EMS AND WASTE MANAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES & OPTIONS

There are a myriad of drivers and benefits to encourage public and private organizations to develop, implement and maintain an Environmental Management System (EMS). The EMS follows five basic principles described in the Code of Environmental Policy (CEMP) and these principles are accepted by ISO 14001. These five principles are: management commitment, compliance assurance/pollution prevention, enabling systems, performance/accountability, and measurement/improvements. These principles move beyond compliance with control and treat technologies to a holistic approach of using pollution prevention and sustainability options for compliance The purpose of this paper is to identify the drivers and benefits for the development, implementation, and maintenance of an EMS. There are clear reasons for a manufacturing company who wants to be competitive in the global market to be ISO 14001 certified, and under Executive Order 13148, all Federal sector agencies must comply with "Greening th