Methodology for the Successful Integration of an Energy Management System to an Operational Environmental System

Abstract

Despite the fact that the implementation of ISO 50001 has helped organizations to successfully accomplish energy saving policies, there is still a significant disparity in the number of companies certificated under ISO 50001 compared with other standards such as ISO 14001. Considering the compatibilities between both standards, a potential sector is identified for the integration of ISO 50001 in organizations that operate under ISO 14001 systems. The cost and time associated with the development and implementation of the Energy Management System are identified as being amongst the most important obstacles, restricting the number of companies that are inclined to this energy certification. As an attempt to overcome this limitation, in this work, both standards were analyzed in detail and their coincidences identified and organized to propose a novel methodology that allows companies to naturally integrate an Energy Management System based on ISO 50001 into an ISO 14001 already in operation. The results provide evidence of a strong compatibility among the energy and environmental management systems, allowing enterprises to integrate the former with minimum investment and resources. In order to validate the proposed methodology and to demonstrate the agreement between both programs, these procedures were applied in a manufacturing company of the automotive sector, considered as a high energy consumer according to the classification made by the National Commission for the Efficient Use of Energy in Mexico.

Challenges Presented in the Implementation of Sustainable Energy Management via ISO 50001:2011

“…However, the challenges related to the lack of resources are not limited to employees. The financial resources needed to implement ISO 50001 were also pointed out as a relevant issue [34,58]. Menghi et al [60] highlighted the greater challenge small and medium enterprises face due to their restrictions of employees, time, and financial resources.…”

Development of a Sustainability Index for an Energy Management System in Thailand

“…The high quality of ISO 50001 will help organizations to achieve a continuous energy performance improvement and return the benefits to companies, interested parties, and the world. It will also reduce the environmental impact, carbon dioxide emissions, and the problems caused by climate change [7,24,61,62].…”

“…Tangible outcomes of the integration of the environmental [48,60] and energy management processes [61] are considered in terms of waste management, resource reduction for low carbon [62], and climate change mitigation [24]. The activities that come under the control of an organization, excluding product design [46], such as eco-design [63], are considered in this context.…”

Modeling Techno-Economic Wood Procurement from Renewable Forests for the Sustainable Energy Supply of a CHP Plant

“…Alongside the implementation of standards for environmental and energy management, the fostering of renewable energy sources on energy use in the IMEI has happened by using the European Emissions Trading Scheme [65,66]. For renewable forests, the carbon neutrality of wood procurement technology simply means that the relative calculation difference between the largest sustainable and realized wood harvesting amounts (m 3 /m 3 ) is more than one.…”