Overview of Environmental Compliance

Adherence to environmental standards is vital in every organization’s policies to cater for its social responsibilities. It encompasses conforming to environmental laws, regulations, and standard we find around us that have been enacted or put in place by government and other related authorities. A part of operational environmental management is the annual compliance audits carried out every half-year. These biannual reviews assist organizations in being aware of their environmental obligations, continuously improve an organization’s environmental performance, and managing possible risks.

It is mandatory to obey environmental laws, rules and regulations for all establishment. According to the notification the MoEF issued on 14 September 2006, the project proponent needs to submit the six monthly reports on the status of compliance of the existing conditions as mentioned for the environmental clearance. Recurrent demands for the half-yearly reports on Environmental Compliance stem from the primary licensing, authorization, or approving agency. Environmental laws, rules, and Regulations must be complied by every business.

Further, another notification dated 28 February 2014 requires the state level SEIAA (State Environment Impact Assessment Authority) to give show-cause notice to project proponents that are proved to have violated the limits.

Advantages of Environmental Compliance

• Proactive Risk Management
  This way, the companies can perform the checks on environmental compliance at least every six months to avoid risks on the environment. This minimizes the possibility of environmental occidental like spilling, emission violation or improper handling of hazardous wastes. Early identification and management of concerns are a convenient way of preventing emergence of expensive crises and lengthy negative impacts on the environment.
• Enhanced Regulatory Adherence
  It must also be noted that under the half-yearly compliance system companies are kept up to date on specific changes in environmental legislation. This way, the team is essentially protected from contravening regulations which would result in penalties, law suits or business cessation. The laws and regulations compliance also helps in improving the legal status of the company as well as minimizing risks associated with liabilities.
• Operational Efficiency
  Daily compliance check and balances assist in the detection of relevant compliance operational issues such as resource consumption and waste disposal. When these processes are optimized, the requisite resources can be saved, thus cutting down costs for business operations. This saves the environment and also proves to be a cost cutting process in the long run.
• Continuous Improvement
  This means that management by half-yearly checks encourages the culture of constant enhancement within the organization’s framework. The GAP approach, therefore, fosters checks and improvement of best practices as well as come up with additional solutions to environmental issues. It is this continuous improvement that results in the enhancement of the overall environmental outcomes as well as the prevailing sustainability standards.
• Improved Stakeholder Relationships
  This means that when a firm is frequently conducting compliance checks as a way of showing firm’s responsibility towards the environment, it can improve it relations with its stakeholders such as the customers, investors, employees and the community. This is true because environmental clarity makes people trust, it can result to improved support and customer loyalty.
• Reputation Management
  Accomplishments in the sphere of adherence to environmental laws provide a solid foundation to a company’s image. Those organizations that have well-developed environmental policies can be considered as more responsible and thus more attractive to customers and investors. That is why a positive reputation serves as the competitive advantage in the particular market.
• Cost Savings
  Making compliance checks a routine eradicating environmental concerns at an early stage can lead to great amount of cost saving. Exemption of fines and penalties together with legal expenses as well as remedial costs in case of a non-compliance eventuality would amount to a direct dollar gain. Likewise, optimal resource utilization and control of waste can result into reduction of cost of operations.

Requirements for the Environmental Compliance

Environmental compliance refers to the act of following environmental laws, rules, and standards as well as other requirements, such as those for conducting business in a specific location. From a legal and operational perspective, the following factors must be taken into account to lower the risk of non-compliance:-

• Assess the tools required and the laws and norms that must be followed for environmental compliance in all pertinent jurisdictions.
• Develop strategies to address the environmental issues that have an impact on the operational effectiveness of your company and its growth potential.
• To do business internationally, your company must obtain the necessary environmental licenses, permits, and certifications.
• Examine the most practical and cost-effective methods for adhering to environmental standards.
• Identify whether your company’s facilities or projects have harmed the environment or have been used to dispose of potentially dangerous chemicals or substances.

Document needed for Environmental Compliance Report preparation

Specific Environmental Compliance

Prior to commencing work, the project proponent is required to obtain the necessary clearances and permissions from various relevant agencies, including the town planning authority. These clearances and permissions include:

• Consent to Establish/Operate from the State Pollution Control Board.
• Approval from the competent authority to ensure the structural safety of buildings in the event of earthquakes, adequacy of firefighting equipment, etc., in accordance with the National Building Code. This also includes measures for lightning protection.
• NBWL (National Board for Wildlife) clearance must be obtained before the project can commence.
• Compliance with regulations regarding water requirements, rainwater harvesting, conservation, and groundwater recharge.
• Adherence to the Solid Waste Management Rules.
• Implementation of sewage treatment plans.
• Compliance with energy regulations.
• Implementation of measures to control air quality and noise.
• Prevention and reuse of top soil.
• Development of an environment management plan and membership in the Environment Monitoring Cell (EMC).
• Compliance with first aid room requirements.

For General Compliance

• Copy of Environmental approval.
• Evidence of extra precautionary measures deemed necessary by the authority.
• Legal authorizations including permissions for diesel storage from the Chief Controller of Explosives, Fire Department, Civil Aviation Department, the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, and the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, among others.
• Adherence to regulations stipulated under the Water (P&CP) Act, 1974, the Air (P&CP) Act, 1981, the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, the Public Liability (Insurance) Act, 1991, and the EIA Notification, 2006.
• Approval from the National Green Tribunal under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010.
• Publication in two local newspapers for the Project sponsor.
• Submission of the environmental report for each financial year ending on 31st March in Form-V by the project sponsor to the respective State Pollution Control Board as per the Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986.

Importance for EC Compliance Reporting

The Semi-annual EC Compliance serves multiple purposes in the management and supervision of schedules or programs, ensuring that the necessary monitoring for permits has been carried out accurately and at the appropriate intervals. This is accomplished through the following:

• It facilitates the creation of regular compliance reports for regulatory authorities.
• It assists in the preprocessing and finalization of calculations, guaranteeing that the data meets any warning or reporting thresholds.
• It involves analyzing existing and potential environmental laws that may impact the company in various jurisdictions.
• It helps determine the frequency and type of environmental audits conducted by the organization and their impact on the business and its surroundings.
• It evaluates the environmental management strategies implemented by the organization, including associated risks and benefits.
• By examining historical contamination records, it enables the identification of legal risks to the business and the prediction of potential costs and penalties.
• It allows for the monitoring of upcoming dates for new licenses or permit renewals.

Why trust Whizseed for assistance and support?

• Whizseed could feature tools to assist in generating standardized environmental compliance reports, ensuring all required information is included and formatted correctly.
• We could assist for collecting and analyzing environmental data, such as emissions, waste management, and resource consumption, which are crucial for compliance reporting.
• We could offer features that allow different departments within an organization to collaborate on compliance efforts, ensuring a comprehensive approach to environmental management.