Does EMS Implementation Correlate with Environmental Action ?

I am in the London this week catching up with colleagues. I noticed an article in The Daily Telegraph earlier in the week commenting on a study by theUK Government’s Environment Agency. The study looks at small and medium sized business and reports a 75% drop in those operating a basic environmental management system (EMS) and attributes it mainly to the current economic climate. Interestingly though, the number of small and medium businesses reducing energy and water consumption had doubled and the proportion reporting that they were recycling waste and taking action on reducing environmental damage have also increased significantly.

I find the contradiction in these figures interesting; a drop in the numbers of businesses operating environmental management systems but a reported increase in taking positive environmental action. I had similar findings from the Green IT study we did recently that I will write more about in the next couple of weeks.