How can you develop an EMS manual for environmental consulting?

1 Identify your environmental aspects

The first step is to identify your environmental aspects, which are the elements of your activities, products, and services that interact with the environment. For example, your environmental aspects may include waste generation, energy consumption, emissions, water use, and land use. You need to assess the significance of each aspect, considering its potential impact on the environment and the expectations of your stakeholders. You can use tools such as aspect-impact matrices, checklists, or life cycle assessments to help you with this step.

2 Define your environmental policy

The next step is to define your environmental policy, which is a statement of your commitment to environmental protection and improvement. Your environmental policy should reflect your vision, mission, and values as an environmental consulting firm, and provide the basis for setting your environmental objectives and targets. Your environmental policy should also include your compliance obligations, your communication channels, and your roles and responsibilities. You should ensure that your environmental policy is endorsed by your top management, communicated to your employees and stakeholders, and reviewed regularly.

3 Set your environmental objectives and targets

The third step is to set your environmental objectives and targets, which are the specific and measurable goals that you want to achieve to improve your environmental performance and reduce your environmental risks. Your environmental objectives and targets should be aligned with your environmental policy, your environmental aspects, and your compliance obligations. They should also be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. You should also define the indicators, resources, and actions that you will use to monitor and achieve your environmental objectives and targets.

4 Establish your operational controls

The fourth step is to establish your operational controls, which are the procedures, processes, and practices that you will implement to ensure that your environmental objectives and targets are met and that your environmental risks are minimized. Your operational controls should cover all the stages of your environmental consulting projects, from planning and design to execution and evaluation. They should also address the environmental aspects that you have identified, the compliance obligations that you have to follow, and the emergency situations that you have to prepare for.

5 Monitor and measure your performance

The fifth step is to monitor and measure your performance, which is the process of collecting and analyzing data on your environmental aspects, impacts, objectives, targets, and compliance status. You should use the indicators that you have defined in the previous step, as well as other tools such as audits, inspections, surveys, or feedback. You should also record and document your performance data, and report it to your top management, employees, and stakeholders. You should use your performance data to evaluate your environmental performance and identify areas for improvement.

6 Review and improve your system

The final step is to review and improve your system, which is the process of assessing the effectiveness and suitability of your EMS, and making changes to improve it. You should conduct regular management reviews, where your top management evaluates your EMS performance, identifies strengths and weaknesses, and decides on corrective and preventive actions. You should also implement a continuous improvement cycle, where you plan, do, check, and act on your EMS processes and outcomes. You should also seek external verification or certification of your EMS, if applicable, to demonstrate your credibility and compliance.