Environmental management in industry: implementation and validation of the self-control model

Abstract

In later years, companies have restated the relationships they keep with their main focus groups, those that are made up by the surroundings in which they develop their activities. So, in order to meet the expectations of the growing number of concerned environmental groups, companies have started to adopt social responsibility practices. This concept has established that companies must have a responsible attitude towards the environment in which they interact in order to maintain a sustainable development. However, sometimes the environmental watch of different company activities is not always easy due to the great amount of environmental aspects generated by factories that many times produce emissions to the atmosphere, grounds and water that can escape control and produce a negative environmental impact. This investigation proposes the development and implementation of an Environmental Management Model that solves the mentioned needs. It is a selfcontrol system that allows the assessment and valuation of the environmental aspects produced by each company facing its possible effects. This model has been implemented in fi ve companies of the food business, being one of the industrial sectors with the most number of productive centers in the Spanish fi eld. It is a case study expressed in a longitudinal form that will allow us to verify its evolution in time and establish the necessary actions to validate such self-control model.