Ecomap or Ecomapping in the productive sector: Practical tool for the diagnosis of the environmental situation

Abstract

The organizations are aware of the need to insert them in this international market, which has as a mandatory requirement to demonstrate a solid environmental performance in correspondence with the expectations of the interested parties and the transparency of their information. The application of environmental management tools constitutes a fundamental element within modern business strategies, since they allow improving the environmental performance of a company, without affecting its profitability and even increasing it, since its adoption implies concepts of quality and technical efficiency. The Ecomaps allow analyzing, managing and communicating on the management of resources, water, energy, materials and supplies, as well as the management of waste, emissions, discharges and risks in a productive or functional activity, in environmental matters. The main objective of this review article is to qualitatively analyze the scientific literature available in the Science Direct, Scielo, Redalyc databases and official Web pages, using as search words: environment, industrial, ecomap, company, sustainability. Relevant information related to the proposed objective was obtained, which is presented in 3 sections: Diagnosis of the environmental situation in companies, Ecomap or Ecomapping, Types of Ecomaps. Ecomapping is a step-by-step process to collect useful information and trigger immediate environmental actions. The ecomaps verify the processes and behaviors of the collaborators and induce immediate improvements.