An appraisal of environment management systems: A competitive advantage for small businesses

Purpose – The main aim of this paper is to prove that an Environmental Management System (EMS) can be a powerful tool for organizations to both improve their environmental performance, and enhance their business efficiency.Design/methodology/approach – A case study methodology is used putting forth the “Implementation of an EMS system at Pioneer Building and Construction”, a registered company in the construction industry whose primary business activities relate to development and construction of projects on a contract basis.Findings – The findings stated that by implementing an EMS, Pioneer obtained a 10 per cent cost reduction; an estimated $1.2 million now could be saved annually as the annual costs were $12 million – which more than offsets the costs sustained in the implementation of ISO 14001.Practical implications – This paper validates that although the causes of environmental degradation are well known, the business logic for environmental improvement has been largely operational and technical. F...