INEM
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The International Network for Environmental Management e.V. (INEM), founded in 1991, is the world federation of non-profit national business associations for environmental management with about 30 member associations and cleaner production centres in 25 countries.

 
The purpose of this non-for-profit association is the promotion of
  • the protection of the environment, especially of the water, the soil and the air, as well as the protection of animals and plants from ecological damage;
  • the protection of human health;
  • science and scientific research, especially in the field of environmental protection.
 
INEM promotes and disseminates environmental and sustainability management through the establishment of national business associations world-wide and organises international cooperation among its members. As an environmental, sustainability and development organisation with business expertise, INEM favours large industries as well as SMEs and solutions that preserve the local identity in partner countries.
 
INEM carries out projects, conferences, workshops and train-the-trainer seminars and develops and disseminates implementation aids for the praxis (e.g. The INEM Sustainability Reporting Guide, Eco-mapping, EMAS / ISO Easy, EMAS Tool Kit for SMEs, ISO 14001 Speedometer. A comprehensive website makes much of INEM's knowledge and experience available to the world business community.
 
At present INEM has members in many European and overseas countries, such as for example Austria, Switzerland, Lithuania, France, Malaysia and Australia. “Full members” are organisations like B.A.U.M. e.V., the German association for environmentally friendly management, KÖVET in Hungary, ÖBU in Switzerland or ÖGUT in Austria. Indeed, the different organisations which are members in INEM have different structures and tasks, but nevertheless, they have the same overall goal: they want to promote sustainable management in enterprises. With support of INEM they are helping their approximately 3,000 member enterprises with the implementation of sustainability management and with the use of innovative environmental and energy technology.
 
The members of INEM are closely cooperating with the EC and have access to international institutions like UNEP and the World Bank. They are represented in important standardization boards like for example the TC 207 working group which is developing international standards for environmental management systems (ISO 14001), environment auditing, eco-labelling, life cycle analysis, and environmental performance evaluation. INEM is accredited to the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) and holds consultative status with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the Baltic Marine Environmental Protection Commission (HELCOM).
 
Funding providers like Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU), international associations like the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) and well known institutions like the Centre for Development of Enterprise (CDE) regard INEM as valuable partner for large projects. Collaborators of the INEM members are working in projects like SMART (Sustainable Management Action Research and Training) in the ACP states (African, Caribbean and Pacific) or BALTEMA, a project promoting the establishment of associations of enterprises in the Baltic States.
 
 
Where are we going?
 
INEM supports the establishment of member associations all over the world. Alongside international associations of enterprises, more and more international enterprises and institutions are joining INEM as affiliated members. Also regional networks of municipalities and enterprises are members and, through INEM, stay in contact with comparable institutions all over Europe and overseas.
 
We are going to intensify the exchange of experience and knowledge amongst the members by using the most modern communication techniques. Already today, the INEM website offers access to a wide range of tools and background information. It is going to be extended to an international marketplace for environmental knowledge and sustainable business management in terms of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Furthermore, INEM is going to enforce the alliance between its member associations, institutions and member enterprises. At this stage, INEM is an inexhaustible source of partnerships - in the field of management as well as technology.

On March 1st 2005 an international project office in Brussels has opened. This office is managed by Heinz Werner Engel and Eco-Counselling Enterprise scrl. By this INEM could further intensify the close collaboration with the European Commission and further international institutions.