An environmental aspect is an activity, product, or service that interacts with the environment. An environmental impact is an adverse or beneficial change caused by the environmental aspect.
The two concepts essentially have a cause-and-effect relationship. In other words, an environmental aspect causes an environmental impact.
Consider these examples:
| Environmental aspect | Environmental impact |
| A company vehicle emits nitrous oxides. | The emission adds to greenhouse gas pollution. |
| A facility discharges industrial waste into a stream that connects to groundwater. | The contaminated stream degrades the quality of the groundwater. |
| A business uses recycled paper for internal reports. | The repurposed paper conserves a natural resource. |