GPCA has established a platform for sharing best practice and
lessons learned.
4. Improved Community Relations
 Responsible Care requires companies to communicate openly on their performance and
products. The Community Awareness and Emergency Response Code encourages the
sharing of resources and EHS&S information in particular with regards to emergency
support, thus benefitting the broader community.
1. Competitive Advantage
Responsible Care certified companies have a competitive advantage as they have
demonstrated excellence in environmental, health, safety, security, product stewardship,
and value chain performance, combined with robust community outreach.
2. Customer Expectations
Reliable management systems are increasingly in demand by a company’s customer
network, and are common in today’s global markets place. Responsible Care certification
incorporates GPCA specific requirements and provides customers with the assurance that
a company has met these expectations throughout the supply chain.

Leadership & Accountability

Responsible Care® Companies pledge their commitment to the continuous improvement
of EHS&S performance throughout the entire organization. Responsible Care does not
require companies to replace their current EHS&S program or policies, but rather
encourages companies to integrate and expand upon existing systems, learn from their
peers and incorporate industry best practices.

GPCA RC Companies:
Chief Executive Officer
Commitment to the Responsible Care initiative begins at the top level of an organization.
The CEO’s commitment to the Global Charter must be apparent through active
involvement and visible demonstrations of support. GPCA member company CEOs
should ensure that the principles of Responsible Care are embedded in operational
activities and considered in strategic developments.
Company Responsible Care Coordinator
Every company is expected to appoint a Responsible Care coordinator .The role is a
pivotal in the successful implementation of Responsible Care. The coordinator, with full
support from the CEO, is the central point of contact within the company on all matters
related to Responsible Care. The Responsible Care coordinator directs planning and
implementation of Responsible Care, throughout the organizational functions, in a way
that makes the most business sense and provides the greatest benefits to the organization.
Company Employees
Every employee has a role to play in planning and implementing Responsible Care
within their company. Responsible Care serves as a unifying force, bringing an
organization together around common principles and operating guidelines. Employees
can proactively adopt the Codes of Management Practice requirements and advocate the
practices and leanings.
GPCA Responsible Care Committee:
The Responsible Care Committee comprises of senior EHS&S executives from GPCA
member companies. Its purpose is to provide strategic EHS&S direction for the regional
petrochemical and chemical industry in terms of thought leadership, networking and
advocacy. In particular it is geared to:
• Creating sub-committees and task forces to develop plans and industry positions on key
regional EHS&S topics.
• Developing and fostering relationships among GPCA members that have an interest in
EHS&S and Responsible Care issues.
• Compiling, sharing and exchanging resources, knowledge, opinions and experience on
EHS&S and Responsible Care issues among GPCA members.
• Developing links between GPCA and regional and international government authorities
and communities with an interest in EHS&S issues.
• Sharing and promoting EHS&S best practices in industries through workshops,
seminars, conferences, and general networking among GPCA members.
• Developing plans for workshops and training programs to address the needs of the Gulf
petrochemical and chemical industries.

