BSBSUS501 Learner Workbook ICM PDF

BSBSUS501 - Develop workplace policy and procedures for sustainability - Introduction
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Structure of the workbook
Part 1 - The workbook is structured to provide knowledge component in the first part including the
introduction to the theoretical aspects of the unit and detailed description of the unit of competency
knowledge development.
Part 2-The development of your skills and knowledge which are sectioned to cover the unit elements
and performance criteria to apply your skills and knowledge to gain competency for effective
vocational outcomes.
How to use the workbook

First develop your knowledge
1. Read the workbook starting with the introduction to the subject of unit of competency and
the details to develop your knowledge application.
2. Once reading is complete, attempt the review questions to ensure you develop your
knowledge related to knowledge evidence required.
Then develop your skills and apply skills and knowledge for vocational outcome
1. Actively read the workbook sections which are sectioned in line with unit elements and
performance criteria to confirm the application of skills and knowledge related to achieve
effective and efficient vocational outcome.
2. Attempt and complete all the activities in the learning activity workbook in relevant sections
to develop your competency including use of foundation skills.
Copyright
© 2020 Dynamics Learning Pty Ltd. 2/23 Foster Street Surry Hills NSW 2010 Australia.
(www.dynamicslearning.com.au).
This publisher holds the copyright of its reproduction. All rights are reserved for author and the Institute
that is provided with license for use including total or partial reproduction or adaptation.
Edition :1
Compiled by : Anil K Don (MBA (UK), MPA (Aus.), Dip L & M, DipM, FAIM (MCIM, Chartered Marketer – Fmr))
Date : November 2020
Review date :
Disclaimer
The information contained in this manual is drawn from sources believed to be valid and reliable. The writer, the
firm, its employees, agents and contractors do not warrant the correctness of the sources used and accept no
responsibility to any person or commercial body for any errors or omissions or for any loss or damage howsoever
caused from the use of this manual. Every effort has been made to ensure that this publication is free from
duplication, errors or omissions. Information used from various sources including online materials, books and
journals are tested for their validity, reliability, currency, and rephrased, adapted, quoted and referenced .
However, if unsure, users should conduct their own enquiries and seek professional advice before relying on any
fact, statement or matter contained in this book. Information in this unit is current at the time of publication.
Some images, charts and graphics appearing in this resource have been developed by the writer and some are
accessed and used from various freely available online sources.
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Table of Contents
Unit Overview.............................................................................................................................. 3
Introduction................................................................................................................................. 4
Workplace sustainability policy and procedures............................................................................ 4
Sustainability (What is it?) ......................................................................................................... 4
Primary goals of sustainability ................................................................................................... 6
Summary of Australian environmental legislation ..................................................................... 13
Environmental regulatory framework ...................................................................................... 13
Regulatory enforcement ......................................................................................................... 15
Internal and external sources of information ............................................................................ 16
How to develop policies and procedures .................................................................................. 17
Why your organisations need sustainability policy .................................................................... 22
Organisational systems and procedures that relate to sustainability .......................................... 24
Barriers to implementing policies and procedures .................................................................... 25
Section 1.................................................................................................................................... 28
Develop workplace sustainability policy ..................................................................................... 28
Sustainability scope ................................................................................................................ 28
Scope of sustainability policy ................................................................................................... 29
Gather information from a range of sources to plan and develop policy ..................................... 30
Identify and consult stakeholders as a key component of the policy development process.......... 32
Develop a stakeholder engagement plan.................................................................................. 35
How to develop a stakeholder engagement plan ...................................................................... 36
Strategies for resource use ...................................................................................................... 38
Sustainability strategies for policy options ................................................................................ 41
Policy options ......................................................................................................................... 44
Develop Policy that reflects the organisation’s commitment to sustainability ............................. 47
Policy items that reflects the organisation’s commitment to sustainability ................................. 47
Methods of implementation of sustainability policy .................................................................. 49
Steps to a sustainable strategy implementation........................................................................ 50
Sustainability outcomes and performance indicators ................................................................ 53
Section 2.................................................................................................................................... 58
Communicate workplace sustainability policy............................................................................. 58
Promote workplace sustainability policy................................................................................... 58
Inform those involved in implementing the policy..................................................................... 62
Section 3.................................................................................................................................... 64
Implement workplace sustainability policy ................................................................................. 64
Develop and communicate procedures to help implement workplace sustainability policy ......... 64
Implement strategies for continuous improvement in resource efficiency .................................. 67
Track continuous improvements in sustainability...................................................................... 71
Section 4.................................................................................................................................... 76
Review workplace sustainability policy implementation ............................................................. 76
Document outcomes and provide feedback to key personnel and stakeholders.......................... 76
Investigate successes or otherwise of policy ............................................................................. 77
Monitor records to identify trends that may require remedial action ......................................... 79
Monitor records to identify trends and use to promote continuous improvement of performance
.............................................................................................................................................. 81
Modify policy and or procedures as required to ensure improvements are made ....................... 82
References................................................................................................................................. 85
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Unit Overview
Application of the unit

