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The advancement of the global population is dependent on a steady increase in economic demands that have become a challenge and a cause of environment degradation in countries like India. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) account for about 70% of the industrial pollution in India. ISO 14001 standard is responsible to achieve more sustainable production and consumption practices by saving costs, improving overall business efficiency and providing long term profitability to enterprises. Out of the total 17 SDGs, 8 SDGs link to the effort of ISO 14001 standard. However, in comparison to China, India has experienced a marginal increase in ISO 14001 certifications from 257 certifications in 2000 to 6491 certifications in 2018.
This study analyzes some barriers and facilitators that influence an SME’s adoption of ISO 14001 in India and thereafter, develop a framework that is simple, tailored and cost-effective for SMEs. This framework provides a foundation to achieve ISO 14001 certification in the future. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with stakeholders like top management of SME with ISO 14001 certification, its competitors without ISO certification, bigger organizations to whom SMEs often serve as a tier 1 or tier 2 supplier, ISO 14001 certified auditors and subject matter experts. The interviews were transcribed, open-coded for emergent themes.
Nine themes emerged namely; staff engagement, compliance awareness, facilitators to implementation, time for implementation, total cost, barriers to implementation, benefits of EMS, recommendations and general observations. Stakeholder groups has different perceptions of the purpose and benefits of ISO 14001 implementation. Some barriers included lack of employee engagement, complexity issues, lack of human and financial resources. Facilitators included better environmental performance, cost savings, competitive edge and supply chain pressure. Simple EMS framework utilizes eco-mapping as a tool for identifying environmental impacts in SMEs and can be completed with 7 steps over 5 days. Understanding stakeholder’s perspectives on challenges, opportunities and benefits of EMS can help in tailoring an EMS for Indian SMEs.
Keywords: Environment Management Systems; ISO 14001; Business Sustainability; Environmental Performance; Responsible Business
