Implement and monitor environmentally sustainable work...
Transcript of Implement and monitor environmentally sustainable work...
Implement and monitor environmentally
sustainable work practices
BSBSUS301A Learner Guide
Momentum Consulting Training Materials
Element 1: Investigate current practices in relation to resource
usage
BSBSUS301A Element one Implement and monitor environmentally sustainable work practices
© Momentum Consulting Version 4 August 2013 2
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Climate change and sustainability
Before we get started, we need to understand the key issues involved in climate change and
sustainability.
“Sustainability is achieved when we understand the economic, environmental and social
consequences of our actions and make deliberate choices that allow all people to lead
healthy, productive and enjoyable lives.” (Five Es, Unlimited Sustainable Development
Solutions http://www.eeeee.net).
People are creating emissions called greenhouse gases (GHGs) faster than the earth can
absorb them and most scientists believe this exacerbates climate change. Climate change is
the natural and human amplified long term (decades to centuries) alteration in global
weather patterns, particularly increases in average temperature and storm activity.
Consumers, employees and governments, investors and other stakeholders are placing
increasing pressure on organisations to operate more sustainably and responsibly.
Increasingly investment fund managers demand responsible environmental and social
governance. It is expected that a director or senior executive manage these issues and
report regularly directly to the board. The Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) rates
companies on long term economic, environmental and social criteria and influences the
investment decisions of asset managers in 15 countries.
Around the world governments are working towards a greener, more sustainable and
liveable future. They offer incentive schemes and introduce regulations to reduce the
effects of both climate change and overuse of the planet’s key resources.
Sustainability, like risk management has become a key strategic issue for organisations.
Organisations are turning sustainability into lucrative opportunities rather than expensive
burdens. They can operate more sustainably and more profitably and with considerably
reduced risk exposure.
No matter how complex global problems may
seem, it is we ourselves who have given rise to
them. They cannot be beyond our power to
resolve.
Daisaku Ikeda
Buddhist Philosopher and Educator
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These organisations use their sustainability initiatives to enhance their brand value,
corporate image and employer branding.
Green trains
In 2006, when clients began asking for information on Eurostar’s carbon emissions, the
Cross Channel rail company commissioned an independent study. The study revealed that
journeys between London, Brussels and Paris produced one tenth the CO₂ emissions of
equivalent flights. They seized the opportunity – travelling by train wasn’t only good for
business but good for the environment.
Eurostar introduced its Tread Lightly program in April 2007. The program offered ‘carbon
neutral’ journeys at no extra cost. Purchasing carbon credits via an offset provider and
targeting a further 25% reduction on CO₂ emissions per traveler by 2012. A 10 point plan
was also launched by Eurostar to reduce its wider environmental impact for example:
sourcing on board food locally and stepping up waste recycling at depots.
Eurostar was correct in its assessment of the opportunities sustainable operations offer -
eighteen per cent more passengers were attracted in the first half of 2008 compared with
the previous year.
Carbon crisis Climate change and sustainability
The Ecological Footprint (EF) measures how sustainable
people’s lifestyles are as individuals, as a country and as a
world. This is done by comparing human demand with the
earth’s ability to recover from the damage humans do and
to reproduce the resources people use up.
An ecological footprint estimates how many planet earths
it would take to support a person, a country or humanity
as a whole. The higher the number of the footprint, the
less sustainable the lifestyle.
The Living Planet Report, 2006 reports that humanity’s
demand on the planet has tripled since 1961 and exceeds
the world’s ability to regenerate by about 30%. This
ecological overshoot means that it now takes more than
15 months for the earth to regenerate what people use
in a single year.
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The biggest component by far and the fastest growing of the global ecological footprint at
48% is Carbon Dioxide (CO₂). Released by the use of fossil fuels and measured by the Carbon
Footprint (CF), the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased more than
40% in the last 200 years. Between 1961 and 2005 it increased eleven fold.
The reliance by humankind on fossil fuels for energy continues to grow. The largest
contributor to the CF is energy generation.
Greenhouse gases and the greenhouse effect
The earth has an energy budget. Energy comes in through sunlight and goes out by radiating
back into space. A number of gases in the atmosphere trap the heat radiated from the
earth towards space, these are known as greenhouse gases. This is referred to as the
greenhouse effect. When it operates naturally, energy debits and credits remain in balance
thus keeping the planet warm and habitable.
Water Vapour accounts for between 80% and 90% of the earth’s natural greenhouse effect.
The human caused portion of the greenhouse effect can be attributed to the burning of
fossil fuels. Scientists believe that when too much CO₂ and other greenhouse gases enter
the atmosphere they trap even more heat and this has contributed to global warming.