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to develop and implement a workplace
sustainability policy and to modify the policy to suit changed circumstances.
It applies to individuals with managerial responsibilities who undertake work developing
approaches to create, monitor and improve strategies and policies within workplaces and
engage with a range of relevant stakeholders and specialists.
Performance Evidence
• Evidence of the ability to:
• scope and develop organisational policies and procedures that comply with
legislative requirements and support the organisation’s sustainability goals covering
at a minimum:
o minimising resource use
o resource efficiency
o reducing toxic material and hazardous chemical use
o employing life cycle management approaches
o continuous improvement
• plan and implement sustainability policy and procedures including:
o agreed outcomes
o performance indicators
o activities to be undertaken
o assigned responsibilities
o record keeping, review and improvement processes
• consult and communicate with relevant stakeholders to generate engagement with
sustainability policy development, implementation and continuous improvement
• review and improve sustainability policies.
Knowledge Evidence
To complete the unit requirements safely and effectively, the individual must:
• outline the environmental or sustainability legislation, regulations and codes of
practice applicable to the organisation identify internal and external sources of
information and explain how they can be used to plan and develop the
organisation’s sustainability policy
• explain policy development processes and practices
• outline organisational systems and procedures that relate to sustainability
• outline typical barriers to implementing policies and procedures in an organisation
and possible strategies to address them.
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Introduction
Workplace sustainability policy and procedures
Sustainability (What is it?)
There is no universally agreed definition of sustainability. In fact, there are many different
viewpoints on this concept and on how it can be achieved. Etymologically, the word
sustainability comes from sustainable + ity. And sustainable is, for instance, a composition of
sustain + able. So, if we start from the beginning, to <sustain> means “give support to”, “to
hold up”, “to bear” or to “keep up”.
What is sustainability, then? Sustainable is an adjective for something that is able to be

sustained, i.e., something that is “bearable” and “capable of being continued at a certain
level”. In the end, sustainability can perhaps be seen as the process(es) by which something
is kept at a certain level. Nonetheless, nowadays, because of the environmental and social
problems society is facing, sustainability is commonly used in a specific way. Therefore,
sustainability can be defined as the processes and actions through which humankind avoids
the depletion of natural resources (which is influenced by the way societies are organized)
to keep an ecological balance so that society’s quality of life doesn’t decrease.
In this way, we can say that resources exploitation, manufacturing operations, the direction
of investments, technological developments, wealth distribution, institutional changes,
among others, are being sustainable if they do not hurt the ecosystem services and if they
allow for society’s quality of life not to decrease.
Principles of sustainability: The 3 pillars of sustainability

