environmental management system (EMS)

How it is used

The best-known standard is ISO 14001; the EU also has EMAS. An EMS follows the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle and includes an environmental policy, a register of environmental aspects, a legal register, objectives, internal audits and management review. Companies implement, certify and maintain an EMS.

Example sentences

1. Our environmental management system has been certified to ISO 14001 since 2015.

2. The external auditor found two minor nonconformities in the environmental management system.

Common collocations

• implement an EMS
• ISO 14001 certification
• internal audit
• management review
• environmental aspects

Related terms

• environmental auditA systematic check of how well a facility or organization complies with environmental laws, permits and its own management system, and of how it manages its impacts.
• environmental monitoringThe regular measurement and recording of environmental conditions, such as air and water quality, noise or wildlife, to check compliance and detect changes over time.
• environmental permitAn official authorization that allows a facility to carry out activities that could affect the environment, such as emissions to air or discharges to water, under set conditions.
• sustainability reportA report, usually published every year, in which a company describes its environmental, social and governance performance, targets and impacts.

More terms: Environmental Assessment and Management

• environmental impact assessment (EIA)
• baseline
• public consultation