Sustainable Operations: Environmental Management System Foundations Report Answer

1.0 Introduction to Environmental Management System(EMS)

BLOOM Company is a full-service restaurant that focuses on the implementation of an environmental management system (EMS) that is mainly involved in managing material environmental impacts. Hence, the report covers a description of the cost and benefits of EMS implementation. Along with this, a detailed aspect of EMS foundations based on the environmental aspects and issues is represented along with identifying its environmental significance is to be represented. In addition, the environmental significance of the system is to be identified and a summary of the entire finding is represented in this study. EMS is effective in terms of improving the sustainable approach to managing the impact of waste that may be generated from business operations.

It is referred as a framework of policies and practices for improving sustainability (iso.org, 2023). The structured approach involved improving compliance with environmental requirements. The current sustainable approaches of BLOOM restaurants are mainly involved with the reduction of food loss and unnecessary wastage. Food Audit is accomplished in the organisation, which is a key trend in the Canadian food industry (Moïse, 2023). However, the implementation of EMS can consist of strategic techniques and policies that should include menu planning with thorough lines that are involved with menu designing through overlapping ingredients to prevent waste.

2.0 EMS COSTS AND BENEFITS

An increasingly vital tool for businesses is the Environmental Management System ("EMS"). Most businesses must handle their goods and services, worker safety, public perception, ecological impact, and various other relevant alternatives (14000store.com, 2023). EMS was a “Top 20 Most Promising POS Solution” supplier in 2020. It was also a “Top 10 supplier” in “CIO Review's Mobile Payment” 2021, as well as one of “Retail CIO's 10 Most Promising Payment” and “Card Companies” of 2019 (emscorporate.com, 2023). According to Leyva & Parra (2021), Environmental Management Systems (EMS) provides an operational framework for businesses like Bloom to manage material ecological effects. The expenses related to Bloom's Environmental Management System (EMS) deployment include necessary start-up costs. This is to ensure funding for employee sustainability-training programs.

Ye & Lau (2022) stated that it also creates and enforces strict environmental laws. Furthermore, it gets important assessment and communication systems, and collecting the hardware and applications. This framework is much required for effective data administration and analysis, especially in an organisation like Bloom. Bloom's dedication to ecology and ethical business is based on the expenditures. According to Zhu et al. (2023), businesses are adopting eco-friendly technology and viable, ethical procedures due to a variety of factors, including expanding societal expectations, an increasing urgency for pollution reduction and sustainability, and a desire to establish an advantage over others.

Blinova et al. (2022) stated that adopting such innovations is not very beneficial if there is no sufficient environmental management system (EMS). Practical viewpoints on the application of EMS in several business scenarios are provided by industry studies from environmental consulting organisations like “EY and Deloitte”. Another study by Kila (2023) evaluated that a thorough knowledge of laws and regulations is further guaranteed by guidelines provided by environmental regulating organisations like the “Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)”. An EMS enables a company to consistently assess, evaluate, and enhance all its actions. It results concerning the ecological framework that they have established as a component of its continuing business activities (Sartal et al., 2020). A digital station and an application for mobile payments are combined to create Bloom's “EMSmobile”, a complete payment solution.

3.0 EMS Foundations

3.1 Environmental Aspects

EMS is considered effective in terms of effective implementation and strategies. It can also be involved with systematically managing the wastage. Recent trends such as optimisation of the food menu are considered as a recognisable way to manage wastage smartly that can assist better the trends of ways such as Food Audit (Vizzoto et al, 2021). In addition, the guidelines under ISO 14001 also insist organisations like Bloom can improve their commitment towards environmental stewardship. The environmental concern that should be focused on by business organisations should consider not only aspects like compliance; rather it should focus on the environmental forward-thinking approaches to make trustworthy relationships with stakeholders.

Sustainability should be only maintained through the help of waste management, rather than sustainable approaches through EMS can be implemented in their supply chain process. It can be done through transparent communication and minimisation of transport emissions (flexlyconsulting.com, 2023). In addition, approaches like collaborating with environmentally responsible suppliers are considered effective for increasing sustainable product utilisation. In addition, consideration, or effective implication of different aspects of EMS should be done by following the four steps that should positively affect the environmental compliance of the company.