What is sustainability? The principles of sustainability are the foundations of what this
concept represents. Therefore, sustainability is made up of three pillars: economy, society,
and the environment. These principles are also informally used as profit, people and planet.
John Elkington, author of Cannibals with forks and co-founder of the sustainability
consultancy firm Sustain-abilty, was one of the first people to integrate these 3 principles.
He argued companies needed to start considering this triple bottom line so that they could
the world thrive in the long run (more info about the triple bottom line in our
article: sustainable development).
At the same time, consumers and citizens unsatisfied with the long-term damage (both on
wealth distribution and the environment) caused by the corporate focus on short-term
profits, turned sustainability into a mainstream concept able to ruin a organisation’s
reputation and profits. Today, sustainability is often spoken of about climate change, which
threatens life as we know it as is being largely caused by industrial practices. That’s one of
the reasons why today many organisations have corporate responsibility (CSR) strategies.
In 2005, the World Summit on Social Development identified three core areas that
contribute to the philosophy and social science of sustainable development. These “pillars”
in many national standards and certification schemes, form the backbone of tackling the
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core areas that the world now faces. The Brundtland Commission described it as
“development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs." We must consider the future then, in making
our decisions about the present.
Economic Development
This is the issue that proves the most problematic as most people disagree on political
ideology what is and is not economically sound, and how it will affect organisations and by
extension, jobs and employability. It is also about providing incentives for organisations and
other organisations to adhere to sustainability guidelines beyond their normal legislative
requirements. Also, to encourage and foster incentives for the average person to do their
bit where and when they can; one person can rarely achieve much, but taken as a group,
effects in some areas are cumulative. The supply and demand market is consumerist in
nature and modern life requires a lot of resources every single day; for the sake of the
environment, getting what we consume under control is the paramount issue. Economic
development is about giving people what they want without compromising quality of life,
especially in the developing world, and reducing the financial burden and “red tape” of
doing the right thing.
Social Development
There are many facets to this pillar. Most importantly is awareness of and legislation
protection of the health of people from pollution and other harmful activities of
organisation and other organisations. In North America, Europe and the rest of the
developed world, there are strong checks and programmes of legislation in place to ensure
that people's health and wellness is strongly protected. It is also about maintaining access to
basic resources without compromising the quality of life. The biggest hot topic for many
people right now is sustainable housing and how we can better build the homes we live in
from sustainable material. The final element is education - encouraging people to
participate in environmental sustainability and teaching them about the effects of
environmental protection as well as warning of the dangers if we cannot achieve our goals.
Environmental Protection
We all know what we need to do to protect the environment, whether that is recycling,
reducing our power consumption by switching electronic devices off rather than using
standby, by walking short journeys instead of taking the bus. Organisations are regulated to
prevent pollution and to keep their own carbon emissions low. There are incentives to
installing renewable power sources in our homes and organisations. Environmental
protection is the third pillar and to many, the primary concern of the future of humanity. It
defines how we should study and protect ecosystems, air quality, integrity and sustainability
of our resources and focusing on the elements that place stress on the environment (6). It
also concerns how technology will drive our greener future; the EPA recognized that
developing technology and biotechnology is key to this sustainability and protecting the
environment of the future from potential damage that technological advances could
potentially bring.
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Primary goals of sustainability

The sustainable development professional network thinks, acts and works globally. In 2012,
the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development met to discuss and develop a
set of goals to work towards; they grew out of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG)
that claimed success in reducing global poverty while acknowledging there was still much
more to do. The SDG eventually came up with a list of 17 items (8) which included amongst
other things:
• The end of poverty and hunger

• Better standards of education and healthcare - particularly as it pertains to water
quality and better sanitation
• To achieve gender equality
• Sustainable economic growth while promoting jobs and stronger economies
• All of the above and more while tackling the effects of climate change, pollution and
other environmental factors that can harm and do harm people's health, livelihoods
and lives.
• Sustainability to include health of the land, air and sea
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Finally, it acknowledged the concept of nature having certain rights - that people have
stewardship of the world and the importance of putting people at the forefront of solving
the above global issues through management of the environment and of consumption (for
example, reducing packaging and discouraging food waste as well as promoting the use of
recyclable materials).
From Sustainability to Regeneration

