BS 8555 has been developed to allow recognition for organisations and companies wishing to exhibit their green credentials and sound environmental practice through the phased implementation of an acknowledged environmental management system (EMS).

BS 8555 comprises a phased approach to EMS with each phase containing specific elements that once fully implemented will naturally lead on to ISO 14001.

Many organisations are unable or unwilling to implement the internationally recognised EMS ISO 14001 because they may/do not have the resources to develop and then implement it. Using BS 8555 and it’s phased approach any organisation should be able to implement as many of the phases as they require.

For example, some organisations may decide that they only require two of the five phases and stay at that level, while others will want to complete all phases and ultimately obtain ISO 14001. Whatever the organisations requirements, in today’s competitive climate, can you afford not to have an EMS?

In today’s climate, Environmental performance issues have never been of more relevance to organisations across all areas of industry, both in the private and pubic sectors. Greater levels of environmental legislation and regulation, higher energy and waste disposal costs, and increased pressure from stakeholders all put pressure on organisations to actively engage in positive environmental management. The question for many is not "can we afford to implement an Environmental Management System (EMS)?" but "can we afford not to?"

Coupled with other ever increasing business pressures it is often felt that the achievement of accredited certification to the internationally recognised EMS Standard ISO 14001 can be a very resource intensive. Understandably, the process can be daunting for many organisations; particularly SMEs who may be restricted by time and resource availability.

The BS 8555 scheme is a tool to allow recognition for organisations wishing to exhibit sound environmental practice through the phased implementation of an acknowledged environmental management system (EMS).

BS 8555 comprises a series of five phases, each containing specific elements. An organisation is able to implement as many or as few phases as they see fit for the purpose of their business activities. Each phase has a number of measurable indicators that have been designed to allow an organisation to follow their progress towards the implementation of ISO 14001, should they so wish. Indeed, upon the successful implementation of all phases an organisation will invariably meet the requirements of ISO 14001. Equally, many organisations feel that implementation of a smaller number of phases suits their business requirements entirely and that ISO 14001 far exceeds their needs.

Those participating successfully in one or more phases of the BS 8555 Scheme will benefit from the following:

• An effective Environmental Management System, the implementation of which can be broken down into a series of manageable steps
• Enhanced levels of environmental practice and performance
• Compliance with environmental legislative and other industry based requirements
• Demonstration of sound environmental practice through certification
• An effective means of phased implementation of an EMS with the final module achievement reflecting compliance with the requirements of ISO 14001