Figure 1: The aspects of ISO 14001 for establishing an effective Environmental management system

(Source: Carel, 2022)

Steps such as Act, Check, Plan, and Do should be considered as correlated aspects, and consideration of each of the aspects can help achieve environmental sustainability for a business. Additionally, it is important to list the issues first (an explanation of the issues is analysed in detail in the next part) before determining the ecological and environmental goals that are to be achieved by BLOOM restaurant. The standards under ISO 14001 are considered effective in terms of identifying the various aspects of environmental sustainability that can be managed by optimising business activities strategically. Therefore, consideration of ISO 14001 not only insists business organisations focus only on the waste management aspect (Carel, 2022). Rather, it is considered effective in terms of increasing the use of renewable energy and appropriate repurposing of materials. Hence, the application of ISO 14001 is efficient in terms of the optimisation of menus by utilising overlapping ingredients that can improve the sustainable image of BLOOM.

The environmental aspects that should be considered from a focused EMS implementation in a business-like BLOOM restaurant should consist of the reduction of non-eco-friendly products or ingredients to reduce waste. In addition, plastic use is a recognisable global issue that can be observed in business organisations and restaurants are not an exception in this case. In addition, energy efficiency is a reasonable concern for the business, and increasing the incorporation of efficient applications is considered helpful to manage the potential issue and improve the extent of sustainability. In addition, the environmental aspects that should be covered in this context should include, showing concern for the improvement of sustainability by increasing the use of sustainable packaging (Lark, 2023). Maintenance of sustainability and emission reduction is the main environmental concern in this context that can be better managed through producing ingredients locally to improve the brand image. Hence, consideration of the aspects of ISO 14001 and focus on these aspects that are prioritised by the concerned customers should be highly focused on enhancing their EMS implementation.

3.2 Environmental Issues

According to Voinea et al. (2020), the EMS is responsible for managing environmental issues. According to ISO 14001, this includes overlooking “atmospheric emissions”, “waste management” and the use of resources, both tangible and intangible in a company (Bravi et al., 2020). Currently, the EMS faces significant implementation challenges in controlling non-renewable resource depletion, pollution, and global warming. According to Mosgaard & Kristensen (2023), EMS has a hard time balancing the economic strategies and the sustainability goals. For instance, the current technology does not support a business to depend on green energy due to its steep price and unreliable supply.

The implementation of EMS may face issues that are associated with a lack of morale or interest of employees to handle their activities through the help of EMS policies. In addition, it may take time while the concerns of employees regarding such activities are comparatively high. Hence, preparing employees with new strategies and concerns is considered important before the effective implementation of EMS can take place (iso.org, 2023). In addition, the issues of water or energy management and risks of degradation of brand image can be managed better while EMS is implemented through a systematic way - policy, planning, implementation, checking, and management review.

Despite this, some issues can negatively affect the proper implementation of EMS and these issues mainly consist of the requirement of high-cost that can be a requirement for installing energy-efficient appliances. In addition, the complexity of the management of sustainability compliance issues due to a lack of appropriate documentation can create issues for organisations like Bloom to appropriately implement and improve the EMS. Apart from this, some negative issues can affect the implementation mainly consisting of effective food, water, or energy waste. In addition, it also consists of problems like improper consideration of resourcing of seafood that should be done sustainably. Challenges like fewer suppliers have the potential to maintain sustainability as well as help to maintain the flow of materials can be observed in such cases (restaurant.org, 2023). Hence, it can be mentioned that improvement of collaboration with sustainable bodies can be effective for the company to prevent the issues of food waste reduction and accomplish each step of EMS.