The ozone hole which has expanded over the Southern Ocean is the second effect creating
unnaturally high greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Whilst chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs),
the cause of 80% of the ozone destruction are being phased out, they remain in the
atmosphere for up to 120 years.
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions are set to be increasingly scrutinised, regulated and
priced. Carbon emissions are not just a social responsibility matter but also a legal,
operational, risk management and strategic issue. Europe already imposes greenhouse gas
limits and Australia is set to follow shortly with the proposed Emissions Trading Scheme
(ETS).
Australia has the highest per capita greenhouse emissions in the developed world, about 26
tonnes per Australian annually. Australia’s high output can be attributed mainly to two
factors:
The high use of fossil fuels for electricity generation; perhaps not reasonable in a
windswept and sunny climate.
Transportation; more reasonable in a large and open country.
About 70% of Australia’s GHG emissions are CO₂, one of the most damaging greenhouse
gases.
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Activity One
1. Would you invest in a company that you knew damaged the environment?
How important do you think being ‘green’ is to consumers and employees?
2. Describe three sustainability initiatives currently in place at your organisation.
3. How do you expect climate change to affect your organisation over the next five years?
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Sustainability reporting
In 2007, Australia launched a voluntary Greenhouse Gas
Reporting System to begin measuring emissions output in
preparation for the launch of a Carbon Pollution Reduction
Scheme (CPRS).
The National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting System
(NGERS), a mandatory scheme, commenced in July 2008.
Increasingly consumers, employees, investors and other
stakeholders expect organisations to report on their
sustainability. They view reporting as a measure of
trustworthiness and good governance. Reporting signals
the organisation’s seriousness about environmental responsibility and indicates its ability to
track and manage its ecological footprint. This in turn correlates with good general
management and superior market performance.
An organisation’s lack of attention to environmental concerns is likely to have serious cost
and risk implications placing them at a strategic disadvantage. It is assumed that
organisations that do not report have high emissions. They are considered exposed to
forthcoming emission charges, increasing energy costs and other risks that could undermine
their ability to operate successfully.
To begin reporting for your organisation, collect and report information on greenhouse gas
emissions. Detail your plans for improving energy efficiency and your targets for reducing
emissions. Investigate the factors that affect the sustainability of your organisation. These
will vary for different industries and individual organisations. When you have identified the
factors important to your organisation’s sustainability, you can work out how to measure
them.
Used by more than 1600 organisations worldwide and developed at the Amsterdam Global
Conference on Sustainability and Transparency in 2010, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
is the most widely used sustainability framework of reporting principles, guidelines and
standard disclosures on environmental, social and economic performance. Known as G3
Guidelines, they help organisations make relevant disclosures on their economic,
environmental and social performance. The G3 Guidelines can be downloaded from the GRI
website www.globalreporting.org
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Regulations
The federal government’s climate change policy is underpinned by two key mechanisms:
1. National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act, 2007 (NGER Act)
http://www.climatechange.gov.au/reporting
2. The Australian Government’s Climate Change Plan – Clean Energy Future
http://www.cleanenergyfuture.gov.au/
The NGER Act establishes a mandatory reporting system for corporate greenhouse gas
emissions and energy consumption and production that exceed specified thresholds. The
Act requires organisations to register and report if they emit greenhouse gases, produce
energy or consume energy at or above specified annual thresholds. The Act carries penalties
of up to $220,000 for failure to register and additional penalties for late reports. Two types
of constitutional corporations that should register in the first year:
Those with a facility that emitted more than 25 kilotonnes (25,000 tonnes) of GHG’s
or produced or consumed 100 terajoules or more energy
Those where the corporate group as a whole emitted more than 125 kilotonnes of
GHG’s or produced or consumed more than 500 terajoules of energy
The Clean Energy Future (CEF)
Economic experts around the world recognise that putting a price on carbon is the most
effective and cheapest way to cut pollution. Under the CEF around 500 big polluters in
Australia will be required to pay for their pollution. These businesses will need to buy and
surrender to the Government a permit for every tonne of pollution they produce. The
proposed initial price for these permits will be $23 per tonne and will only have CPI rises for
the first three years of operation. The price will then be
determined by the market and there will a floor price and a
ceiling price that companies must work within with the
buying and selling of permits. This has been done as an
incentive to big business to reduce pollution and to allow
businesses a three year surety of price so changes can be
made to the way they produce their goods. This legislation
became operational on July 1st 2012.
