Paper Example on ISO 14001: Reducing Impact on Environment

Introduction

The environmental management system is regulated by ISO 14001 which is an international body that provides for certification. ISO 14001 ensures that organizations identify environmental aspects and assess the impacts of its operation and activities on the environment (Arimura et al., 2015). ISO 14001 also states that organizations should formulate objectives and develop suitable programs that seek to reduce the impact caused on the environment by organizations. Companies should also establish policies that provide for continuous prevention and improvement of pollution and comply with the relevant regulations put in place by ISO 14001. ISO 14001 thus focuses on the organization's commitment to reduce the adverse impact on the environment and compliance with environmental law (Arimura et al., 2015). The telecommunication industry is regarded as one of the environmentally friendly sectors, but considering the size of BT Group plc as one of the largest consumers of energy, it is bound to harm the environment and thus calls for environmental management systems (Bieser and Hilty, 2018). BT Group plc intends to commence a project based in Africa and requires a report to determine some of the environmental management systems that will be applied in the project. This report is thus based on the environmental manager's assessment of the BT Group plc compliance with ISO 14001 Standard, managing environmental aspects and conducting a screening process with regards to Environmental Impact Assessment guidelines.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Compliance with ISO 14001 Standard

There is a need to establish an environmental management system (EMS) and then certify it with ISO 14001 standard. The EMS should cover all the activities of the BT Group plc across all the countries where it operates. It is essential to run a pilot project to establish an EMS that is workable across all the nations of operation (Campos ET AL., 2015). After the certification, it is essential to register the EMS with EU Eco-management and Audit Scheme (EMAS).

BT Group plc should formulate its policies to include the environmental policy and the legal requirements that relate to the environmental aspects (Testa et al., 2014). The organization needs to comply with the relevant local and international legislation. The first requirement will be to understand the legal requirements of the ISO 14001 to determine the organization's needs because the requirements vary from country to country and from region to region (Testa et al., 2014).

Top management involves formulating Environmental Legislation Register for BT Group plc, and the register will contain information such as the reference to the specific rules, requirements, compliance strategies, a record of compliance and source of information (Welford, 2014). Keeping the register up to date is essential because it helps identify environmental aspects and the legal aspects. Complying with ISO 14001 standard will also entail keeping a record of the changes in regulatory requirements. Evaluation of compliance ensures that the organization does not default, and in the case of non-compliance, it should take corrective measures to keep the organization back in track (Welford, 2014). Finally, the continuous management review process is crucial to assess the results of compliance and the changes in definition and provisions of the legal requirements (Welford, 2014). Ensuring compliance also involves being conversant with the risks of non-compliance.

Environmental Aspects

BT Group plc applies a different strategy of dealing with environmental aspects that involve categorizing the impacts with the cause rather than location. Despite having undergone structural changes over the years, BT Group plc has maintained its certification with ISO 14001 to help formulate environmental management systems (Bieser and Hilty, 2018). Some of the significant environmental aspects of BT Group plc include waste, procurement, local impacts, product stewardship, transport, benefits, and fuel, water, and energy (Epstein, 2018).

Fuel, Energy, and Water

BT Group plc is one of the most significant single users of energy across the world with energy consumption being used in the electricity that runs the network, electricity used in the offices, and the gas and oil applied in the organization's site. The use of non-renewable energy and fuels pollutes the environment (Mirandola and Lorenzini, 2016). The organization also uses water for washing, catering, and in the toilets. Excessive use of water without applying conservation methods leads to exploitation of water sources (Pedro-Monzonis et al., 2015).

Waste

BT Group plc produces thousands of tons of waste every year, and the type of waste produced is categorized into three different types (Danciu, 2018). The first category of waste is that which does not pollute the environment such as paper. The second category is a non-toxic waste in unmodified form but which has the potential to become toxic or dangerous if not treated well, for instance, cables. The third category is toxic and hazardous wastes such as diesel oil that is used to run the company's equipment that leaks to the environment are hence causing pollution (Bieser and Hilty, 2018).

Transport

BT Group plc uses a fleet of vehicles to run its operation, and these vehicles have adverse impacts on the environment through the emissions they produce to the environment and the type of energy sources they use (Shang et al., 2014). The emissions to air such as the vehicles' fumes are harmful to the environment as they affect the climate and cause air pollution (Shang et al., 2014).

