Environmental management scheme

Before any concentrate management scheme can be implemented, local regulations must be met and any necessary permits acquired. Due to the environmental impacts of the constituents in the concentrate, regulations are often based on the concentration of solution to be disposed rather than the volume (Ahmed et al. 2000). Disposal regulations and permits are defined by various governing bodies, which differ according to the location of the plant and the desired site of disposal. 

Environmental product declarations based on the use of environmental management systems provide frameworks for companies (especially SME) to improve their environmental performance [225]. Standardised schemes such as EMAS [226] and ISO 14001 communicate best practice to companies through the supply chain [227]. In particular, eco-labelling by regulators or NGO requires a firm to demonstrate that environmental burdens have been minimised through the entire lifecycle of a product. An eco-label will not be awarded if a product contains certain hazardous chemicals and, in some cases, if certain substances have been used during production39 [228]. 

The larger, the more capital-intensive, and the more centralized the schemes, the greater their appeal in terms of power and patronage. For a critique of flood-control projects and World Bank projects in this context, see James K. Boyce, Birth of a Megaproject Political Economy of Flood Control in Bangladesh, Environmental Management 14, no. 4 (1990) 419-28. 

Environmental management systems (EMS), and also ISO 14001, are becoming household names in many organizations. But what about EMAS Almost unknown in the United States, EMAS is the acronym for the European Eco-Management and Audit Scheme, a voluntary system based on European Union (EU) regulations and... 

However, this alone was not particularly appealing to the mainstream financial community whose preoccupation is with profit and risk. This led to rating systems incorporating historical compliance with environmental legislation. A further and more recent step was to include criteria for assessing the environmental management of the company, including presence of EMS. Other approaches take into account ethical and social parameters. Finally, some schemes combine criteria for environmental performance with those for financial performance. 

Although concerned more with ranking of companies than CERs, this scheme has been included in the guidelines section as it identifies the main attributes of good environmental management. 

A voluntary scheme, which is administered according to European Council Regulation EEC/1836/93. An eco-audit every three years determines the effectiveness of the environmental management system in place, verifying that environmental policies and objectives are being put into practice. 

Two distinct financial management schemes can also be identified. The governments of Belgium, Sweden and Switzerland each define an environmental fee which is added to the price of every battery sold in order to finance the collection and recycling operations. The remaining countries pass financial control onto the producers and importers of the batteries, who are then responsible for recovering their costs from the market through sales of new products. 

In addition to ISO 14001, other well known environmental management systems include Responsible Care , adopted by the American Chemistry Council (formerly known as the Chemical Manufacturers Association) in 1988, Eco-Management Auditing Scheme (EMAS), adopted by the Council of the European Community in 1993, and Environmental Standard BS 7750, adopted by the United Kingdom in 1994. 

Within the European Union, many organisations have decided on a voluntary basis to implement environmental management systems based on EN ISO 14001 1996 or the EU Eco-management and audit scheme EMAS. EMAS includes the management system requirements of EN ISO 14001, but places additional emphasis on legal compliance, environmental performance and employee involvement it also requires external verification of the management system and validation of a public environmental statement (in EN ISO 14001 self-declaration is an alternative to external verification). There are also many organisations that have decided to put in place non-standardised EMSs. 

Some critics claim that BS 7750 is not powerful enough, in the sense that it does not sufficiently stress the surveillance of sub-supplier probity. Nevertheless, it is a popular system which is often used as a first step towards registration tmder The European Community Environmental Management and Auditing Scheme (EMAS). It is also one of the few existing standards on environmental management that can be adapted to the ISO 14000 Series on environmental issues within industry with only small modifications. 

Since 1991, the Council of the European Communities has been developing the Council Regulation Nr 1836/93 [13], called the EEC Environmental Management and Auditing Scheme (EMAS). It came into effect in 1995 with the objective of promoting continuous improvement in the environmental periormance oi businesses throughout the European Union. 

Participation is on a voluntary basis. In many aspects it resembles BS 7750 and other national standards on environmental management. In order to avoid an unnecessary burden on companies wanting to adhere to the scheme, those certified under standards such as BS 7750, ISO 9000, ISO 10011 and CEN/ISO role, recognised by the European Commission, are not required to duplicate their procedures in order to meet the corresponding EM requirements. In Figure 6.4 the required procedures for registration under the Scheme are displayed. 

Anon. Paper sludge—from a disposal problem into a valuable product. DTTs Environmental Management Options Scheme. Project Information Brochure No 3, 1994a. 

Low Environmental Impact Plant discharges of all types, including chemicals and radioactive isotopes must be minimal. A comprehensive waste management scheme (low, medium and high activity) must be included. 

The Environmental Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) has been standardised for the follow-up of environmental strategies, and as a tool in a company s commitment to continous improvement of the achieved environmental status by using Best Available Technologies (BAT). 

Environmental management systems (such as ISO 14001 and the EC s Eco-management and Audit Scheme) have been implemented by organisations to demonstrate their commitment to good environmental management practices in minimising environmental impacts leading in turn to an overall improvement in environmental performance. 

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