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Encouraging Environmental Improvement
Whilst carrying out a recent EMS surveillance audit, it became apparent that the organisation in question required some guidance in the direction and focus of it’s HSE management system objectives and targets. The issue in question related to the measurement of it’s carbon footprint which was becoming quite relevant given that the parent organisation had pledged to reduce its global carbon dioxide emissions by 10% over the course of the year. The local site duly recorded the amount of carbon emitted at source using electricity and gas consumption measurements from meters located within the workshops and offices of the main building. However there was no data relating to the significant amounts of carbon dioxide emitted by vehicles used by the sales staff, technical advisors and engineers who travelled the length and breadth of the country on company business.
Even more galling was the fact that accident statistics did include vehicle accidents and their impact on the health and safety performance of the business and this was reported to the head office at regular intervals. The linkage between business and accidents arising within the business framework in this case was clear, but the issue of carbon dioxide measurement was not. I considered it a duty to assist the organisation move in the right direction to provide a clear focus of what objectives were required.
A recent family dinner party over Easter provided another viewpoint to the above situation. Environmental issues formed part of a passionate and interesting debate in which the melting polar icecaps, the likely increase in sea levels and related issues provided me with the opportunity to conduct a impromptu quiz. Each family member was asked if they knew their personal carbon footprint. The second question asked what was the closest estimate to the average UK carbon footprint per person between either 0.5, 10 or 100 tonnes per year. None of us knew our actual carbon footprint, and an even split between the 3 potential answers was the result of the second question. Clearly the information required to understand the quantities involved and the key contributors to the total carbon footprint was unclear. The desire to reduce our personal carbon footprint was clearly evident, but the mechanism by which the most significant reductions could be made was absent.
The similarities between personal and corporate efforts became clear to me. Both were well meaning but both also lacked a clear strategy and systematic approach to address the issue. The company mentioned at the start of this article had ISO 14001 so it was important that some additional guidance was given to help the company develop a better estimate of it’s total carbon footprint.
John Marsden (FIEMA)
info@marsden-international.com
John is an independent management system auditor who works for a number of international certification bodies.