3.3 Legal Requirements

According to “Section 47.3(2) of the Environmental Protection Act (“EPA”)” (an IWT supporter who receives a “renewable energy approval (“REA”) under EPA s. 47.5(1) (a)”) is excluded from the requirements of “s.9 (1) of the EPA”, which requires ecological compliance clearance for all activities. The emission of additional pollutants generated by IWT facilities, such as CO₂ from the manufacturing, contamination of water by hydrocarbons, or exposures to ILFN, are thus not controlled because of only obligatory limits (Whiteley, Dumbrille & Hirsch, 2021). According to Ioannidis et al. (2021), Bloom's Environmental Management System complies with the law by referencing national and global sustainability regulations, norms, and guidelines that are obtained from reputable legal sources and legislative authorities. Effectively addressing legal concerns and establishing Bloom as an ethical business citizen are benefits of this approach.

The company in consideration is in Ontario, Canada, which means that the EMS of Bloom will have to abide by federal and provincial laws. For instance, the Canadian Environment Protection Act (CEPA) specifies that any organisation would have to report any hazardous substance in their waste. Furthermore, the Environment Protection Act (EPA) in Ontario regulates waste management, pollution prevention and environmental compliance reporting. Therefore, any company that has implemented EMS in Canada is to follow their environmental emergency regulation, suggesting that Bloom would also have to align its operations to the federal and provincial regulations of Ontario, Canada.

According to Elafi (2019), the EMS follows the framework suggested in ISO 14001 certification. However, Bravi et al. (2020) mentioned that any organisation that implemented its EMS based on the ISO 14001:2015 certification would have to change due to revised standards (iso.org, 2019). This would also affect the Environmental management system and policies of Bloom.

3.4 Environmental Significance

A study by Aznarez et al. (2021) expressed that assessing environmental significance requires how Bloom's actions affect the environment. This procedure is helped by credible ecological bodies' approval of ecological impact evaluation methods and technologies. Bloom can help achieve overall sustainability objectives by prioritising efforts to reduce the importance of harmful environmental issues. According to Boronat-Navarro & García-Joerger (2019), as a component of the sustainable management motion, environmental management initiatives (EMI) are being included in both existing studies and corporate methods of management. The hotel sector has been obliged to establish environmental guidelines due to environmental consciousness, and this change in attention has been especially significant in the hospitality sector. The strategic organisational structure incorporates environmental-related operations with EMS (Adams & Van Niekerk, 2020). Sustainability reporting is not required, ecological objectives or metrics are unclear and there are significant variations in how green management practices are implemented among organisations.

Sartal et al. (2020) stated that sustainable development in the industrial context refers to the conversion of natural resources into commercially useful products with ecologically and economically conscious techniques. Organisations like Bloom need to alter their growth plan because of customer concerns over the ecological and social repercussions of business premises. Javaid et al. (2021) stated that hotel proprietors discovered that by putting sustainable management methods into effect, they could attract an increasing number of “high green awareness” clients. Protecting the environment requires ethical company conduct. Globally, many organisations engage in CSR-related endeavours to gain an advantage in the market and ensure long-term success. Javaid et al. (2021) also highlighted in their research the possibility of cost savings for businesses that take the initiative to improve processes' ecological sustainability.

A structured approach to enhancing ecological sustainability has been developed by certain hotels, which have taken things one step ahead and implemented optional determination measures like the worldwide “environmental management system (EMS) standard ISO 14001”. For instance, the “InterContinental Jiafu Hong Kong, Hotel Nikko Hong Kong, Kowloon Shangri-La Hotel, and Island Shangri-La Hotel” in Hong Kong have all achieved “ISO 14001” recognition (Cheong & Lee, 2021). Green buying is the practice of offering high-quality goods and services while minimising expenses and waste, increasing productivity, and taking environmental responsibility. However, some local vendors are small, and their environmental principles could differ from those of large vendors (Cheong & Lee, 2021). Furthermore, it might not be feasible or reliable to work with suppliers who just have environmental rules when there are few of them.

Khan et al. (2021) asserted that organisations such as Bloom are essential in the modern era of ecological consciousness and growing global issues including diminishing resources, declining biodiversity, and global warming. Organisations that embrace this objective demonstrate their devotion to constant ecological enhancement as well as meeting regulatory requirements. Responsible control of the environment may lead to observable advantages including less waste, conserving energy, and savings on funds. According to Arnedo, Valero-Matas & Sánchez-Bayón (2021), environmental management systems have served as an encouragement for businesses to address environmental issues. This is also consistent with the fact that EMSs were listed by the OECD (2013) as a single of the key advances in the hospitality industry for the shift to a green economy.

