Global warming and climate change are all the rage. International leaders hold debates, make press statements, and convene huge meetings. Political leaders may even stand or fall judged by their perceived commitment to reduce carbon emissions. Airlines and other companies generate buttons on their websites inviting you to reduce your carbon footprint.

As an individual it is not too complicated to manage your environmental impact. You buy green and/or organic products, recycle your plastic, and teach your children not to litter. You dry your clothes in the sun instead of using the electric dryer and plant a tree on arbour day.

What does a company do? Companies are the first in line (no matter who they are) to get blamed for the environmental woes of the world: they use too much energy, they produce too much waste, they take up too much land, they pollute the air, the water, etc.

Most companies react by putting boxes in everyone's offices to collect office paper and printer cartridges ("we are recycling"). They donate trees to the local school for arbour day. They may even support a local environmental group financially. But there is a much more effective way for a company to be environmentally responsible and accountable, and that is to implement an environmental management system (EMS).

The most widely used EMS is probably that of the International Standards Organization, which allows a company to get international recognition for the effectiveness of its EMS. It is known as ISO14001 and is basically a standard (just like international standards for the size and appearance of credit cards). If your EMS complies with the standard, you are awarded a certificate and are allowed to use the ISO14001 logo on all your products and communications, so that customers and clients know that you are environmentally responsible.

It is not the only EMS available, and companies can devise their own systems if they so wish. The advantages of the internationally recognised system are many:
It has been tried and tested. About 130,000 companies are ISO14001 certified.
The ISO14001 logo is recognised all over the world (more than 30 countries).
It is designed to merge with other management systems e.g. safety and health, or quality.
It can run on many different software platforms e.g. SAPS, Folioview. Small companies can even run a paper-based system, but it does become complicated.
It enables the company to assess its actual (as opposed to

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