The Environmental
Auditing (EA) is a diagnosis of the situation of an existing factory, regarding
compliance with environmental regulations:
·
Whether the factory complies with present enviro
regulations.
·
Whether the factory will comply with future enviro
regulations being developed by agencies.
·
Whether the factory has dormant enviro problems that may
"wake up" at any moment.
·
Whether the factory may be eventually liable for its
environmental impact.
·
Whether the enviro policy of the factory (if it has one)
matches its needs and problems.
The EA is a voluntary initiative and then it is not
regulated in most countries.
Thus, the contents of the EA is flexible and each
factory may define it according to its needs and objectives.
The EA is a management tool that offers a diagnosis
of present and future enviro problems, and thus allows to forecast required
investments at short and long-term, in equipment, manpower, etc.