3.5 Goals, Objectives & Targets

Goals

The Environmental Management System keeps a check on a company’s compliance with environmental protocols and manages its waste. According to Strelnikov et al. (2021), the goal of EMS is also to control the environmental risks of a company by identifying and managing within time to reduce its negative impact on the planet.

Objectives of the EMS are as follows:

Increase compliance- According to Lincoln, Reed-Schrader & Jarvis (2019), the EMS has the objective of maintaining minimum legal standards of the country they are being implemented. Failure in compliance may result in legal action against the company by the government.

Reduce Waste- the EMS follows a “Plan-Do-Check-ACT” or PDCA model of operation, and the strategy to reduce waste is done in the initial phase (Carel, 2022). According to Waniek & Frühwirth (2023) and Auyong & Chin (2019), the EMS’s waste reduction is done through initiatives like “pollution prevention”, “waste minimisation” and “reuse, reduce and recycle”.

Reduce Resource Usage- According to Bravi et al. (2020), the EMS aims to reduce dependency on non-renewable resources and opt for green energy alternatives.

Reduce Pollution- As per Liu et al. (2019); EMS’s objective is to reduce pollution by decreasing the use of fossil fuels and efficiently processing toxic waste before dumping.

SMART targets of EMS

3.6 Environmental Policy

The environmental management system or the EMS Foundation is known for its devotion in making the earth a better place by working on environmental sustainability. To achieve the school the foundation has implemented a thorough policy on environmental regulation, which focuses on addressing the key challenges for a business such as resource management and waste management. Environmental sustainability includes biodiversity conservation and climate change. As per Wang (2023), EMS specifically emphasises reducing carbon emissions, which is the prime contributor to global warming and encourages businesses to use renewable sources of energy and sustainable business operations (reduce plastic and opt for biodegradable alternatives).

The EMS policy encourages organisations as well as individuals for responsible resource consumption and waste reduction. Therefore, the foundation strongly advocates for strict action against violators of environmental regulations. Furthermore, according to Sharma, Joshi & Kumar (2020) and later supported by Klein, Deutz & Ramos (2022), the environmental management system has shown favour towards initiatives that encourage a circular economy. The principle of reusing and repurposing the materials aligns with EMS’ goal of waste reduction and reduction of resource consumption.

The impact of EMS policies in a restaurant like Bloom in Ontario, Canada would be significant. In 2022, Bloom implemented strategies to improve its operational sustainability. The restaurant set an ambitious goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and waste by 50% (Conestoga, 2023). Although the restaurant has made remarkable advances, it still has some gaps that can be improved by implementing the EMS in the management. The main goal of the management of Bloom is to reduce its material waste and its impact on the environment, which is why they are willing to align the policies of EMS into its management (Detlor & Thomso, 2022). The business could practise eco-friendly practices like using local organic ingredients and serving customers with reusable plates and cutleries to reduce waste and carbon footprint. 

4.0 Summary of Key Findings

Bloom, a restaurant on the Waterloo campus of Conestoga College and School of Hospitality & Culinary Arts recently decided to improve its operational sustainability and reduce greenhouse gas emission and waste generation by 50%. Therefore, to find guidance to enhance their sustainability efforts, Bloom decided to implement the Environment Management System (EMS) in their management and train their employees to abide by the policies of EMS. The report gave a comprehensive understanding of the EMS costs and benefits relevant to Bloom. It suggested that Bloom invests in sustainable business practices, which create a positive image in society and contribute to its CSR goals. As a result, investments are proven to be worth it as more customers appreciate the sustainable practices of Bloom. The report discussed the environmental and legal aspects of the EMS foundation, as well as elaborated SMART objectives of the organisation. In summary, EMS emphasises compliance with local environmental policies, while adhering to its guidelines in ISO 14001 certifications. However, these policies would be beneficial for Bloom to bridge gaps within their sustainable policies.

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