Environmental Engineering

Environmental engineering studies pollution control, water treatment and the environmental impact of a site: soil contamination, wastewater treatment, air emissions and the associated permitting duties. The field addresses the physical interaction between building, site and surroundings, broader than energy or carbon alone.

Permitting and reporting duties around water, waste and emissions are growing faster than the attention FM traditionally gives them, because sustainability focus has centred on carbon. Environmental engineering knowledge protects FM from overlooking obligations that have nothing to do with energy but are nonetheless enforceable.

• Which environmental permits apply to this site, and are they current?
• Is there a soil or groundwater risk from historical use of the site?
• Does wastewater discharge meet applicable emission standards?

• Local environmental legislation and permitting frameworks (jurisdiction-dependent).
• ISO 14001 — environmental management systems.

• Environmental obligations belong in the compliance register alongside, not subordinate to, carbon reporting.
• Site soil history should be part of due diligence at acquisition or long-term lease.

• Energy and sustainability management
• Waste and residual flow management

• Tracking environmental permits and reporting duties

[Content pending]

• ISO 14001 — environmental management systems.

The standards section arrives in Part 7.

• Environmental compliance reduced to waste separation, while water and emissions permits are at least as significant.

Regulation on microplastics, PFAS and other persistent substances in building materials and water flows is developing fast, and FM organisations typically still lack a systematic way to assess their exposure and liability risk here.

• ISO 14001:2015, environmental management systems — requirements.