1. Relevance of an
Environmental
Management
System
13 June 2017 | Houston
Francisco Cordero | Consultant | Antea Group

2. Agenda
1. What is an EMS?
2. EMS Standards and Guidelines
3. Applicability
4. Benefits
5. Challenges
6. Certification
7. 2015 ISO Revision

3. What is an Environmental
Management System (EMS)?
A voluntary system and tool to:
• check the activities of an organization and their impact on the
environment
• improve performance
• continually improve the organization
• communicate environmental stewardship internally and externally
• organize, plan, make decisions and evaluate progress
• guide addressing both environmental and business issues
"the organizational structure, responsibilities, procedures, processes and
resources for determining and implementing environmental policy"
- The British Standard Institute

4. What is an EMS?
• More than just a way to keep a
company in environmental compliance
• It is non-prescriptive, it is what any
organization makes it
• A good way to thoroughly review risks
and to ensure having robust
mechanisms in place to manage risks
• Should be embedded in the overall
management system and culture

5. EMS Standards
Different standards have been developed in order to enable
well-structured and comparable EMSs:
• Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS): Voluntary
environmental management instrument, to assess, manage
and continuously improve environmental performance
• ISO 14000 series standards: International, nonprescriptive,
voluntary standards with specific environmental
management requirements and principles
ISO 14001 is the preferred EMS standard:
legitimacy & recognition by external
stakeholders, and flexibility process.

6. EMS Guidelines
A number of organizations have produced standards and
guidelines for EMS, including oil and gas industry bodies:
• IOGP - Guidelines for the Development and
Application of Health, Safety and Environmental
Management Systems
• API - Guidelines for environmental management
systems, based on the best practices of API members
• APPEA - Code of Environmental Practice provides
guidance on EMS development and application
• ILTA - Environmental Management System Guide
• U.S. EPA - endorses EMSs to help organizations
improve their environmental performance and
increase prevention of pollution

7. Applicability to Oil and Gas
Background
• Need for companies to effectively address environmental issues has
increased due to either external or internal reasons, and expectation of
future business concerns
• Most major international oil and gas companies have adopted detailed
EMS and internal environmental operating guidelines
Benefits
• Environmental / Sustainability
• Operational
• Business

8. Environmental/Sustainability Benefits
• Continual improvement in environmental performance
• More sustainable use of natural resources
• Effectively manage environmental aspects
• Reduction in environmental incidents
• Decrease in environmental impacts
• Prevention of pollution

9. Operational Benefits
• Integration of environmental management into the company’s operations
• Improvement in regulatory performance leading to lower risk of fines
• Increased alertness, awareness and interest of environmental impact
• Coordinated system for handling environmental affairs
• Achievement of environmental targets
• Increase control of operations and costs
• Focus on critical aspects and processes
• Education and knowledge exchange
• Employee empowerment

10. Business Benefits
• Demonstrate commitment to environmental
protection
• Improved relations/confidence with
stakeholders
• Reduced operating costs
• Reduced risk of penalties and litigation
• Improved employee morale
• New business opportunities with
environmentally aware customers
• Improved company’s public image/reputation
• Improved access to capital and business
opportunities
• Facilitate issue of licenses and permits
• Marketing advantage in certain tenders
• Ability to positively influence other companies

11. Challenges
• Takes a lot of work and energy
• Difficulty translating the concepts
into practice
• Hard to measure cost benefits
• Difficulty in the engagement of
employees
• Achieving top management
commitment
• Company management not open
to research and criticism
• Expenses of development
• Harder for SMEs

12. Benefits of Certification
Benefits of Certification
• Elevate reputation, image, credibility and
competitiveness in the global marketplace
• Some tenders require an certification
• Assure that your EMS meets international
environmental standards
• Influence performance of supply chain
• Decrease public liability insurance costs
• Grow your access to business partners and
potential customers
• Show proactive environmental management
• Compatible with sustainability accounting systems
and other innovations in environmental
management and pollution prevention.

13. Limitations of ISO and Certification Process
• Registration process is lengthy
• Does not set legal environmental standards
• It can encourage incrementalism
• Some requirements may have no effect on the
company's impacts
• Focused on certification rather than improved
performance
• See certification as a substitute for human actions
• It does not benefit, as much, SME's and developing
countries
• Average cost of certification is $10,000-$128,000 and
maintenance cost is between $5,000-$10,000 per
year depending on the size
• Recertifying under the new standard may require
significant changes to your existing system

14. 2015 Revision
• ISO 14001 was updated in 2015,
and had not previously been
updated since 2004.
Organizations have until
September 2018 to transition to
the revised ISO 14001:2015
Accounts for changes in:
• innovations in management
systems
• changes in business
management practices
• emphasis on sustainability
accounting
• concerns about climate change
• environmental effect of
products over their life cycle

15. 2015 Revision – Summary Changes
• Risks and opportunities - risk based approach to planning and controls
• Standardized structure - Redrafted based on the ISO Annex SL structure,
making it easier to merge all ISO management standards
• Internal and external context - Determine the past, current and potential
future, internal and external, issues to be addressed. Businesses must
focus on organizational context and interested parties.
• Scope of the EMS - Identify and include all activities, products, and
services that have significant environmental aspects (i.e. outsourced
processes controlled or influenced)

16. 2015 Revision – Summary Changes
• Leadership - Top management accountable for the successful
achievement of the goals of the EMS.
• Planning for risks and opportunities - No formal risk assessment
methodology is required, any identified risks and opportunities that are
of strategic importance and that support the intended outcomes of the
EMS address must be addressed.
• Life-cycle perspective - to be considered when defining environmental
aspects. Focus is expanded from factory/operation to products.
• Communication - Communication strategy to be implemented so that all
levels of the organization are aware

17. 2015 Revision – Summary Changes
• Documentation - some of the terminology is new
• Improvement - Environmental performance to be incorporated into
strategic planning and to occur in order to achieve certification. Ensure
the quality and credibility of environmental information

18. Thoughts
• Some of the companies that have done radical things
improving their environmental impact haven't used a
management system like ISO14001. However, if you have
large operations with lots of people needing to follow
correct procedures in order to reduce your impact and
avoid risk, then it has a lot to offer
• Just because an organization has an EMS does not
guarantee improvements in environmental performance

19. How to Start
1. Get a copy of the standard
2. Ensure management team is aware that of the process
3. Review your current management systems
4. Develop a gap assessment of your existing management systems
against the requirements of the EMS
5. Start thinking how to adapt current management system to meet the
new EMS
6. Quantify the level of change required and start thinking about the
action plan(s) required (training, etc.)

20. Francisco Cordero
+1 404 414 4714
Francisco.Cordero@anteagroup.com
For additional information contact:
Thank you.