Assessment of the Environmental Management System (EMS) as a Social Marketing Strategy of the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP)

Abstract

Social marketing or advocacy campaign is applying the principles of commercial marketing in influencing change in the society. It is often done by organizations that aim to solve various social issues may it be about health, environment, education, politics, and economics. In the Philippines, some of the most popular social marketing strategies or advocacy campaigns deal with environmental issues. With this, the researcher chose Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) as the organization to be studied in this research. It is classified as a development bank which primary objective is to provide banking services to cater to the long term needs of agricultural and industrial enterprises with emphasis on small and medium scale industries. In 2002, it became the first Philippine bank to be ISO 14001 certified by SGS Switzerland SA for its successful establishment and implementation of an Environmental Management System (EMS). Since the bank is an ISO 14001 certified, the researcher would like to find out the factors which contribute to the effectiveness of DBP’s EMS. This would be through surveys conducted to the employees of the Credit and Policy supervision department of the bank. A series of interviews were also conducted to the project leader of EMS to understand the nature and functions of EMS in the organization as well as to determine how they measure the effectiveness of the program. With this, the researcher asked the EMS project leader as to the level of effectiveness of the program to the employees. The researcher used a 5-point Likert scale for the survey questionnaires. EMS is an integrated tool which allows DBP to be directly and indirectly involve in environmental issues. It consists of various environmental programs such as proper garbage disposal and waste segregation, reduction of electricity, water, paper, and fuel consumption and the clean indoor air quality program. DBP accounts the effectiveness of EMS through being able to achieve the target for each environmental program as well as being able to comply with the standards set by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The environmental programs under EMS are effective. This is determined through the reduce consumption of resources such as electricity, water, paper and fuel as well as proper waste disposal and segregation. The survey questionnaires reflected 5 general factors which contribute to the effectiveness of DBP’s EMS. The first factor is the formulation of the objectives. Objectives should be clear, easy to understand, achievable, and easy to follow. The second factor is the use of research and data. Environmental programs, before implemented, should be well researched and analyzed. It should also be relevant to the organization as well as be able to achieve the set objectives. The third factor is participation building or strategic alliance wherein partnerships with other institutions can influence the target public. The fourth factor is communication or knowledge diffusion through the use of promotional materials such as brochures, posters, and newsletters. Information found in promotional materials should increase awareness of the people and should always be available. They should also be updated and easy to understand. The last factor is the overall management which includes the performance of the leader of the programs, involvement of money, and stress. These 5 general factors may not only contribute to the effectiveness of EMS in DBP but also to other social marketing programs or advocacy campaign implemented by other organizations in the Philippines. Nonetheless, other organizations should also determine the strengths and weaknesses of their own campaigns.