An introduction to environmental management systems : A case study on preparation for an ISO14001 certificate at FLIR Systems

Sammanfattning: Due to increased environmental awareness in society and the green megatrend in the industry, FLIR Systems AB in Täby is now considering implementing an ISO14001 certification for their environmental management system. The aim with this master thesis is to prepare FLIR in Täby for this certification. In order to achieve this aim, a GAP analysis has been performed where recommendations has been given for closing the GAP. Further, the environmental aspects the organization deals with has been identified and documented and the benefits with an environmental management system been investigated. The methods for conducting this thesis are through interviews, literature research and GAP-analysis between the company and the international standard. The significant environmental aspects that have been identified are: • Energy consumption • Chemicals • Human Resources • Procurement • Transportation • Waste The GAP analysis shows that there are obvious GAPs due to the fact that an environmental management system has not been in place before. However, ISO14001 shows in much great similarities with ISO9001 which the company can benefit from, as they already have a quality management system. The literature study shows that organizations that have implemented an environmental management system make both short and long term benefits in terms of reduction of operational costs as well as top line benefits such as premium pricing and differentiated products.This thesis has addressed the important issues the company needs to consider from the authors point of view. A re-evaluation or verification of the results may be needed to ensure that the information in this report is reliable. The organization needs to fully understand the international standard, what is expected and what can be retrieved from a certification in order to not misinterpret the outcome.