What is Corporate Social Responsibility? - InnoTrain CSR

CSR interfaces within the company
3.6. Environmental management systems
In short
Environmental management systems (EMS) are increasingly being used by
companies as voluntary tool for the preventative environmental protection that
goes beyond the compliance with environmental laws. EMSs serve the
systematic registration and reduction of negative corporate environmental
impacts; and, thanks to the global establishment of standards such as ISO
14001, they are often used as a starting point for further strategic activities,
programmes and reports, including in additional subareas of Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR).
Learning targets
� Get to know the EU and most important worldwide standards for
environmental management systems
CSR learning contents
An environmental management system (EMS) is the management system of a
company containing the structured definition of responsibilities, codes of conduct,
procedures and provisions governing the implementation of corporate environmental
policies. Usually maintained and managed by an environmental management officer,
an environmental management system serves the systematisation, management and
control of the company's environmental goals. In the European Union, mainly the
globally valid environmental standard ISO 14001 or the EMAS directive (eco audit /
Environmental Management and Audit Scheme) of the EU are used.
A growing number of companies that set up their environmental management system
according to the specification of ISO 14001 and/or the EMAS directive, appoint
external or environmental auditors to certify (ISO 14001) or validate (EMAS) their
EMS. This can increase the ecological credibility of the corporate environmental
management in the public and among customers and lead to a strategic competitive
edge.
The two standards ISO 14001 and EMAS require the company to comply with all
environmentally-relevant legal provisions. EMAS requires the additional compilation
of an environmental declaration. According to the provisions of the respective
environmental standard, an environmental manual and an environmental programme
The project "InnoTrain CSR" is organized by GILDE GmbH and has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the
views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 12/2010
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