Introduction to Environmental Management Systems Dr Colin Sage Department of Geography, University College Cork

Introduction Pressures of running a food & drink SME Finding orders, making product, paying wages Environmental Management? You must be joking! 2015: Hottest year for 140K years. CoP21. EU targets will become inc stringent & IRE will be under  pressure to conform – incl agriculture Likely that SMEs will find EM a necessity that will be increasingly difficult to do without

EU environmental legislation that affects food and drink businesses EU Directives used to harmonise national laws but are piecemeal: Energy and climate change policies Packaging and packaging waste General waste legislation Integrated pollution prevention and control Sustainable consumption and production Likely to become much more integrated and comprehensive – Circular Economy

European Commission’s Circular Economy Europe to be more competitive, resource-efficient economy Targets for recycling 75% of packaging waste by 2030, 10% to landfill etc Eco-design: product design, production process, greater use of renewables Packaging: to reduce use of plastics / development bio- plastics: marine pollution Renting, leasing of appliances – not ownership. Ray Anderson. Food waste: SDG 2030; EC to examine Best Before dates

Direct Impacts Company Product /service impacts Supply chain impacts

How does the environment impact food businesses? Legal pressures European – National legislation Compliance with regulations: licencing etc Financial pressures Lenders & insurers: EMS as important as cash flow manag’nt? Operational costs: energy, waste, transport costs  Market pressures Reputation, branding Social pressures Staff, the local community, wider public

Environmental management tools Environmental policy Environmental management systems Environmental auditing Environmental indicators Life cycle assessment Environmental labelling Environmental reporting

Environmental policy Important first step towards achieving effective EM. Comprises: A short 1-2 page statement Clearly identifies the main environmental impacts across the entire business Identifies regulations that apply - & compliance Outlines realistic & achievable targets Sources of information for developing policy: Other companies' environmental policies; Your employees; other relevant stakeholders; Environmental management system (EMS) schemes Disseminating and Implementing your policy

http://keswickbrewery.co.uk/about-us

Keswick Brewing Environmental Policy To promote good environmental practices our Policy aims: To identify the significant environmental impacts of our activities. To develop suitable objectives and targets and implement changes minimising our significant environmental impacts during normal, abnormal and emergency conditions. To comply with relevant legislation, regulation and other requirements relating to our significant environmental impacts. To prevent pollution, minimise our use of water, electricity & resources. To minimise emissions to the atmosphere, effluents and all waste; endeavouring to re-use, recover or recycle materials wherever possible. To ensure that environmental responsibilities are defined, communicated and understood at all levels within our organisation and provide appropriate training where needed. To ensure that suppliers & contractors understand Company Policy & encourage them to develop a responsible approach to environmental issues.

Environmental Management Systems Developed in 1990s for businesses to have effective systems in place & demonstrate compliance A planned and systematic way to improve the enviro- nmental performance of a company Assists in licensing; improves operational efficiency & controls costs; new market opportunities/ public image There are two main EMS certification schemes: ISO 14001: The international environmental management system standard EMAS: The EC’s eco-management and audit scheme Both are globally-recognised accreditation schemes Origin Green a purely national scheme

EMS procedures

EMAS = ISO 14001++

EMS: EMAS and ISO 14001

Investing in EMS Implementing EMS involves internal & external costs: consultancy support, human resources to implement and follow-up measures, inspections, registration fees Reviewing the company's environmental goals to produce an environmental policy Setting environmental objectives and targets & putting in place measures to meet them Monitoring, measuring, recording Working with employees to ensure their engagement Reviewing progress of the EMS & making improvements Periodic auditing to ensure functioning as it should.

Potential costs & savings: EMAS Organisation size Potential annual efficiency savings (€) Implementation costs of EMAS in Year 1 (€) Annual costs (€) Micro 3 000 - 10 000 22 500 10 000 Small 20 000 - 40 000 38 000 22 000 Medium Up to 100 000 40 000 17 000 Large Up to 400 000 67 000 39 000

Other EM Tools Environmental auditing: Both EMS require periodic auditing to monitor environmental performance & compliance Can use consultants or train staff to conduct Life Cycle Assessment: To assess environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product's life from cradle to grave Involves compiling inventory of energy & material inputs and environmental releases (incl packaging) Environmental labelling (eco-labels) eg organic, FT Environmental reporting: demonstrate your green credentials to your customers & suppliers

Conclusions No escaping from environmental change & the need to make business more resilient Inescapable that EM will become a requirement Input costs (energy, water) & waste streams can be reduced through EMS Food packaging waste of particular concern: smart eco- design principles Also ensure that food waste minimised with surpluses redistributed (Bia Food Initiative, FoodCloud) Educate your customers: raise their expectations & enjoy a green dividend!