Environmental management of SMEs in the clay sector in the city of Cúcuta, Colombia, and its metropolitan area

Abstract

This article evaluates environmental management by small and medium enterprises operating in the clay sector in the municipality of San José de Cúcuta, Colombia, and its metropolitan area. For the purpose, forty businesses in the municipalities of Cúcuta, El Zulia, Villa del Rosario and Los Patios were asked to respond to a questionnaire. Information was gathered on the instruments and actions used by the firms in the general field of environmental management. The results were analyzed jointly using the environmental management component of the Model of Modernization for Organizational Management. The article concludes that while the indicators are positive for every variable, preventive and corrective measures should be put in place to ensure adequate noise control, the creation of dedicated environmental management departments in firms, appropriate solid waste treatment, the control of atmospheric emissions, attention to product life cycles, the optimization of processes, and the selection and use of raw materials.