Experiences of Australian construction companies with environmental management system implementation

The release of ISO 14001 in 1996, the international standard for environment, has resulted in an increased significance and acceptance of Environmental Management System (EMS) across various industrial sectors, the construction industry being one of them. There is increasing interest amongst researchers and practitioners around the world in undertaking studies to identify the impact of EMS on construction operations. This paper adds to this growing body of literature in this area. It presents the experiences of four Australasian construction organisations that have implemented an EMS and/or have been certified to ISO 14001. Managers from these four companies were interviewed to identify any changes that may have occurred with respect to EMS adoption and their respective organization’s response to these changes. Based on the results of the analysis and review of the literature, a number of recommendations are made that can assist in reducing the challenges encountered by organizations when implementing EMS.