Codes of Management Practices Overview

In the spirit of sharing global best practices, the seven GPCA Codes of Management
Practices were derived from the American Chemistry Council (ACC) codes, and adapted
specifically for the Arabian Gulf region by task forces comprising of EHS&S
practitioners. The codes are dynamic documents that are subject to periodic review.
GPCA’s Responsible Care® Companies are required to carry out a self-assessment
against the codes.
1. Community Awareness & Emergency Response
The objective of the Community Awareness and Emergency Response (CAER)
Code is to assure emergency preparedness and to foster the community’s “right-to-
know”. It demands a commitment to openness and community dialogue. The Code
has two major components:
• To assure that member facilities that manufacture, process, use, distribute or store
hazardous materials initiate and maintain a community outreach program to openly
communicate relevant, useful information responsive to the public’s questions and
concerns about safety, health, and the environment.
• To help protect employees and communities by assuring that each facility has an
emergency response program to respond rapidly and effectively to emergencies.
2. Distribution Code
The objective of the Distribution Code is to reduce the risk of harm posed by the
distribution of chemicals to the general public, carriers, distributors, employees and
contractors and to the environment. Adherence to the code will lead to continually
safer chemical distribution and help member companies to:
• Evaluate the risks associated with chemical distribution and methods to reduce
those risks.
• Meet all regulations and industry standards governing chemical distribution.
• Provide emergency advice and/or assistance to people on the scene in the event of
a chemical distribution emergency.
• Develop new technologies and methods to improve chemical distribution safety. •
Improve employee preparedness and awareness in preventing distribution
emergencies.
• Enhance the safety performance of carriers and other providers of distribution
services.
 • Prepare the public’s preparedness in responding to chemical distribution
emergencies.
• Increase the public understands of, and confidence in, the industry’s efforts to
improve chemical distribution safety.
3. Product Stewardship Code
The objective of the Product Stewardship Code is to ensure EHS protection as an
integral part of designing, manufacturing, marketing, distributing, using, recycling
and disposing of our products. The code provides guidance as well as a means to
measure continuous improvement in the practice of product stewardship during all
stages of a product’s lifecycle.
Everyone involved with the product has a responsibility to address society’s interest
in a healthy environment and in products that can be beneficial.
4. Security Code
The objective of the Security Code is to help protect people, property, products,
processes, information and information systems by enhancing overall security,
including security against potential terrorist attacks, throughout the chemical industry
value chain. The chemical industry value chain encompasses company activities
associated with the design, procurement, manufacturing, marketing, distribution,
transportation, customer support, use, recycling and disposal of our products.
This code is designed to help GPCA member companies achieve continuous
improvement in security performance using a risk-based approach to identify, assess
and address vulnerabilities, prevent or mitigate incidents, enhance training and
response capabilities and maintain and improve relationships with key stakeholders.
Security is a shared responsibility requiring actions by others such as customers,
suppliers, service providers, government officials and agencies.
5. Health and Safety Code
The objective of the Health & Safety (H&S) Code is to protect and promote the
health and safety of people working at or visiting member company facilities.
To achieve this objective, the code provides management practices designed to
continuously improve H&S within member companies. These practices provide a
multidisciplinary means to identify and assess hazards, prevent unsafe acts and
 conditions, maintain and improve employee health and foster communication on
H&S issues.
6. Process Safety Code
The objective of the Process Safety Code is to prevent un-intended hazardous
releases. The code is comprised of a series of management practices that reflect this
goal, with the expectation of continuous performance improvement for each
management practice.
The management practices are based on the principle that facilities will be safe if
they are designed according to sound engineering practices, built, operated and
maintained properly and periodically reviewed for conformance.
7. Environmental Protection Code
The objective of the Environment Protection Code is to achieve ongoing reductions
in the amount of all contaminants and pollutants released to the air, water, and land
from GPCA member company facilities. These reductions are intended to respond to
public concerns with the existence of such releases, and to further increase the
margin of safety for public health and the environment.

Measuring RC Performance
A key element of the Responsible Care® program is the transparent reporting of
EHS&S performance data, to help facilitate a culture of continuous EHS&S
improvement as an essential element of a company’s and the region’s sustainability.
Since 2010 GPCA has collected, aggregated and analyzed EHS&S metrics data,
following international reporting standards from its full member companies. Data
and related success stories are published annually in a Performance Metrics report,
and more recently in the GPCA Sustainability Report. Companies have the
opportunity to use this data to benchmark their EHS&S performance against other
Responsible Care companies.
Reporting Metrics FAQ’s:

Q: What metrics need to be reported?

There are 21 performance metrics against which all Responsible Care

companies report in the following categories: Occupational Safety, Process
Safety, Resource utilization, Emissions/Discharges to Environment, Product
Distribution.

Q: How to report these metrics?

The metrics are reported by recording the Performance Metrics Performa and
sending it to the GPCA RC Officer.

Q: How frequently it should be reported?

Annually

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Overview of RC14001 Certification

On behalf of American Chemistry Council (ACC), the American National
Accreditation Board (ANAB) oversees the implementation of the internationally
renowned Responsible Care® Standard RC14001. This standard may be applied by
any organization around the world.
RC14001 is based on the foundations of the Environmental Standard ISO 14001,
with additional requirements for health, safety and security.
Although not a stipulated as a requirement to be confirmed as a Responsible Care
company, the majority of GPCA’s full member companies have voluntarily achieved
RC14001 Certification. This is a clear indication of the level of support for the
Responsible Care program within the Arabian Gulf region.
Achieving RC14001 Certification demonstrates Responsible Care/EHS&S
operational excellence to governments, peers, customers and the public.
The certification requirements include corporate processes as well as a selected
sample of operating facilities. Many international certification bodies are now
accredited to certify companies to RC14001 standard.
 An approved list of training providers and accreditation bodies is available from
GPCA. These organizations can provide Responsible Care and lead auditor/auditor
training.

