Support the Implementation of Environmental Management Systems in Support of Sustainable Business Practice
Overview
This standard is about supporting the implementation of an Environmental Management System (EMS) in support of sustainable business practice. requires that an EMS is established and operational within the organisation. An EMS is a comprehensive, systematic, planned and documented approach to managing an organisation's environmental programmes. It allows organisations the opportunity of becoming environmentally pro-active through the implementation of the plan-do-act-check cycle. It requires that actions to improve environmental practice are formally planned, specified, implemented and reviewed as a process of continuous improvement.
The role described by this standard requires that you support the implementation of an established EMS.
the EMS, and gathering data on environmental performance. Data needs to be analysed to determine environmental performance levels and any variations from planned levels of performance. It also requires the ability to correct variations from required performance in accordance with specified contingency procedures.
The ability to communicate with others is an important part of the standard.
This standard would be appropriate for:
Those responsible for supporting the development of sustainable business practice. It is likely to apply to technical staff, those who have responsibility for supporting the implementation of environmental programmes as part of routine work activities and owner managers within SMEs.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
P1 support the implementation of an environmental management system within area of responsibility
P2 inform and encourage others to ensure the effective implementation of the environmental management system in support of sustainable business practice
P3 gather sufficient data to enable an accurate assessment of environmental performance within area of responsibility
P4 monitor environmental performance according to environmental management system requirements
P5 record and analyse data to quantify environmental performance
P6 take action to correct variations from planned environmental performance within limits of responsibility
P7 make recommendations to support improvements to the environmental management and sustainable business practice
P8 report and record the outcomes of monitoring in accordance with organisational quality and statutory requirements
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
K1 what is an environmental management system (EMS)
K2 the benefits of operating an EMS
K3 the legislation, industry standards, and voluntary codes that support EMS
K4 how the economic, social and environmental principles of sustainability can be delivered via the key components of an EMS
K5 what defines sustainable and unsustainable business practice for the organisation
K6 the features of the natural environment that the organisation interacts with
K7 the implementation requirements of the EMS
K8 the possible environmental damage that could be caused if the organisational EMS fails
K9 how environmental damage can impact on sustainable business practice
K10 the legal penalties associated with environmental damage caused through failures in environmental management
K11 the environmental performance requirements as specified by the EMS
K12 the benefits that can be gained from implementing an EMS
K13 the structure and format of an EMS linked to International Standards
K14 the link between an EMS and an organisation’s quality systems
K15 how an EMS supports the development of environmental best practice
K16 how to encourage others to effectively implement the EMS
K17 the data recording and analysis that is used to measure environmental performance
K18 how to identify and correct variations in environmental performance
K19 levels of responsibility in relation to implementing and maintaining the EMS
Scope/range
Others include:
1 organisational colleagues
2 customers
3 suppliers
Environmental performance relevant to:
1 the supply of resources
2 the efficient use of resources
3 emissions
4 the management of waste
5 the supply of products/services