The Environment Agency, NIEA and SEPA have developed environmental management toolkits for small and medium-sized businesses.
The toolkit will help you manage your environmental performance and comply with your environmental permit (England and Wales) or Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) permit or waste management licence (Northern Ireland and Scotland). It may also help you comply with other licences that require you to have environmental management controls in place.
The toolkit is not an environmental management system (EMS), but could help your business to develop its own EMS. For further information on EMS, see our guidance on environmental management systems.
What is the toolkit?
The toolkit contains simple templates you can complete for your site, including a:
- plan that identifies your environmental impacts and explains how you will control them
- plan that will help you manage any accidents or pollution incidents at your site
- checklist for your maintenance regime
- checklist for your staff’s training
- form to record any complaints you receive about your site
- form to record any accidents or incidents at your site.
How will the toolkit help you?
The toolkit will help you:
- reduce the risk of your business harming the environment
- use your resources more efficiently
- comply with the conditions in your environmental permit or exemption
- improve your legal compliance and reduce your risk of prosecution
- reduce your operating costs over time
- improve your reputation
- increase your competitiveness.
Can my business use the toolkit?
The toolkits are aimed at small and medium-sized businesses.
There are currently five toolkits available for England and Wales:
- toolkit for the food and drink manufacturing industry
- generic toolkit for waste businesses
- toolkit for end-of-life vehicle authorised treatment facilities
- toolkit for metals recycling businesses
- toolkit for all other businesses.
The Environment Agency will develop more toolkits for other sectors in consultation with relevant trade associations.
How to use the toolkit
You can download the toolkit that applies to your business in:
- Microsoft Word and amend the templates in an electronic format
- Adobe PDF and complete the templates in writing.
A Microsoft Excel version of the Food & Drink toolkit is also available.
Toolkits for England and Wales
Environment Agency: Environmental management toolkits
Toolkit for Northern Ireland
Generic environmental management toolkit (Northern Ireland) (Microsoft Word - 1.6MB)
Generic environmental management toolkit (Northern Ireland) (Adobe PDF - 498KB)
Toolkit for Scotland
SEPA: Environmental management toolkit
