Environmental Management System in Micro and Small Enterprises: Case Study of Minimarkets in Brasília – DF

The achievement of sustainable development depends on the actions taken by companies. Micro and small enterprises (MSEs) require special attention due to their large number and financial limitations for the adoption of green technologies. The objective of the study is to analyze the main difficulties of minimarkets to implement an Environmental Management System (EMS), as well as to identify the benefits of this tool. The data were obtained from personal interviews with the owners of 19 minimarkets in Brasília – DF. For data analysis, the following techniques were used: 1) Correspondence Analysis and 2) Content Analysis. Financial difficulties, lack of qualified human resources and lack of information about the EMS were the main difficulties of the mini-markets in the DF to implement an EMS. The main benefits of this system were related to water and energy savings, reduction of waste of goods and improvement of the business image by customers. The main contribution of the work comes from the diagnosis carried out in minimarkets, which can support effective interventions for the environment.