Thursday, October 29, 2009

What is Your Environmental Management Strategy?


By Daniel Stouffer

The world's biggest organizations understand that they have far more responsibility to a much broader range of stakeholders than some might believe. Over 80% of these larger organizations have already created and are engaging in an environmental management strategy that will carry them close to their ultimate goal of attaining corporate sustainability.

In the carbon economy of tomorrow, the environmental management strategy formulated by a company will be a centerpiece of its very operation. It cannot be set aside from its ultimate objective, as a broad range of stakeholders, not just pure environmentalists are watching every move.

The idea of corporate sustainability came into focus when the International Standardization Organization published its famous 14,000 series of standards. This encouraged the enterprise to explore its footprint in the broadest sense of the word and to come up with a series of solutions to ensure that it did not place too many unreasonable stresses on the environment.

The ISO has done a considerable service to the world in general by compiling its 14,000 series standards. Many thousands of organizations have adopted these as they move toward sustainability. However, it is generally seen that suggestions are not enough and that we all need to place considerable focus on reversing the already significant damage we can see all around us. As such, an environmental management strategy is long overdue from corporate boardrooms.

For an environmental management strategy to be effective, it must analyze several areas. It must identify its stakeholders, understand their position and their requirements and formulate a plan accordingly. The enterprise must conduct a complete lifecycle analysis, working through its organization from A-Z and attaining a complete understanding of all its operating procedures.

A typical organization cannot hope to achieve a working environmental management strategy until and unless it puts its own house in order first. This means that unless it is fully aware of its actual costs of doing business, then it is unlikely to be working at optimum efficiency. Until it achieves this status it cannot adequately address environmental issues.

Over recent years, education has made the consumer a much wiser individual. He or she is now turning to corporations to see what they are doing to reduce their carbon emissions and help the battle against climate change. The environmental management strategy is a required document.

It is likely that legislation is around the corner and even if it isn't, a company must not ignore the prospect of reputational harm through taking no action on climate issues. The organization must look at all its software systems, procedures and solutions as it tracks its energy and resource usage, waste management and carbon emissions. Once it has all its liabilities in check, it will be ahead of the game and ready to make further changes down the road.

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