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Environmental management
Environment management is the process of taking steps and actions of a firm to have a positive impact on the environment. Many firms develop management plans to ensure environmental goals of prevention of pollution, duty of taking care of earth along with conservation of natural resources. There are various advantages of undertaking environmental management. These include the following.
Importance
- 1. Cost savings
According to Starkey (10), protecting the environment enhance improvement which eventually save costs. Cost savings occur through changes in
- Infrastructure
- Waste disposal
- Process efficiency
- Sourcing of raw materials
- Packaging as well as transport
Process efficiency
Undertaking environmental management tends to minimize the use of raw materials used within an organization in that it helps decision makers to consider environmental impacts when proceeding with the project. This reduces the raw materials together with waste production that area important in minimizing cost along with waste of resources that is more often linked with the decisions that were made on starting period of the project. By introducing more processes that are efficient, many businesses have been able to save cost through minimizing the amount of raw materials used in addition to water and energy.
Waste disposal
Through redesigning, various products to eliminate environmental problems reduce the amount of resources used. For instance, once waste is generated it is possible to reuse it to other companies that make use of it in to evade costs of waste disposal. By dealing with waste more effectively, many firms have been able to save money, which in this case is achieved without investment. Krozer (15) argues that, 99 % of polythene bags mostly used are recycled which has benefited many companies.
Sourcing of raw material
By changing the source of raw material used result to cost saving. For instance, through using recycled fiber instead of new wool, energy intensive process is saved as recycled waste do not require to be reused. Cost savings is achieved because of cheaper price paid for recycled fiber compared to new fibers.
Infrastructure saving
It is possible to make savings through changes of infrastructure. For example, installing energy efficient bulbs make savings on the amount of total cost used in electricity.
Packaging and transport
It is possible to save cost in these two areas through various aspects. For instance, when customers distribute their products to individual shops, they save transportation cost for businesses.
- 2. It ensures legislative compliance
Undertaking environment management helps to compiling with environment legislation. This helps firm to avoid unnecessary fines that may used for non-compliance obligations of regulatory authorities.
- 3. Develop awareness for future legislation
This allows businesses to plan for changes that would be appropriate in investment decisions. King Brian, Erickson, Steven (10) argues that, if a firm is not aware of future legislation it ends up making investments that are not suitable. On the contrary, a firm may find a legislative change, which in the end may result to rapid investment. Therefore, knowledge of environment management helps in making appropriate investment as well as preventing cash flow problems.
- 4. Reduces environmental risks
One of the assessments used in environment management is environment risk assessment. This involves identifying, predicting, evaluating along with mitigating the social and other relevant effects of decisions being undertaken. By undertaking this assessment, it reduces the risk occurrence, which could have affected the environment.
- 5. Meeting the requirements of supply chain
Effective management increases supply status in the firm. It helps the company to be accountable for environmental consequences thus having understanding on supply chain and the problems that may occur in supply chain.
- 6. Improves relations with other regulators
Ability of having effective management helps environmental regulators to take more approaches in regulation. For instance, when companies reduce the number of visits that occur within the firm it may increase environmental performance because the employees will be committed to their work.
- 7. It improves community relation along with public image
This occurs because, when a firm reassure the communities about their activities it builds community relation thereby enhancing its market place position and improving its public image.
- 8. Increases market opportunities
Good public image and lower production cost that occur from environment management can make the firm increase its sales in addition to gaining large market share since there is assurance of having the ability to work well.
- 9. Generates employee enthusiasm
Undertaking environmental management generates interest in a firm in that it allows employees to express their concern on environment towards increasing environment performance. It motivates employees to feel part of the company, which allows performing their duties effectively with interest.
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT TOOLS
These are tools used to ensure effective environment management. These tools include environmental labeling, environmental auditing, environmental management systems, ecobalance, life cycle assessment and environmental indicators.
Environmental management systems
It enables businesses to mange their environmental affairs in a planned way thus identifying ways of improving environment performance, which mostly benefit business performance. Brezet, (5) argues that, in order to meet these requirements the firm should produce environment policies that has commitments through legislature, which continually increases performance. Brezet has continued arguing that, measures for implementing the program should be done in order to review on environmental activities.
Environmental Auditing
This is a tool for checking whether an organization does what is best required. For example, legislative compliance audits ensure the activities carried by the firm comply with those of environment legislation. Environment audit helps in informing business set ups whether its management practices complies with what should be practiced best.
Environmental indicators
This tool allows firm to measures its environmental performance together with its efforts of improving its performance. Indicators are used to check that the business met the required targets to ensure effective environment management.
Ecobalance
This tool helps the company to records various raw materials, products, waste and resources that is held within the company. It provides record for the company stock outputs as well as physical inputs. Therefore, ecobalance enables firms to undertake comprehensive review of its activities together with its target in improving its environment performance.
Life cycle assessment
This is a tool used in identifying and assessing various environment impacts connected to particular products. It allows manufacturers to come up with ways of cost effectively in reducing environment impact through use of life cycle assessment to support cost saving of their product.
Environmental labeling
This tool ensures environment label those products that are viewed to be harmful to the environment. To be given a product label, a product is required to meet environment criteria drawn from labeling scheme organizer. The rules are set that, onlzy certain products meet them. This tool can be used in marketing because it signify that a product is suitable to use.
How these tools help the environment
If any firm, uses the above environmental tools it will find its most position in the market place because the product will be recognized in meeting environmental regulations. They also enable firms to carry out comprehensive review of its activities that helps in improving its environment performance.
Energy security
According to Intel energy agency, energy securities are the provision of energy, which meets present need without comprising the need for future generation. Energy securities are most regarded as renewable energy sources that include solar energy, hydroelectricity, wave power, plant matter, geothermal power along with tidal power.
Tools application to energy security
These tools include first generation technologies, which is emerged from industrial revolution. These include geothermal power and hydropower biomass combustion. The second generations include technologies that have existed within the market because of development. This includes solar heating system. According to Ryding (29), the third generation technology is a tool which is widely commercialized. They include potential tools used compared to other renewable technologies. Examples include advanced biorefinery technologies, biomass gasification, ocean energy and stellar thermal power stations.
How these tools help energy sector
These tools helps energy sector in coming up with opportunities for vital economic benefits. This is because; people will benefit e3nergy efficiency, which is cheaper. Other benefits include access of potential tools, which are commonly preferred compared to other renewable technologies.
Work cited
Brezet, H. Product development with the Environment as Innovation Strategy, The
Environmental Sciences, Netherland 1995.
King Brian J, Erickson, Steven L. Fundamentals of environmental management. New York : John Wiley and Sons, 1999
Krozer Yoram. nnovations and the environment. New York: Springer, 2008
PROMISE Approach, TU Delft, Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Section for
Ryding Sven-olof. Environmental management handbook. New York: IOS Press, 1994
Starkey Richard. Environmental management tools for SME’s: A handbook. London: Routledge publisher,1998.
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