Business‐oriented environmental performance metrics: Building consensus for environmental management systems

Abstract

Today, environmental managers are learning new ways of adding value to their organizations. Before, the environmental department was an overhead expense—an indirect support group required for complying with burdensome regulations. Now, such departments add insights and value during strategic planning sessions, identify efficiency improvement opportunities, provide a superior return on investment, and—bottom line—improve profits. The primary approach to meeting the challenge is a new environmental management system (EMS) that identifies, measures, and manages a diverse set of internal and external customer needs. These needs include environmental cleanups, regulatory compliance, pollution prevention, and design for the environment—and each represents a potential improvement opportunity. Unfortunately, most organizations have so many such needs that all cannot be addressed at once, given the resource constraints of a competitive business climate. Thus, priority is a key concept of an effective EMS. This article describes an innovative application of consensus‐building tools that quickly identify and set priorities for diverse environmental programs. The article also shows how appropriate performance measures will align these programs with corporate goals and objectives.

Joint adoption of ISO 14000-ISO 9000 occupational risk prevention practices in Spanish industrial companies: A descriptive study

“…Something similar occurs between occupational risk prevention and natural environment management (Brown, 1996;Cichowicz, 1996;Russell & Sacchi, 1997;Vega de Seoane, 1999). Therefore, we suppose that the companies with previous experience in quality management systems and/or risk prevention practices will be more inclined to combine it with an environmental management system based on the ISO 14001 norm.…”

“…Companies may have a diþ erent view in relation to the possibility of combining the standards, depending on whether they have previous experience in the adoption of a quality management system or occupational risk prevention practices, either because, in this way, they will be more motivated to make for TQM, or because they perceive they can combine procedures (Brown, 1996;Cichowicz, 1996;Gupta & Sharma, 1996;Klassen & McLaughlin, 1996;Jackson, 1997;Russell & Sacchi, 1997;Theyel, 2000;Vega de Seoane, 1999).…”

“…In this respect, it has been veri® ed that such management systems may be more eþ ective in environments where workers feel safe and the probability of accidents is slight (Engelman, 1993;Kraus, 1994). This has allowed suggesting the possibility of combining the environmental practices with occupational safety practices (Brown, 1996;Cichowicz, 1996;Russell & Sacchi, 1997;Vega de Seoane, 1999).…”

“…Finally, we break down the companies depending on whether they have previous experience in the implementation of quality management systems and/or occupational risk prevention practices, since we suppose that this experience will facilitate the integration with the environmental management system based on the ISO 14001 norm; in the ® rst place, because the companies will be more motivated, especially if the previous experience was OCCUPATIONAL RISK PREVENTION PRACTICES 673 positive (Brown, 1996;Gupta & Sharma, 1996;Klassen & McLaughlin, 1996;Russell & Sacchi, 1997;Theyel, 2000); and, in the second place, because the diþ erent systems have similar practices (Brown, 1996;Cichowicz, 1996;Jackson, 1997;Vega de Seoane, 1999).…”

Motivations for Adopting the ISO 14001 Standard: A Study of Spanish Industrial Companies

“…One factor that has encouraged companies to adopt more proactive environmental practices is the increasing pressure exerted not only by legislation (Chiesa et al, 1999;Henriques & Sadorsky, 1999;Inman, 1999), but also by the actions of interest groups pressing for development of new, more restrictive environmental norms (Russell & Sacchi, 1997;Stock et al, 1997). Public officials, consumers, shareholders, communities where facilities are located, insurance companies, and other stakeholders have become the driving force for companies' environmental activities.…”