Procurement

BT Group plc spends a lot of money on its services and products that range from accommodation, purchasing equipment, vehicles, energy, office machinery, stationery, and fuel among others. With this kind of purchase and procurement, the organization is bound to have an environmental impact that surpasses its stuff and workplace (Amann et al., 2014).

Product Stewardship

BT Group plc is run on electronic products with the desire to make the products cheaper and better for the consumers, but the results are always associated with the waste (Budica and Dumitru-Traistaru, 2015). When the organization purchases products for resale or business, it directly or indirectly places a lot of demand on the environmental resources, for instance, through the supply chain activities, the organization inevitably supports the extraction of minerals needed for the production of its services (Bieser and Hilty, 2018).

The Local Impacts

The impacts of the organization's activities such as the intrusion of telephone cables or the disturbance caused by construction activities hugely affect people and their immediate surroundings. Some of the organization's activities that have local impacts include the construction of telephone poles, utility hole covers, the city tunnels, and the roadside cabinets (Bieser and Hilty, 2018).

Benefits

The general use of information and communications technology (ICT) has various benefits to the business, the people and the surrounding environment. For instance, the primary objective of BT Group plc is to support economic and social development by providing access to information and communication services (McQuail and Windahl, 2015).

Managing Environmental Aspects

The BT Group plc can control the environmental aspects and the impacts caused by formulating a suitable policy that establishes the company's objectives, sustainable measures for improvement and strategies that measure and monitor performance (Baumgartner, 2014). The environmental policy provides that the organization is committed to minimizing and preventing pollution by developing a continuous improvement program (Schaltegger and Burritt, 2017). Some of these programs and policies include meeting all the requirements set by the ISO 14001 standard and where possible exceed the requirements by establishing its regulations. The company should also engage in activities that reduce the consumption of products, and where possible reuse or recycle rather than dispose of (Salim et al., 2018).

The organization should design and use efficient energy sources such as renewable energy. BT Group plc should also reduce the number of harmful emissions such as carbon dioxide and gas emissions released to the environment (Salim et al., 2018). The company should only market products that are safe to the environment, safe to use and make good use of the available resources. The company should work with suppliers and ensure that they minimize the impacts of their activities on the environment by engaging in policies such as quality purchasing (Salim et al., 2018). The organization should skillfully site its buildings and operational structures in a manner that reduces the impact caused on the local environment such as noise and visual pollution (Salim et al., 2018). The company should also partner with community programs that seek to protect the environment. Engaging the BT trade unions and BT training activities with environmental issues will also help reduce the impact of environmental aspects (Bieser and Hilty, 2018).

Some of the steps that BT Group plc has taken to manage energy include monitoring the energy consumption and investing on electricity meters that monitor electricity every half hour and identifies energy wastage (Bieser and Hilty, 2018). Some of the energy initiatives include buying efficient equipment that requires less demand for cooling and minimizes energy use. The company should create energy awareness through extensive publications and concentrate more on renewable resources that will help reduce air emissions and the amount of gas emissions released to the environment (Ellabban et al., 2014). The organization should regularly test, decommission, and repair the fuel tanks that store fuel in case of blackouts to avoid pollution caused by spillage (Bieser and Hilty, 2018).

BT Group plc should manage water consumption by detecting water leakage and engaging in activities that reduce water usage (Lewis et al., 2017). The organization should establish a waste forum that identifies and manages waste by adhering to the environmental regulations (Lewis et al., 2017). The transport department should invest in online ordering, alternative fuels, electric vehicles, and noise suppression techniques. The procurement department, on the other hand, should assess the environmental procedures and policies of the suppliers and offer management policies to reduce the impacts caused by suppliers. Product stewardship should be enhanced through the use of non-toxic materials, extension of product life, and minimizing the amount of materials used among others (Lewis et al., 2017).

The Benefits of Conducting EIA Screening

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is an essential feature in planning, and it ensures that planning decisions take into consideration the impacts on the environment. EIA provides that public participation and scrutiny of development projects and the environmental issues that may arise from the construction (Macintosh and Waugh, 2014). For instance, the BT Group plc should conduct an environmental impact assessment in Africa before they start the proposed project. The impact assessment can be performed through screening, and the screening process involves determining whether or not a project requires an environmental impact assessment (Macintosh and Waugh, 2014). Some of the significant concerns of screening involve ascertaining whether a project falls within the provisions of Schedules 1 or 2 of the regulations and whether the project's size, nature, and location will have a significant impact on the environment (Macintosh and Waugh, 2014). T...