Protecting the environment: the role of environmental management systems

Environmental management and auditing systems are increasingly important. They have
significant roles to play in relation to environmental protection, workplace safety and public
health. Businesses and non-commercial organisations adopt such systems for a variety of
reasons. The extent to which they are used varies very considerably between developed
countries. The effectiveness of national regulatory systems seems to be a major factor. In the
United Kingdom environmental regulators have traditionally sought the voluntary compliance
of businesses. This strategy is closely associated with the near absence of administrative
penalties. It seems that a wide range of environmental administrative penalties will be
introduced in the near future. This may greatly encourage more firms to introduce
environmental management and auditing systems.