While sustainability is certainly a trendier concept, there’s another one that’s quickly gaining
ground: regeneration. Regeneration takes sustainability even further, acknowledging
humanity’s lifestyles do not have to be sustained for generations to come.
First, because the structures that allow such conditions are incompatible with the way
Nature creates Life (they are economy-oriented, which is often opposed to being nature-
oriented). But also, because humans have damaged the planet to such an extent that
stopping to do harm wouldn’t be enough to recover it – we need to enhance and facilitate
the conditions in which Life can flourish and ecosystems can recover and become resilient.
The REGENESIS Group speaks of Regenerative Development as working to reverse the

degeneration of ecosystems through harmonizing human activities with the continuing
evolution of life on our planet.
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History of Sustainability
Humans have, since the Neolithic Agricultural Revolution and maybe even before then, been
a consumer rather than a replenisher of environmental resources. From hunter-gatherer
societies that moved into an area to use up its resources in a season before setting up camp
or moving on, only to return the following year to do the same, the development of a
surplus economy saw permanent settlements. Slash and burn farming replaced natural
wilderness often with uniform crop plantation and camps gave way to settlements, then
eventually villages, towns and cities which would put pressure on the environment.
Sometimes, the environmental pressures forced people into making these changes in the
first place (growing human population being one of those pressures) and often eventually
they had to move on to somewhere new where the environmental could better sustain
them and their practices, or make further changes to their existing environment. There was
no real concept of sustainable living, even if the people of the distant past understood that
soil had a maximum fertility that could be exhausted and replenished with livestock.
It is widely acknowledged that many societies collapsed due to an inability to adapt to the
conditions brought on by these unsustainable practices. Whether that was introducing alien
species that upset the balance of the ecosystem, cutting down too many trees at once or
even a failure to adapt to natural fluctuations in the climate, we are far more aware in the
modern world about the potential damage caused by human action. Cultural change often
led to survival of those societies beyond what might have been expected under the
circumstances.
Though some Renaissance and Enlightenment philosophers would express concern about
resources and over-population and whether these were sustainable in the long term, these
people were not taken seriously at the time other than as a hypothetical question. It would
take until the 20th century before we would understand the impact that we could have on
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our environment. Environmental damage, pollution, destabilising soils by cutting down

trees, fossil fuels and other environmental issues led to a growing concern about the
environment and whether we were or could damage our own ecosystem. The United
Nations was founded after World War II and in 1945, UNESCO was established to promote
the importance of human culture and of science. Today, their remit is "to contribute to the
building of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural
dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information."
By the late 20th century, the science of climate change was firmly established. We knew by
the 1980s about the problems of the greenhouse effect and the destruction of the ozone
layer and coming very late in the century, an awareness of the notion that some of our
resources - particularly fossil fuels - were finite and that we should make efforts to move to
renewable methods of power. It was then that we saw the social, economic and scientific
birth of the environmental movement.
A Sustainable Future
It is not yet clear what our sustainable future will look like but with emerging technologies
and the improvement of older cleaner fuel sources, many people now look to a post fossil
fuel world - including organisationes. Since the 1950s, we have experienced unprecedented
growth including intensive farming, a technological revolution and a massive increase in our
power needs putting even greater pressure and strain on the planet's resources. We are
also far more aware of the plight of the developing world and that facing our planet as we
now observe both natural and human-caused disasters and the effects that these can have
on the ecosystems and on human population. It's vital that we develop new, cleaner
technologies to cope with our energy demands but sustainability is not just about the
environment.
The biggest social activism movement related to the social development side of
sustainability, has been programs such as Fair Trade and the Rainforest Alliance in
encouraging good farming practices while ensuring farmers who produce luxury goods such
as coffee and cocoa receive a decent living wage. Activist and sustainability professionals
hope to remove trade barriers in future so that they may benefit everyone, contributing to
the economic and social development core of sustainability while promoting good
environmental practice.
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Examples of sustainability: A long-term vision

Sustainability encourages people, politics, and organisationes to make decisions based on
the long term. In this way, acting sustainably encompasses a temporal framework of
decades (instead of a few months or years) and considers more than the profit or loss
involved. The followings are some different examples of sustainability depending on the
industry:
Technology: Examples of what is sustainability in technology

The use of electronic devices is growing every day. Nonetheless, these devices are made of
Earth minerals extracted by the mining industry. Mining can be a very polluting industry and
the development of new sites certainly has an impact on deforestation.
Therefore, being sustainable in the tech field has a lot to do with using your devices for a
long period despite having new ones coming out all the time. It is also about making sure
you get disposed of them in a responsible way as can be very polluting if not handled
properly.
Soon, sustainability in technology will also be about how the (mostly) lithium-ion batteries
of electric cars and solar panels will be disposed of. Companies focusing on recycling these
batteries and building products whose core car be maintained and replaced for a new
battery will also be the ones on the forefront.
Workplace: Examples of what sustainability in the workplace

