How to protect the environment

How to protect the environment 

What is the impact of industryon the environment?

  

The environment (the air, land and water around us) provides the conditions for developing and sustaining all forms of life

Unfortunately, we sometimes use our environment as the dustbin for everything we don’t want

Some of the factors which influence an organisation’s effect on the environment are:

·          location

·          supplies required

·          work activities

·          products

·          waste

An organisation’s impact on the environment could come from one single event,

An organisation’s impact on the environment could come from one single event,

or a gradual build-up from several sources

Waste is anything that businesses, organisations or the public throw away because they no longer need or want it

how to protect the environment 

Pollution is the release of substances or energy into the environment that can contaminate air, land and water

Each year there are approximately:

·          588 water 
pollution incidents

Each year there are approximately:

·          588 water pollution incidents

·          252 land pollution incidents

how to protect the environment 

Each year there are approximately:

·          588 water pollution incidents

·          252 land pollution incidents

·          155 air pollution incidents

which have a

serious impact

on the environment

Think about how your organisation
affects the environment

How can you control
pollution and waste?

Once you’ve identified how your organisation affects the environment, you’ll need to establish which issues require specific management

Once you’ve identified how your organisation affects the environment, you’ll need to establish which issues require specific management

One way to do this is with a risk assessment: find out the likelihood of the occurrence of harmful activities, and their consequences

The ways of dealing with pollutants and waste will depend on a number of factors:

·          the potential impact of the pollutant

·          legal requirements

·          best practice developments

·          stakeholder/societal concerns

·          values and policies

·          economic issues

When solving pollution and waste problems, the following hierarchy can help:

When solving pollution and waste problems, the following hierarchy can help:

When solving pollution and waste problems, the following hierarchy can help:

When solving pollution and waste problems, the following hierarchy can help:

When solving pollution and waste problems, the following hierarchy can help:

If an incident occurs, your organisation needs to have processes in place to respond and repair any damage

These plans should form part of your organisation’s emergency procedures, and be reviewed and practised regularly

What are the main elements of an
environmental management system?

The best way to manage environmental risks is to have a systematic approach, as when managing health and safety risks:

Environmental management systems (EMS) minimise your company’s risks associated with its interactions with the environment

Key benefits of an EMS can include:

·         getting a licence to operate

·         complying with the law

·         controlling cost

·         getting access to product and
capital markets

·         improving relations with the
general public

Getting it right:

·         Planning for prevention and reduction is cheaper than cleaning up afterwards

·         Good environmental performance has advantages: profitability, competitiveness, better relations and premiums

·         Integrate environmental
factors into your
responsibilities

Key learning points:

·         What is the impact of industry on the environment?

·         How can you control pollution and waste?

·         What are the main elements of an environmental management
system?