Development and Implementation of an Environmental Management System in Universities

Abstract: The role of Universities in building a sustainable society is paramount. It is therefore essential for Universities to adopt and apply tools such as EMS in creating a culture of sustainability which is vital in creating awareness for students as they graduate to fulfil the needs of society.The purpose of this thesis was to investigate what was required of a University in handling this challenge; to start up and be successful with implementation of an Environmental Management System.To do this an environmental review has been performed using the University of Borås as a case study. Indirect and direct aspects of the University have been identified and will be evaluated. The result of the review is based on information from interviews, questionnaires and meetings and will serve as the foundation for the University of Borås‟ further work with EMS.By comparing four Swedish Universities and their work with EMS, factors to be considered during the development and implementation an EMS have been found. An in depth-interview of key personal together with published and unpublished data from the four Universities have been used for the study. The drivers which prompted the EMS work as well as factors for a successful implementation were identified. Using a prioritization matrix, management commitment, Approach to the process, training and communication have found to be the most important success factors. Other factors worth considering during implementation of EMS in Universities have been found to be duration of the system, timing of success factors, and handling of barriers specific for academia and keeping a simple system.Using a performance excellence diagram, the different level of commitment to each of the contributing factors for a successful EMS implementation has been established and used in performing a gap- analysis for University of Borås. Based on the outcome of the gap-analysis, appropriate recommendations for EMS work have been given.