The workplace can also be organized in a sustainable way. For instance, companies betting
on new technologies and becoming paperless or that provide conditions and training for
employees to recycle are being careful about waste management.
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At the same time, not asking air-conditioners for very extreme temperatures (that waste
much energy waste and emit GHG), opening the blinds when there’s sunlight and avoiding
plastic cutlery are also good ways to have a sustainable workplace.
Operations and value-chain: where’s the sustainability?

Let’s analyse sustainability in operations by imagining an organisation with very high energy
costs as they are steel manufacturers. If it is economically viable, the organisation could
install solar panels and power its operations with this energy. It’d be a medium-long term
investment that could be economically interesting in the long run.
At the same time, the organisation would be using renewable energy, which is especially
important in places where the electricity grid works mostly on fossil fuels.
An organisation’s strategy (CSR): Where is its sustainability?

An organisation’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a strategy that integrates the
policies and practices firms wanting to create value on their triple bottom line (people,
planet, profit). So besides taking care of their workplaces and trying to be eco-friendly along
their value-chain, companies with a sustainability mindset are also concerned about social
issues like gender equality, happiness at the workplace or taking care of the communities
affected by their activities.
At the same time, they do not underestimate the financial side of the organisation, where
profit is a basic condition for organizations to survive – yet, it’s not the main reason or the
main purpose why these organisationes exist.
Fashion: Examples of sustainability in fashion

Fashion, especially fast fashion, focuses on speed and low cost to deliver frequent new
collections. Nonetheless, the problem with this industry its negative environmental impact.
On one hand, it uses toxic chemicals that cause water pollution which may contaminate the
soils too if wrongly disposed of.
On the other hand, there’s a lot of textile waste and many clothes are made of synthetic
fibers which, while being washed, escape to the sea in the shape of microplastics. In this
way, if a organisation makes clothes with resistant materials, uses sustainably produced
cotton, applies principles of circular economy in its value chain and uses less toxic chemicals,
it is responsible with the environment.
At the same time, sustainability is also about being socially responsible. And overall, the
fashion industry isn’t a very responsible one. If you pay attention most labels show that
clothes are being made in distant places such as China, Bangladesh or Vietnam.
Apart from the pollution of transporting these items, the manpower behind the
manufacturing of these clothes is what’s most worrying. People in these countries usually
get really low wages and work under bad conditions. They can hardly improve their social
situation and most times keep on working just to pay the bills and survive. This largely
contributes to the inequality we see in the world since in 2018 the rich went richer and the
poor poorer, according to Oxfam’s latest report.
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Transportation: What is sustainability in transportation?

A report from the IPPC says 14% of all greenhouse gas emissions come from transport and
most are mostly due to passenger cars. Yes, contrary to what many believe, planes, cargo
ships or even trucks aren’t the main contributors to CO2 emissions and are cars can assume
much of the blame. So unless someone is driving a car with 4 or 5 passengers, taking public
transportation, especially trains but also buses are more sustainable choices. And if one can
simply walk or cycle it’d be even better.
Today, there are even more sophisticated solutions to reduce the pollution caused by
moving around. At a vehicle level, the popularity and industry development of alternatives
like electric cars (or even hydrogen cars) or electric scooters are growing at a high rate. At
the same time, solutions like carpooling, where through which drivers can get their cars
empty and save some money (and pollution) are great alternatives. Not to mention the fact
that more companies are letting their employees working from home or remotely, allowing
to save the number of kms travelled too!
Zero Waste - As an example of sustainability

