4.2 Environmental policy
Environmental policy defines the principles of the organization. It sets the level of environmental responsibility and performance required of the organization, which will be assessed on all subsequent actions. The policy should comply with the environmental impact of activities, products and services to the organization on the environment (within a certain area of environmental management systems) and should serve as a basis for targeting and planning of environmental indicators.
Ever-increasing number of international organizations, including government, industry associations and groups of civilians, have developed guidelines. These guidelines help organizations identify the general area of environmental protection. They also help to create a common set of values for various organizations. These guidelines can help your organization in developing its policy, which can be as unique as the organization and for which she worked. Responsibility for environmental policy rests with the senior management of the organization. Environmental policy can be incorporated into other documentation on the organization's policies or be associated with it. The company's management is responsible for policies and for providing information for the formulation and modification of policies. Policy should be communicated to all persons working in the organization or on its behalf. In addition, policies should be communicated to the public (the methods of public relations, see p.4.4.3.2).
In the development of environmental Policy organization should consider the following:
a) their needs, views, core values and beliefs;
b) coordination with the organization in other areas (eg, in terms of quality, occupational health and safety);
c) requirements of stakeholders and communication with them;
d) guidelines;
e) specific local or regional conditions;
f) their commitment to pollution prevention and continual improvement;
e) The obligations to ensure compliance legal requirements and other requirements to which the organization will comply.
Practical help - Environmental policy Environmental policy must take into account that all the activities, products and services within the scope of the environmental management system, organizations can have an impact on the environment. Therefore, policies depend on the nature of the organization. Among other things, the policy should include a commitment to the following aspects: a) compliance with applicable legal requirements and other requirements that must comply with the organization related to the environmental aspects of its activities, products and services, or over-fulfillment of these requirements. b) pollution prevention (see Practical help - Prevention of pollution), and c) continuous improvement through the development of procedures for assessing environmental performance and relevant indicators. The policy may also include other liabilities such as d) to minimize any significant impact of new development on the environment through the application of integrated environmental management procedures and appropriate planning. e) product development, taking into account environmental aspects, and f) supply an example of leadership in environmental management.
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Practical help - Prevention of pollution Pollution prevention can be considered when designing and developing new products and services, as well as the development of appropriate technologies. Such a strategy may, for example, help an organization to conserve resources and reduce waste and emissions associated with its products and services. (Guide to the concepts and practices of product development can be found in ISO / TR 14062). Reducing the source of contamination may be the most effective practices, as it provides a double advantage: it helps to avoid waste and emissions and at the same time while simultaneously saving resources. However, prevention of pollution by reducing its source may not be possible for some organizations, under certain conditions. Organizations should take into account a hierarchy of approaches to prevent contamination. Such a hierarchy should give preference to prevent pollution from its source, and may have the following structure: a) reduce or eliminate the source of pollution (including environmentally friendly construction, replacement of the material, process changes, product or technology, as well as the efficient use and saving of energy and material resources); b) internal reuse or recycling (reuse or recycling of materials within the technology or equipment); c) external reuse or recycling (removal of material from the plant for reuse or recycling); d) extraction and processing (removal of waste on the premises or outside the processing of emissions and sinks in the plant or outside to reduce their environmental impact); e) mechanisms control such as burning, or controlled waste, where permissible. However, organizations should use these methods only after considering all other options.
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