Environmental Auditing for Sustainable Development of Indian Industries

Abstract

Environmental auditing is a process whereby an organization's environmental performance is tested against its environmental policies and objectives. Current environmental legislation, marketing requirements and community expectations reflect an increased awareness of the need to protect the environment that requires all aspects of the mining and allied industries to be undertaken in an environmentally responsible way. Environmental audits can help the industry to become environmentally responsible and demonstrate this responsibility to the community. Environmental auditing refers to the statement of assessment of environmental impact of an existing industry. It is a tool to assess the environmental management system, policy and equipment. The need to conduct an environmental audit varies for different organizations, as per the objectives of auditing. It is not available in the form of a readymade package, applicable to all situations. Thus, the procedure of environmental audit should be planned as per the objectives of auditing. It should be incorporated with other effective environmental tools like Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental Management System (EMS) for better results. Effective implementation of environmental auditing helps in minimization of environmental risks at low cost.

This paper discusses in detail the concepts and types of environmental audits, the different stages of audit processes and methodology for ensuring sustainable development of Indian industrial sectors. This also emphasizes on EA skills and audit protocols along with discussions on key audit techniques and their applicability in a developing country like India.