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Environmental Management 2nd Edition, Sarel J. Smit, 2020
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SECOND EDITIONEditors: Sarel } Smit and William T Makomeni
, Chapter One
Introduction’to environmental management
Learning Outcomes
After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
© explain the field of operation of environmental management
® compare environmental and business management
@ depict the role of cross-functional teams (CFTs) in environmental management
® account for the emergence of environmental management
link corporate social responsibility to environmental management
differentiate between the different components of environmental management
discuss the principles and costs that apply to environmental management
clarify the strategies that apply to environmental management
outline the impact of human activity on the environment, which can result in
Overview of this chapter
This chapter provides an overview of the different elements in the range of
activities and functions that an organisation has to perform when developing
and implementing an environmental management programme. The general
picture offered in this chapter depicts, in brief, all the elements of environmental
Management that are discussed in the following chapters in more detail.
1.1 Introduction
Many people in South Africa live in conditions that are harmful to their health and
well-being - even though it is a fundamental right of all South Africans to live in
an environment that is not harmful to their health and well-being. Environmental
management should be integrated into all development activities and co-operative
environmental governance should be provided for by establishing decision-making
principles regarding all matters concerning the environment.
1.2 Defining environmental management
Environmental management can be defined as the way in which businesses deal
with environmental aspects. Environmental aspects are regarded as any element
Botreed ofl Parte
,Environmental Management - A business management approach
of the activities, products or services of an organisation that interacts with mw
materials or resources in the environment. The natural world can be regarded as
an environment that comprises numerous natural sources that are available to
be used by the manufacturing industry as raw materials. According to Section
i(xi) of the National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998 (NEMA), the
environment can be seen as the immediate and remote surroundings within which
individuals and organisations exist. Such surroundings are constituted by the
atmosphere, water and land, plus micro-organisms, fauna and flora, as well os
any section, combination or interrelationships between these elements, plus the
physical, chemical and cultural properties and conditions of any element(s) in
this list that may affect human and/or organisational health or well-being. All
these elements represent objects that are made of matter with which humans
interact on a daily basis and which could affect humans either positively or
adversely, See chapter 6 of this book for more detail on the nature of the
natural world.
To interact with raw materials as resources in industrial processes requires
particular ways of dealing with such processes in order to achieve specific objectives.
Such ways of dealing with elements in the environment requires ‘soft’ factors
within the context of management. The mandate of management to humankind
is that humans use natural resources in a responsible and orderly manner and as
economically as possible. Orderliness within the context of the economic principle
applies io human activities, such as planning, doing, developing, implementing or
destroying. Humankind must be accountable in meeting its own and societal needs
and targets through utilising resources in an orderly fashion. Accountability and
stewardship in terms of orderliness in using resources, with due consideration of
economic principles, are crucial in all human conduct.
Management represents human endeavours to understand and describe the ways
that natural, human, financial and man-made resources should be used to reach
specified goals, objectives and targets, while giving full recognition to and applying
the economic principle. The application of the economic principle does no! imply
thriftiness. The economic principle refers to practising economic efficiency. Soft
issues that apply to environmental management include commitment, dedication,
inspiration, involvement, culture, recognition, leadership and many more. All such.
elements must be incorporated as integral parts of an organisational environmental
management system (EMS), The best directives for implementing an EMS effectively
are to be found in ISO 14000, a series of environmental management standards,
published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which
provide guidelines for implementing an organisational EMS. Such implementation
needs to be based on an environmental management plan and must take place in
full consideration of the needs and interests of interested parties (individuals and
groups) that may be affected by an EMS, See chapter 9 of this book for more detail
on environmental management within the framework of the implementation of an
organisational EMS.
Seared ll area
, One: Intreduection to environmental management
1.3 Relationship between environmental management and business
management
There is a close congrucnee between business manigement and environmental
Management, Husiness mmnagement can be regarded as the orderly and organised
utilisation of resaurees in providing goods and services to customers with due
consideration of the economic principle. The rendering of services and the provision
of goods wid the co-ordination of work-related activities result from the effective
utilisation of human and other resources while implementing the functions of
planaing, organising. leading and control (POLC cyele):
* Planning implies thinking about the options invalved in activities that relate
to the achievement of organisational business objectives.
= Organising is concerned with structuring people inte functional groups
and assigning tasks, authority and resources accordingly, in order to realise
organisations! objectives.
*® Leading refers to influencing and inspiring employees to realise the success
ofa business amganisation.
« =Control means applying processes to organist ond regulate human and all
other resources invelyed in order to realise organisational objectives.
Environmental management and business manngement differ in terms of functional
focus. Environmental management focuses on ways to deal with environmental
aspects in order to prevent any adverse environmental impacts. Environciental
aspects refer to the involvement of any activities, products or services with any
substance or group of substances in the environment. Business management
focuses on the orderly utilisation of resources for the purpose of Financial gain,
Implementing environmental management means that am organisation plans and
implements all its activities, products and services in terms af environmental
management principles and strategies. In addition, environmental management
implies Flan, Do, Check and Act (FDCA cycle), which enables an organisation to
realise its environmental policy objectives and targets.
The PDCA eycle, with was developed by Deming (1982), corresponds congrucutly
with the POLC cycle of business monagement. Planning provides for thinking
through and considering all options related (o activities, products and services in
preparation for implementing an EMS, Based on such planning the organisation
moves to the Do stage, during which all planned activities are put into practice.
The Do stage involves frequent periods of checking and reviewing to see whether
objectives and targets have been achiewed. After this stage, the onganisation has
fo act to rectify any non-conformities and to implement preventative action. as
and when necessary. The 180 14000 guidelines, developed by the ($0, uses the
same approach in the effective implementation of an EMS. The stages outlined by
ISO) 14000 in implementing an EMS are planning, implementation and operation,
checking and management review. It is clear that there exists great congruence
Botreed ofl Parte
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