Prepare Workplace Sustainability Policies

In this section, we will define the term sustainability in the workplace and establish the scope and objectives of workplace sustainability policies.

In this this module, sustainability refers to a broad approach that focuses on the minimisation of an organisation’s social, economic and environmental impact, as well as proactive value creation in these areas.

Currently, sustainability is a worldwide movement as many consumers and clients invest in companies that consider the social, economic and environment impact of their business.

 

DIRTT's Answer to Sustainability in the Workplace 

‘Many things are responsible for greenhouse gases, but buildings are at the top of the list. Through reconstruction and renovation, the world has taken one of its most permanent structures and made it disposable. Through the use of DIRTT modular interiors, we are hoping to change that practice.’

Before we write our sustainability policy, we need to establish its scope and objectives. The scope of the policy can be determined according to the organisation’s objectives and their commitment to social, economic, human and environmental impact.

The scope of the policy refers to how broadly it will apply within your organisation and objectives.

Sustainability is often referred to only in terms of the environment, but there are other sustainability factors including social, human and economic impacts, which also must be considered when developing a sustainability policy. Once you have determined the scope of your policy, you can then commence developing objectives that are aligned with the scope and the organisation’s overall objectives.

When writing objectives, they should follow the SMART principle:

SMART objectives can be applied anywhere in your life, both professionally and personally.

The most critical part of developing a workplace sustainability policy is to create specific goals to which you can contribute, with targets that you can measure, to integrate sustainability more comprehensively within the company.

For example, the United Nations (UN) established 17 sustainability development goals with specific targets that serve as an urgent call for global partnership in ending poverty and other deprivations

When developing your goals and objectives, try to identify and incorporate other key elements such as:

• Specific measures of success (KPIs)
• Goal setting or benchmarks
• Tracking improvements
• Monitoring
• Reviewing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this section of the module, we will gather information for the development of sustainability policies, plus analyse information and consultation insights.

In order to gather information from a range of sources to plan and develop a policy, we need to explore the internal information available to you that will help with adopting practices that use resources sustainably.

Listed below are examples of the internal sources that can be utilised:

1. Current procedures, systems and compliance requirements
2. Consulting with employees and any internal experts
3. Occupational health and safety in relation to the organisation
4. Government legislation and compliance policies and procedures
5. Associations and unions. External information that will assist with the development of sustainability goals, objectives and policies can include:

Laws and Regulations 

It is essential to ensure that there is compliance with relevant environmental laws and regulations. Often, not being compliant can attracts fines, penalties and potential jail terms.

You must ensure you are in compliance with any local or country environmental legislation and regulations for sustainability practices. There is information available from various government departments on the required legislation relating to sustainability. Research the Australian and international standards relating to corporate sustainability and any environmental and sustainability legislation, regulations and codes of practice that are applicable to the organisation and the industry in which you operate.

If your goal is to reduce the organisation’s environmental impact, there are a number of environmental reporting standards used by businesses, such as:

• Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reporting
• Corporate Sustainability or Triple Bottom Line Reporting
• Natural Resource Management Monitoring.

Some organisations may need some incentive and assistance to become more environmentally friendly. You may wish to consider applying for environmental funding or an award to get recognition for your environmental initiatives. Funding is available from federal, state, territory and local governments.

Stakeholders 

Stakeholders can include any individual or company that has some sort of interest or involvement in your organisation.

When a company chooses to incorporate sustainability into its processes, it may have impact on various stakeholders. Stakeholders should be consulted about the company’s decision to develop sustainability policies and procedures and to gain the required support to successfully implement the sustainability policies, procedures and activities.

At every stage of developing your sustainability policy, consider the following factors related to stakeholder involvement:

• Defining their environmental responsibility
• Environmental management
• Defining their social sustainability responsibility
• Defining their human sustainability responsibility
• Defining their economic sustainability
• The resources available to develop and implement workplace sustainability policies
• Stakeholder involvement throughout the development of the sustainability policies
• Providing a range of opportunities for stakeholders to have input into policy development and implementation.

External Stakeholders 

External stakeholders are also vital to your efforts, as they are the entities that do not belong to your organisation but may have an impact—or be impacted by—your sustainability policies and practices.

This includes your organisation’s impact on the environment, the quality of life of communities, as well as potential economic, human and social impacts.

Some examples of external stakeholders are: • Customers • Government

• Investors and creditors
• Communities in which you operate
• Organisations that engage you with such as suppliers or contracting companies
• Media.

How you consult and communicate sustainability policy objectives and goals to stakeholders will depend on the type and size of your organisation. In some cases, you may be able to run a focus group with internal stakeholders, while in smaller organisations, you may meet with a small group or conduct a consultation one on one.

Consultation may occur through:

• Surveys (online and hard copy)
• Team meetings
• Formal training or briefing sessions
• Consultative groups
• One-on-one meetings
• Provision of opportunities for external stakeholders to contribute ideas, information and feedback
• Community engagement forums.

Once you have gathered the relevant information, you will need to analyse it as well as the consultation insights gained from your stakeholder consultations and engagement. You will need to determine what information should be included in your sustainability policy and what information will form the basis of your intended aim for the policy.