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Related Acts
The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, 1999: This Act provides
primarily for the protection of the environment, particularly those aspects that are matters
of national significance. It also promotes biodiversity and ecologically sustainable
development and the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.
http://www.environment.gov.au/epbc
The Energy Efficiency Opportunities Act, 2006: This Act encourages more efficient use of
energy by large energy users. Registered corporations must submit a plan every five years
explaining how they plan to assess the opportunities for improving energy efficiency during
the next five year period.
http://www.ret.gov.au/ENERGY/EFFICIENCY/EEO/Pages/default.aspx
Queensland legislation, Clean Energy Act, 2008: The main object of this act is to improve
efficiency and management of the use of energy and the conservation of energy in relation
to particular businesses and other activities.
How well positioned is your organisation?
Take a moment to consider the following questions:
Have you analysed your integrated value chain for sustainability?
Have you considered ways to exploit the opportunities sustainability may offer?
Have you developed strategies, policies and programs to allow your organisation to operate more sustainably?
Have you identified the effects of climate change on your organisation’s operations?
Have you set sustainability targets and do you monitor them regularly?
Have you trained people in sustainable practices and made sustainability considerations part of your organisation’s decision making, planning, project and reporting protocols?
Is a senior executive charged with guiding your organisation to increased
sustainability?
Is sustainability integrated into your organisation’s corporate social responsibility
policies?
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Activity Two
Identify five major environmental aspects present at your organisation and rank them according to
the risk that each poses to the environment.
Where are you now?
In order to achieve optimum resource efficiency, organisation’s need to calculate their
current impact on the environment. As the saying goes, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t
manage it”. A good place to start is with your ecological and carbon footprints.
It is important to identify the environmental measures that best apply to your organisation
and then locate relevant data that can provide you with meaningful information.
Ask yourself:
What areas of the organisation’s business activities have an impact on the
environment?
Do the organisation’s business activities have potential to harm any aspect of the
environment, including air, noise, water (stormwater, ground water, waste water),
soil, flora, fauna and people?
Which of the organisation’s current business activities have a positive impact on or
protect the environment?
Not only do you need to consider the impacts of the resources your organisation acquires in
order to produce products or services, you also need to consider the impact of the use of
the product or service by the customer. A light globe manufacturer, for example: needs to
measure the resources they used to make a light globe and the energy customers will
consume in using the light globe.
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Measure and document current resource usage
You will need to carry out a resource usage
assessment in order to measure the resource
usage. In addition to examining the use of all
resources consumed by your organisation,
you also need to investigate waste generated
by your organisation. The results will assist
you in identifying ways resource efficiency
can be improved and to develop an action
plan.
In addition to calculating the organisation’s
total resource consumption and waste
generation the resource usage assessment will also:
Calculate the resource usage and waste generation for each business activity or area
Identify which business activities or areas use the majority of resources
Identify which business activities or areas create the most waste
Discover opportunities for resource efficiency improvement
Precisely calculate the cost of resources and wastes
Allow informed business decisions to be made
Reduce costs associated with resource consumption and waste generation
Facilitate communication about resource efficiency.
Data should be regularly updated once the initial assessment has been carried out. You may
consider analysing the data on a monthly basis. Some organisations break the data down
further seeking to identify trends in a day - greater usage in the morning in contrast to the
afternoon or a week to compare days. The analysis will assist in deciding where your efforts
should be focused when identifying resource efficiency solutions.
Once the data has been collected and analysis completed you can now move onto
identifying the actions that may reduce resource usage and waste generation. This
information can be documented in your resource efficiency plan.
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Purchasing strategies
The purchasing decisions your organisation
makes on goods, resources and services will
have an impact on the environment. To be
environmentally responsible organisations
should seek to buy resources, goods and
services that have less impact on the
environment than their alternatives.
For example: purchasing products that are
made from recycled materials or have
minimal packaging.
The benefits of environmental purchasing are:
Decrease energy and water use
Increase resource efficiency
Decrease waste
Reduce pollution
Establish markets for environmentally friendly products and services
Place pressure on suppliers to produce products and services with lower environmental impacts.
Environmental purchasing involves considering the impact of the product at any stage of its
manufacture, use or disposal. In other words, throughout its life cycle. Organisations also
need to consider where the product has been sourced from. Products transported over long
distances result in higher carbon emissions. Refer back to our Green Train story on Eurostar,
one of their environmental initiatives was sourcing their on board food locally.
Many organisations have added a ‘Sustainability Clause’ into their supplier contract.
Organisations recognise that its own and its suppliers’ environmental performance are
factors in their long term success. In line with the drive to become a more environmentally
friendly organisation, you may have noticed initiatives implemented by your own
workplace. For example the promoted use ’Green’ stationery supplies.
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Activity Three
1. What are the goals of resource usage assessments?
1. Identify three benefits of environmental purchasing.
2. How can organisations ensure that work processes meet environmental requirements and
identify areas in which changes need to be made?