Abstract
Purpose – This paper aims to examine the implementation of the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) in a non-profit, small-to-medium sized-enterprise (SME) in the UK. Design/methodology/approach – A four-year participatory action research study is made upon knowledge transfer partnerships between the University of the West of England and the Royal Bath and West Society. Findings – Through the adoption of EMAS, the organisation was able to identify operational improvements as well as make significant efforts to improve its environmental performance, reducing its carbon footprint by 30 tCO2e per annum and gaining new business. Research limitations/implications – The study is made upon a single not-for-profit organisation in the UK. Practical implications – It presents the costs, benefits and challenges that the organisation faced. Techniques that were used to successfully manage the environmental management systems (EMS) development are also discussed. The investigation identifies deficiencies in the materials that are provided to support companies that are seeking EMAS certification. To improve the uptake of these EMS and assist companies in their successful pursuit of ISO 14001 and EMAS, this supporting documentation requires enhancement. Originality/value – There has been relatively little empirical research around the development and benefits of organisational EMS. Even less has focussed upon the specific constraints and opportunities that face non-profit organisations when implementing EMAS. This paper addresses this gap, identifying its costs and tangible benefits.
Highlights
The importance of managing ‘green’ issues in organisations has been recognised for a considerable length of time (Pane Haden, Oyler and Humphries, 2009) recently corporate attitude towards the environment has become of greater interest to the public
This paper explores the challenge of implementing an Environmental Management System (EMS) in a non-profit SME organisation in the Southwest of the UK
This research improves our knowledge of the adoption of environmental management systems
Summary
The importance of managing ‘green’ issues in organisations has been recognised for a considerable length of time (Pane Haden, Oyler and Humphries, 2009) recently corporate attitude towards the environment has become of greater interest to the public. This paper explores the challenge of implementing an Environmental Management System (EMS) in a non-profit SME organisation in the Southwest of the UK. ISO 14001 was created to cater for the needs and capabilities of SMEs, whereas the suitability of EMAS to this economic sector has not been so certain (Hillary, 2004) To address this issue the latest amendments to EMAS regulations cater to the challenges faced by SMEs, in relation to the frequency of auditing and to ensure that verification or validation is not prohibitively costly (IEMA, 2011). Dettenkofer et al (2000) report the successful EMAS implementation in a hospital where it has been used to control and reduce the environmental impact of medical care Such examples evidence the potential applicability of ISO14001 and EMAS to non-profit organisations and challenge claims that EMAS has a narrow range of applications and is only applicable to the industrial sector (Honkasalo, 1998). Throughout this paper the term ‘stage’ shall be used to refer to the six main steps of the Acorn scheme, and the term ‘phase’ shall be used to refer to the activities that are undertaken within each stage
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