Environmental/ Department Sustainability Policy Creation
-the legitimacy and credibility of any policy often depends on the involvement of affected stakeholders, (consider getting those in charge on board early on)
-creating a policy is not simply or quick, but is a work of creativity and cooperation-this first meeting may not achieve a final policy, but should help identify priorities, stakeholders, steps for (and responsibility for) implementation.
Policy Purpose: The policy is the guidelines/rule book which identifies goals and aims and criteria for department purchasing.
Policy Content:
Tone:
Generally, the language of any policy is positioned as “shall”, inferring that such and such will be done, (kind of like a command). Eg. “The department shall purchase goods that are ecologically benign wherever feasible in terms of financing, sourcing and availability… (taken from Geography dep’t policy)
Contents:
A beneficial exercise may be to brainstorm the various main products used in your department (eg. software, equipment, paper, furniture, etc.) As you do so, try to identify internal and external supplies for each (wherever you know).
Try to determine which area, or person/position is currently responsible for each items acquisition, order, and who makes the decisions. The point is to identify STAKEHOLDERS (those making the decisions). Stakeholders are also those actually using the products (colleagues and staff).
Determining Goals and Priorities and concerns:
In responding to the following questions, try to remember all three pillars of sustainability. Keep in mind that this is one framework- sustainability, but there are others, for example, life-cycle assessment, ecological footprinting, etc. You may find others more or less relevant depending on your needs.
Discussion Questions: (derived from geo policy- examples of responses may be found in stated policy)
1. Why is an environmental policy important? Position it within a larger context, give your rationale. (refer to Preamble of geo policy)
2. What will be considered when assessing products or equipment for purchasing?
Eg. Source (local)
3. Who will be responsible for the various aspects of implementing, evaluating the policy?
(hint: outlining a dep’t structure of responsibility may be useful:
Who orders the paper?, equipment? Furniture?
4. What will be the protocol when a sustainable solution is not available?
5. How will the policy implementation be monitored? Who will be responsible? – referring to the administrative structure may help.
Future considerations:
Another useful idea is to go about researching a list of sources for key materials, based on the criteria developed in your policy.
For reference-PARADIGMS:
-Sustainability:
economic - local community benefits from production –local employment and dollars back to community members ( local shops sell products and therefore community entrepreneurs benefit and in turn spend that money in the same community)
-labour practices, pay and opportunity equity
ecological- production processes and materials draw only what is sustainable yields, low emissions, wastes, effluents, life cycle analysis, ‘cradle to grave’
-What are the waste products/negative outputs of acquired products? Eg. greenhouse gases produced (transport, production), waste (packaging)
-How long will the product last? (durability)
social- community members are not negatively impacted by production processes- ie. Noise pollution, negative externalities like huge amounts of waste (smell).
-Operations assist in community building (drawing people together), employment opportunities are equitable and economic justice is respected (fair wage/salaries).
-meeting basic human needs, personal growth and development, maintaining physical and mental health, equity, community resilience, and involvement in decision making
Ecologic Footprint-
Products and processes are analyzed to evaluate (quantify) the amount of the planet required to operate. Particular attention paid to resource use- paper, plastic, chemicals, waste (land required to absorb them), distribution and packaging such as transport emissions, fossil fuels burned, materials used to transport.
Another example:
Bummis, a clothe diaper company in Montreal participated in a class project in Environmental impact Assessment. In any ‘environmental management system’(EMS), the first step is to design an environmental policy. This example is slightly broader in scope, as it encompasses all aspects of the company’s operations. However, it may still be useful. ( I stuck out those that don’t apply)
Administrative decisions incorporate sustainable considerations as they pertain to purchasing, transportation, energy use, material waste and disposal, hiring practices, and marketing decisions as outlined below:
a) In procuring materials, preference will be given to domestic suppliers and to materials which have the lowest environmental impacts whenever possible.
b) Opportunities are found to reduce the wasteful consumption of energy and water in production processes and facilities.
c) Quality control mechanisms are used to ensure products are durable and reduce premature disposal due to a long life span.
d) All employees are treated fairly in terms of salaries, wages and benefits.
e) Education about the environmental impacts of operations is provided to all employees, and targets are set to reduce them.
f) Public education is combined with business practices in order to support and encourage the decision to use clothe diapers.
g) Compliance with legislative requirements is met or exceeded where appropriate to business operations.
h) A comprehensive documentation system is developed and utilized for verification of compliance and transparency to external bodies.
i) Continual improvement of the EMS is achieved through a framework for setting and reviewing environmental objectives and targets, ensuring that as Bummis grows, negative environmental impacts are reduced.