Developing tailored environmental management systems for small businesses

There have been significant developments in environmental self-regulation in the private sector over the last 5 to 10 years. It is clear, however, that much of this development, such as the implementation of environmental management systems has been in large, well resourced firms. Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) have not exhibited the same level of commitment to these new management tools. Given that the SME sector in countries such as Australia employs over 90% of the working population, it is time for researchers to turn their attention to how environmental self-regulation can be encouraged in small firms. This paper provides an account of surveys and interviews carried out in a light industrial area of an Australian city to determine the level of interest of SMEs in environmental issues and to develop an understanding of the needs of small businesses with regards to environmental management systems (EMSs). The results of the survey were used to develop a model EMS that follows the internationally understood process for developing EMSs, but is specifically tailored for use by small firms. The resultant model stressed the importance of: simplicity; cost; maintenance; paperwork and time. The response to the model was favourable and firms indicated that it was within their capacity to establish an EMS without expensive outside expertise or a large commitment to time and resources. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment