Environmental Management Systems for Public Sector

International interests in improving environmental management practices in both the public and private sector have increased. Many surveys relating to environmental management systems (EMS) in particular have been conducted, but these have focused primarily on the private sector, especially in manufacturing. While the surveys and questionnaires explain the standard itself and how to implement EMS, no comparative analysis have been made that exceed specific economic region and/ or country. This paper focuses on the public sector. The objective is to assess the social meaning of EMS for the public sector. The information presented in this paper is comprised of an empirical survey in Japan as compare to the EU and United States. It includes environmental reports, government material and field survey information. Public sectors with EMS in these regions not only succeed in controlling environmental impact (including daily activity, public works and procurement), but may improve the sustainability of the production and consumption behavior of other economic sector by applying EMS in their policy. These activities may serve as a model for other regions.