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Company Environmental Management Systems cannot be trusted to displace regulation - not yet

August 12, 2003

The certification of environmental management systems (EMSs) must be improved if they are to become robust enough to replace inspection by a public sector regulator, warns a paper published jointly by the Policy Studies Institute and the Environment Agency.

Having good environmental practices bolsters corporate reputation and consequently many companies have started to introduce EMSs certified to the globally recognised ISO 14001 standard. The general push for deregulation and the lighter regulatory touch has caused many people to suggest that companies with certified EMSs may be inspected less frequently.

A study of over 800 such companies, however, shows that while these management systems improve the internal company processes, there were no benefits in terms of outcomes.

"These companies have better environmental monitoring data and better management and training, but they are just as likely to be prosecuted or complained about by the public as any other company" says report author Jim Skea, of the Policy Studies Institute. "We proved beyond all doubt that these systems don't yet fully deliver the performance that regulators are looking for. They could deliver something in the future, but so far they haven't fulfilled their potential"

The report does, however, concede that the improved management processes within a company means that there is scope for limited recognition.

"If EMSs such as ISO 14001 are going to be recognised by regulators in the future, certification bodies will need to change their practices and take a more consistent approach" says Skea.

"The certification bodies typically do not pay enough attention to compliance with legislation in their reviews of site performance," claims co-author Chris Howes, Policy manager, Compliance Assessment and Enforcement, in the Environment Agency. "Effective systems for legal compliance should be a minimum requirement, not something to be aimed for in the future".

The paper warns that in an increasingly competitive market, certification bodies will be biased towards a budget solution to environmental issues, instead of quality.

The paper calls on the Government to push for higher standards or certification through bodies such as the UK Accreditation Service.

John Wiley & Sons