Use your environmental policy to create a green office
An environmental policy is a written statement outlining your mission in relation to managing the environmental effects and aspects of your operations.
It’s the first step for any office wanting to improve their green credentials. By going Greener Now you can use your environmental policy to explain to staff, suppliers and customers where you stand on green or environmental issues.
For your environmental policy to be successful it's important that this policy is adopted, authorised and committed to your senior management or equivalent. It will be harder to maintain enthusiasm for greening the office without this real support and application of staff resources.
Benefits to creating an environmental policy:
- Assuring customers of commitment to demonstrable environmental management
- Maintaining good public/community relations
- Enhancing image and market share
- Improving cost control
- Reducing incidents that result in liability
- Conserving raw materials and energy
- Sharing environmental solutions
- Improving industry/government relations.
The organisation should establish an environmental policy to state the following:
- Minimise the use of natural resources and lessen the impact on the environment.
- Meet or exceed all applicable regulations on the environment at all locations.
- Purchase non-polluting and energy efficient technologies wherever possible.
- Set its own standards and targets where no relevant Government regulation exists.
- Establish an action plan with a regular review of progress.
- Measure progress against set targets for resource efficiency and pollution reduction.
- Assist suppliers and customers to promote greener products and services.
- Report fully the environmental performance of the organisation to stakeholders and communities in a clear and concise annual report.
Once drafted the policy and the environmental change should be accepted by all members of management. This will then be your public policy on the environment.
To implement your policy staff time and resources will be required to make the next step in drafting an action plan, defining responsibilities and reviewing the progress of any actions taken.
Join Greener Now and use your environmental policy to create a green office for a more sustainable society.
