Environmental Effect and Data

Establishing the effect of your organization on the environment and gathering the associated data involves taking a holistic view of your business with the aim of capturing those aspects that should be measured and targeted. This needs to be conducted alongside the business strategy process, such that it enables a view to be formed not just of the effects as they are now, but as they will evolve as the strategy is deployed over time.


The business strategy and business context will determine where to start this review and the areas to focus on, and it should align to the key risks faced by the business. Typically, the following would be topic areas to include within the review:
1. Energy Use;
2. Water Use and Discharge;
3. Raw Material Production, Consumption and End-of-Life Management - that is, Reuse, Recycling and Waste; and
4. Emission to Air.

Data may be gathered via a full life-cycle assessment, which itself can be compiled from a number of existing activities or business metrics to ensure consistency with other business processes and to minimise the risk of the data being invalid. These metrics and activities can include invoices (for e.g., for energy consumed), purchase orders (for raw materials for production), and stock and raw material records.

Source: Hill, I. (2011) Great Expectation. The Environmentalist. IEMA. March issue.