Developing a framework for sustainability management in engineering SMEs

Sustainability issues in manufacturing and production are growing exponentially. Initially referring to environmental considerations, sustainability now also encompasses social, ethical and economical responsibilities. This paper focuses on engineering and manufacturing SMEs and outlines a regional study undertaken on a small number of these companies which have succeeded in developing appropriate tools and strategies to satisfy the current ISO 14001 standard. Their experiences, strategies and solutions are used to devise and develop a framework for sustainability management, taking an incremental approach in moving from environmental management, using ISO 14001 as a foundation, to sustainability management which will contribute to an annual sustainability report which is currently only undertaken by large corporations. The framework consists of two levels, with the first focusing on ISO 14001 and the second aimed towards managing all social, environmental and economical aspects within an engineering SME. Key results from the regional study of ISO 14001 certified engineering SMEs highlight the importance of environmental and sustainability awareness programs for top management, eliciting and obtaining their full support and commitment.