Responsible Care®: Milestones and Achievements

The GPCA Responsible Care® journey has reached a significant five year milestone
since the member company executives collectively signed the Responsible Care
Global Charter. The performance and progress achieved towards implementation of
the global initiative has been widely acknowledged both within the region and
internationally.
1985
The Responsible Care initiative is launched by the Chemistry Industry Association
in Canada.
2009
• CEO’s from 29 member companies sign the Global Charter • ACC partners with
GPCA to assist in the establishment of a Responsible Care program in the Arabian
Gulf region.
2010
• GPCA granted ICCA Responsible Care Leadership Group endorsement
• Guiding principles issued
• RC logo registration
• Strategic plan established 2011 ‘Lessons learned’ process established 2012
• Codes of Management Practice published
• Contractor Health and Safety Competency task force established
2011
‘Lessons learned’ process established 2012
• Codes of Management Practice published
• Contractor Health and Safety Competency task force established
• 2010 – 2012 RC Metrics Report published
2013
• Industrial Waste task force established
• Renewable Energy task force established
• First GPCA Responsible Care company attained RC14001 certification
• GPCA Sustainability and Quality Assessment System (SQAS) launched
2014
• First GPCA Sustainability Report published
• Outreach campaign initiated 2014 • ICCA Responsible Care Global Charter
revised and signed
• Product Stewardship and Advocacy task forces established
• New GPCA Responsible Care website support developed
2015
• 19 GPCA Responsible Care member companies achieved RC14001
• Milestone of 18 Responsible Care network events held
• Inaugural Responsible Care Conference
• New RC web-based tool (Consumer relationship management system) established

Commitment to Sustainability
Responsible Care® is the chemical industry’s commitment to sustainability. It
addresses the environmental aspects and has a significant coverage of the social
element. The contribution that the GPCA Responsible Care program is making to the
industry’s sustainability effort in the Arabian Gulf Region will continue to be
significant.
Future efforts under Responsible Care will focus on improving resource use, the
lifecycle of products through final disposal, and driving continuous improvement of
all EHS&S performance indicators. Education of the local workforce will be an
important factor in the ongoing development of downstream activities to help sustain
the GCC chemical industry.
GPCA and its member companies will contribute to focus collective efforts in order
to:
1. Enhance the environmental and safe handling aspects of chemicals throughout
their life cycle
2. Provide a safer and healthier work environment
3. Improve sustainability of key suppliers and distributors
4. Educate, engage and lead their organizations to actively drive progress in
environmental and social responsibility
5. Improve the regional environmental footprint
6. Work in cooperation with government and industry stakeholders towards
achieving the ICCA sustainability initiatives, the principles of United Nations Global
Compact and with the United Nations Millennium Development Goals
7. Improve business practices leading to reduced risk and enhanced reputation

Responsible Care® Addressing the GPCA Strategic PILLARS

Effective Networking
The Responsible Care Committee hosts regular technical workshops in order to share
knowledge and awareness on Responsible Care related topics.
In 2015 GPCA launched its inaugural Responsible Care Conference, enabling
industry leaders to learn from their peers and experts about strategies to improve
their companies’ EHS&S performance and expand business opportunities.
Thought Leadership
The Responsible Care Committee developed seven technical Codes of Management
Practices complete with a self assessment tool in order to establish common
standards for Responsible Care across the Arabian Gulf region.
The Responsible Care Performance Metrics reporting spans a wide range of
operational areas and the support of the member companies is a testimony to their
transparency.
‘Lessons learned’ and ‘Best Practice sharing processes have been established in
order to facilitate opportunities to learn from each other.
Key industry topics are researched by means of Responsible Care Committee task
forces.
Advocacy
The Responsible Care Committee has established an advocacy sub-committee with
the primary role of working collaboratively with the GCC governments on emerging
EHS&S topics, thus ensuring an industry voice in the development of future
legislation.
The GPCA Responsible Care awards program has been developed to recognize and
share the experiences of companies that have exemplified leadership and outstanding
performance based on the implementation and execution of the Responsible Care
program.

Industry Working with Government

In 2006, the United Nations governments and stakeholders adopted a new global
policy and strategy called the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals
Management (SAICM). The objective of this strategic approach is to change how
chemicals are produced and used in order to minimize harmful effects on human
health and the environment.
SAICM is a policy framework to promote chemical safety around the world, with an
overall objective to achieve the sound management of chemicals throughout their life
cycle so that, by 2020, chemicals are produced and used in ways that minimize
significant adverse impacts on human health and the environment. This “2020 goal”
was adopted by the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 as part of
the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.
To facilitate national and international communication, each Government in the
GCC has designated a national focal point to act as an effective conduit for
communication on strategic approach matters.
Through the global participation of national chemical manufacturing associations
and thousands of chemical producers worldwide, Responsible Care forms an
essential part of the International Council of Chemical Association (ICCA)’s
contribution to the United Nations’ Strategic Approach to International Chemicals
Management (SAICM).
GPCA brought together industry experts from the region, USA and the Europe, and
the national focal points to discuss SAICM related issues. In 2015, GPCA took a
further step by launching a Responsible Care advocacy sub-committee to identify
additional opportunities to work collaboratively with governments and key
stakeholders.

