There is widespread concern about environmental matters in all developed countries around the world, and public interest in this is now so great that the implementation and operation of an efficient and effective environmental management system (EMS) is as important to the financial well-being of a company as it is to the environment that it is intended to protect. Apart from incurring financial penalties when environmental protection legislation is breached, a greater problem that businesses face is that poor environmental performance can lead to a boycott of a company’s products and services by customers, with consequential serious damage to its financial health. In extreme cases, the general public may also take direct action that hinders or even shuts down a company’s operations.