Developing an Environmental Management System (EMS) Approach for Agriculture and Agribusiness

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Developing an Environmental Management System
(EMS) Approach for Agriculture and Agribusiness
EMS Basics
December 18, 2000 Beth GravesEMS
Project Coor. NC Division of Pollution
Prevention and Environmental Assistance
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• August 28, 2000 
• The Progressive FarmerBy necessity and
  inclination, U.S. farmers are early adapters.
  Here's a look at the latest in high-tech down on
  the farm. 
• By CARLENE HEMPEL
• The News Observer

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What is an EMS?

• Systematic way of managing an organizations
  environmental affairs
• Based on Plan-Do-Check-Act Model (PDCA)
• Focused on Continual Improvement of System
• Addresses immediate and long-term impact of an
  organizations products, services and processes
  on the environment.
• A tool to improve environmental performance

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EMS Model Plan, Do, Check, Act
Policy
Planning
Management Review
Implementation
Checking Corrective Action
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Why Implement an EMS?

• Helps to identify the causes of environmental
  problems.
• better to make a product right the first time
• cheaper to prevent a spill
• cost effective to prevent pollution
• Trade and competitive issues
• marketing tool

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Why Implement an EMS?

• Struggling to stay in compliance and keep track
  of regulations/laws
• Environmental management just one of many
  responsibilities
• Employee turnover
• Establish a framework to move beyond compliance
• Vehicle for positive change improved employee
  morale, enhanced public image
• Much of an EMS may already be in place

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Build on Whats There

• Animal Waste Management Plans
• Best Management Practices (BMPs)
• On Farm Assessment Program (available to pork
  producers)
• EMS Templates being developed
• Beef, poultry, dairy
• New programs ex. United Egg Producers Project
  XL agreement

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ISO 14001 Model Required Elements
Env. Policy 4.2 Document control 4.4.5
Env. Aspects 4.3.1 Operational control 4.4.6
Legal and other req. 4.3.2 Emergency preparedness and response 4.4.7
Obj. and targets 4.3.3 Monitoring and measurement 4.5.1
Env. Mgmt. Program 4.3.4 Corrective/preventive action 4.5.2
Structure and Responsibility 4.4.1 Records 4.5.3
Training, awareness, and competence 4.4.2 EMS audit 4.5.4
Communication 4.4.3 Management Review 4.6
EMS documentation 4.4.4
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Becoming ISO 14001 certified

• ISO 14001 is the only certification standard
• Registration body examines EMS for conformity to
  the ISO 14001 standard
• Not a compliance audit, an EMS audit
• Facility awarded registration
• Does NOT mean that products are more
  environmentally friendly
• Does mean have a documented EMS that is fully
  implemented and consistently followed

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Key EMS Elements/Framework

• Policy Statement
• Identification of Significant Environmental
  Impacts
• Development of Objectives and Targets
• Implementation Plan to Meet Obj. and Targets
• Training
• Management
• Review
• How you meet elements is up to you.

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Aspect and Impacts

• An organization evaluates and addresses its own
  significant aspects, including non-regulated
  aspects
• May be positive or negative
• Examples
• Aspect Pesticide Container Recycling
• Impact -- Conservation of natural resources
• Aspect Engine operations
• Impact Degradation of air quality

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Aspects and Impacts

• Consider
• Air emissions
• Solid/hazardous waste
• Contamination of land
• Noise, vibration and odor
• Water effluents
• Land use, energy use, water use
• Raw material and resource use
• Positive environmental issues

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Marine Corps ISO 14001 Pilot Project
Environmental Aspects
Encampment
Input (raw material and labor)
Conservation
Lead Responsibility - Fish and Wildlife Division,
Compliance Division, and Planning Division
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Significance Scoring --Prioritize

• From Environmental Concerns such as
• regulatory/legal exposure
• health risk/people
• resource conservation
• To Business Concerns such as
• effect on the public image/community
• cost savings
• cost recovery period
• equipment/facility

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Significance Scoring (cont.)

• Also may consider issues such as
• scale of impact
• duration of impact
• zone of impact
• probability of occurrence or likelihood -
  frequent, likely, possible, rarely, unlikely
• severity of impact - catastrophic, severe,
  moderate, minor

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Legal Environmental Requirements

• Setting legal framework for the EMS
• identify and access legal requirements
• (federal, state, local)
• keep up-to-date
• communicate to the
• right people

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Objectives Targets- Continual Improvement

• Establish and maintain environmental objectives
  and targets.
• Can include commitment to
• reduce waste
• reduce or eliminate release/spill of a pollutant
• design product/operations to minimize
  environmental impact in production, use, and
  disposal.

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Objectives Targets

• Keep objectives simple, flexible, and measurable.
• Be realistic.
• Considerations
• legal and other requirements
• significant env. aspects
• technological options
• financial requirements
• operational requirements
• business requirements
• views of interested parties

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EMS Example

• Policy Improve the environmental quality of the
  workplace
• Objective Improve indoor air quality by reducing
  solvent odors
• Target Reduce solvent odors (VOC levels) by 90
  by mid 2001.
• Set Environmental Mgmt. Program

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Env. Mgmt. Program

• Plan Switch to water cleaning process
• Action- Substitute water-based cleaning process
  for vapor degreasing process
• Responsibilities - Process Engineering
• Schedule - Bench top trials - 2 months
  (date)Full scale pilot - 3 months
  (date)Implementation period - 1 month (date)
• Resources needed - 1 FTE for 4 mon.
  Est. Budget 12,000

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Implementation

• Structure/responsibility
• Training, awareness, competence
• Communication (internal/external)
• Env. Mgmt System Documentation and control where
  needed
• Operational control (ex. maintenance)
• Emergency preparedness
• and response

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Monitoring and Measuring How are you doing?

• Establish procedures to monitor and measure key
  operations that can have a significant impact on
  the environment.
• Track how well the system
• is working
• Analyze root causes of problems

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EMS Internal Auditing

• Are you meeting your EMS requirements?
• How will you run an EMS audit program?

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Management Review

• Collect information to evaluate EMS
• Review EMS to ensure its continuing
  effectiveness
• Consider changes continual improvement

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For More Information

• DPPEA offers free on-site EMS
• assistance and training
• DPPEA EMS web site http//www.p2pays.org/iso/inde
  x.htm
• Beth Graves
• EMS Project Coor.
• 800-763-0136 or 919-715-6506
• Beth.Graves_at_ncmail.net