Extending Responsible Care® through the Product Supply Chain

Gulf SQAS (Sustainability & Quality Assessment System) is a system to evaluate the
environmental, health, safety, security and quality performance of Logistics Service
Providers (LSPs) in a uniform manner by single standardized assessments carried out
by independent assessors using a standard questionnaire.
SQAS avoids multiple assessments by individual chemical companies and
encourages dialogue between LSPs and chemical companies based on the assessment
results. It helps companies to select new LSPs and support the continuous
improvement of LSPs, offering a tool for evaluating continuous improvement.
Therefore, SQAS is a key element of Responsible Care® applied to logistics
operations, in particular, addressing the requirements of the Distribution Code.
A SQAS assessment does not lead to a certificate but offers a detailed factual report
on the strengths and weaknesses of the LSP which chemical companies can utilize in
their evaluation of Service Providers.

Promoting Learning and Sharing within the GCC

Since the launch of Responsible Care® in the GCC, the Responsible Care Committee
successfully conducted 18 technical workshops, attended by delegates from member
companies, industry partners and government representatives.
The workshops covered a diverse set of Responsible Care related topics, which have
promoted learning and sharing:
• Responsible Care Codes of Management Practices and Metrics reporting
• Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH)
• Process Safety Management • Mechanical Integrity & Management of Change
• Code Implementation Examples and Best Practices
• Climate Change
• Fugitive Emissions
• Product Stewardship, Global Product Strategy and SAICM
• Teaming Up with Contractors & Service Providers
• Chemical Security & Chemical Supply Chain
• Responsible Care-Value Chain, Metrics & Communities

Recognizing Excellence in Responsible Care®

Established in 2014, the GPCA Responsible Care® Awards Program has been
developed to recognize and share the experiences and expertise of Companies and
individuals that have exemplified leadership and outstanding performance based on
the implementation and execution of the Responsible Care program. Through this
recognition, GPCA provides its members with opportunities to promote the
Responsible Care brand while expanding business value.
The first edition of the GPCA RC Awards was a key part of the inaugural 2015
Responsible Care Conference recognizing excellence in the following categories:
1. Best Responsible Care Company
2. Best Responsible Care Champion
3. Best Responsible Care Project

Commencing the Responsible Care® Journey

A fundamental aspect of Responsible Care® is the support network available to help
companies embark on their Responsible Care journey. GPCA has established a
number of systems and processes that can ensure the journey is successful, such as:
• Regional experts within GPCA Secretariat and member companies
• Established technical standards
• Regular network events
• Support tools and practices
• Company success stories that can be shared
• Regional certification bodies and international training organizations prior to
commencing the journey, it is important to consider:
• Responsible Care augments existing EHS&S programs, not replace past efforts.
• You are not entering into this journey alone. The concept of community truly
applies.
• The system is based on the principle of continuous improvement, not excellence at
the start point.
• A key foundation of the Global Responsible Care program, including the Arabian
Gulf Region’s success is based on a community of sharing and support.
GPCA would like to recognize the Global Responsible Care community, in
particular the contribution of the American Chemistry Council (ACC) for mentoring
the GPCA and its member companies over the last six years. Combined with the
unwavering efforts of GPCA’s Responsible Care Committee and its coordinator
network, this has culminated in GPCA and the Arabian Gulf Region establishing a
reputation of excellence in Responsible Care.
Conclusion
Environmental management system (EMS) refers to the management of an
organization’s environmental programs in a comprehensive, systematic, planned and
documented manner. It includes the organizational structure, planning and resources
for developing, implementing and maintaining policy for environmental protection.
The term can also refer to software systems for organizational environmental
management. An environmental management system can also be classified as a
system which monitors, tracks and reports environment related information of
various organizations.
Acknowledgement
I would like to thank respected Dr. Raminder Kaur for giving me such a wonderful
opportunity to expand my knowledge for my own branch and giving me guidelines to
present a seminar report. It helped me a lot to realize of what we study for.
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