ABSTRACT
N. Gondran identifies five groups of drivers to the adoption of environmental management systems (EMSs) by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): regulatory; economic; strategic; events; and managerial. This chapter presents the development of a web-based tool—EcoTra—aimed at integrating environmental considerations into the decision-making processes of companies, so that they can continuously and cost-effectively improve their environmental performance. The tool is specifically developed for transportation SMEs and should enable them to identify, analyse, manage and report environmental factors related to financial functions. SMEs' lack of resources creates a 'vicious circle' working against the integration of the environment in business management. One of the barriers to SMEs getting environmental information and adopting EMSs is communication, so the training system aims to adapt general legislative text and standards to the transportation sector. The evolution of environmental, financial and eco-efficiency indicators can help decision-makers to track improvements, identify the source of costs and/or environmental impacts, and thereby discover opportunities for improvement.
