Environmental management system tools, their role, integration with the implementation and interaction of EMS – Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) – The EIA will provide the organization the methodology and process for identifying the potential environmental effects of their actions and activities before they are carried out. This makes it easier for the organization to take environmental considerations into account at an early stage and allows controls and mitigations to be integrated into any plan. An EIA may be carried out on the site remediation activities planned by the organization in relation to the removal of chemicals from previous occupants and the management of contaminated land. The EIA would assist project planning to enable the identification of minimal residual adverse impacts and could also include a monitoring strategy. Environmental audit The environmental audit has a specific role as an environmental management tool as it constitutes an integral part of any EMS. The environmental audit provides the organization with the ability to verify compliance and evaluate the effectiveness of systems and is also a mechanism for measuring the performance of environmental improvements. These improvements may have been implemented as a result of the creation and management of the EMS. Environmental audits have four main roles, summarized as follows: • verify – to determine whether the EMS meets the specified standard, for example ISO 14001 • identify environmental problems associated with the production of goods or services before they become liabilities • develop performance metrics good practice • serve as the basis for an evolving corporate environmental strategy The audit will check compliance with legislation and would also identify a... paper center ......ure senior management support at least one team member should come by the senior management of the organization. The rest of the team should come from across the company, to ensure company-wide cooperation and to gain a cross-section of experience in the team. In the medium term, an effective environmental management system should prove to be at least cost-neutral and often lead to sustained savings through environmental efficiency in waste and energy management. Organizations can approach the development of their EMS in many different ways, for example in larger companies staff may be recruited directly whilst in smaller companies existing staff may be trained and tasks extended to include the EMS. In some cases consultants are appointed to assist in EMS development and some companies have benefited from subsidized/funded programs that promote EMS development.