Current situation and problems related to environmental management system by local authorities: Questionnaire survey examining all local authorities in Japan
2005
Yamamoto, Y.(Kyoto Univ. (Japan))
A growing number of Japanese local authorities have been introducing environmental management system. This has been shown as almost one sixth local authorities are implementing ISO14001. In the 2003 winter, a postal survey to learn more about EMS implementation in all Japanese local authorities was carried out. The adoption of EMS expected to help local authorities reduce their environmental impact and reconstruct their management system. The aim of this paper is to carry out an analysis on the expectations and effects of ISO14001 EMS implementation in Japanese local authorities. Moreover, this paper discusses the fact how the EMS coordinates in responding to various environmental policies and their activities. Consequently, ISO14001 certification scope was limited to be smaller in their sites and activities. And their EMS coordinated very few matters related to other environmental policies. But they observed good outcome from the points of energy saving, cost effectiveness and environmental awareness of staffs. Additionally they had good effects on some of ISO14001 requirements such as environmental aspect, audit, review, structure and responsibility and training and awareness and competence. EMS is often viewed mainly as a tool for energy-saving in the limited activities of local authorities not as a tool to integrate other environmental policies in their all activities.
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