Role of impact assessment for strategic environmental management at the firm level

ISO 14000 and country-specific initiatives have resulted in firms around the world pursuing strategic environmental management (SEM). SEM at the firm level provides a powerful set of tools for anticipating potential issues that can result in environmental impacts, incorporating other business issues relevant to the firm, and addressing them as part of the strategic plan for the firm's sustainability. By definition, anticipating potential issues that can result in environmental impacts is the process known as environmental impact assessment (EIA). In fact, without calling it by name, many of the tools currently available for SEM are based on EIA methodology. This paper clarifies this issue and demonstrates the role that EIA practitioners can play in advancing SEM for the ongoing operations of the firm, rather than just at the planning stages of a new project.