The zero-waste movement is a lifestyle that encourages people to use all types of resources
in a circular way, just like the natural world does. Therefore, the goal of this philosophy is to
avoid resources to follow a linear route and end up as trash in the oceans or landfills. For
this, people must refuse what they do not need, reduce what they’re getting, reuse it and
recycle or compost it.
Linked with this lifestyle is also a minimalist way of living, where people are often invited to
leave behind and refuse that they do not need. The movement is also very well known by
people taking their own bulks to shops to buy commodities such as chickpeas, rice or liquid
soap. The goal is clear: not to take any trash home. A factory that takes proper care of its
industrial waste and doesn’t drop it in a nearby river or land is acting in a sustainable way. In
fact, this factory is being responsible for avoiding the short-term costs of damaging disposal
that could have expensive and impactful long-term environmental damage.
At the same time, companies looking for less polluting packaging alternatives are also good
sustainability models to follow. Since plastics are polluting land and seas and harming
ecosystems and biodiversity, it’s a good idea that organisationes invest in new designs that
allow products to be more resistant and even re-manufactured. On top of this, if
biodegradable materials are being used, even better.
The food industry: Examples of sustainability in this area

An organisation that tries to grow its crops by not using (or using few) toxic pesticides and
focuses on organic farming and biomimicry practices is certainly a less polluting one. If it
pays fair wages to its employees and manages to still be competitive on the market, it is
then being responsible when it comes to profit, people and planet.
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Summary of Australian environmental legislation

The following dot points are a summary of Australian environmental legislation. Please refer
to the detailed information in the sections below for the specific details regarding the
jurisdiction you will be working in.
• Most states and territories mandate a ‘general environmental duty’ to take

reasonable care to not cause harm to the environment. The general environmental
duty is supported by detailed offences for tiered levels of harm caused by specific
levels of intent or neglect.
• Most offences are defensible if: o you can prove you took all reasonable care to not
cause the harm, which may include following standards, regulations or conditions of
an approval; or o you caused the environmental harm to prevent harm to life,
property or the environment in an emergency situation.
• Generally, permits, approvals or ‘environmental authorisations’ are only required for
prescribed activities or development projects. Prescribed activities are generally
substantial in volume (for example, extracting hundreds of tons of material or
processing thousands of tons of a substance) or involve the use of well-known
pollutants. We generally do not undertake these activities at this scale, if at all.
• In the event of an incident that could cause or has caused environmental harm, most
states and territories require you to make a report to the relevant authority via a 24
hour hotline or web portal. As well as reporting to the relevant authority, you should
also report the incident to your Chief via your normal field work reporting process.
• Protected areas are subject to more stringent protection than is provided by general
environmental protection legislation. Generally, you must get approval or a permit
to conduct scientific activity in protected areas and work within the criteria, values
or management plan of the protected area.
Environmental regulatory framework

There are a large number of legislative instruments and regulatory bodies that govern
environmental regulation in Australia.
Australia has a federal legal system with environmental matters primarily regulated at a
state and territory level. The regime varies between each state and territory. The
Commonwealth government (being the highest level of government in Australia) also
regulates specific matters on a national level in addition to regulation by the relevant state
or territory government.
• Recent developments in Australia include an increasing focus on:

• Reducing the duplication of assessment and approval processes between the
different levels of government.
• Energy and climate change policy.
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State and territory legislation

The key environmental legislation for each state and territory are as follows:
• Australian Capital Territory. The Environmental Protection Act 1997 (Australian

Capital Territory).
• Northern Territory. The Waste Management and Pollution Control Act 1998
(Northern Territory) and Environmental Assessment Act 1982 (Northern Territory).
• New South Wales. The Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (New
South Wales).
• Queensland. The Environmental Protection Act 1994 (Queensland).
• South Australia. The Environment Protection Act 1993 (South Australia).
• Tasmania. The Environmental Management and Pollution Control Act 1994
(Tasmania).
• Victoria. The Environment Protection Act 1970 (Victoria).
• Western Australia. The Environmental Protection Act 1986 (Western Australia)
(Western Australian EP Act).
Where possible in this chapter, broad topics are addressed consistently throughout the
various jurisdictions in Australia. Where we are not in a position to comment generally, this
chapter concentrates on the provisions contained in Western Australian legislation. Broadly
speaking, state and territory environmental legislation is similar, but each state and territory
act should be reviewed if specific information is required.
Commonwealth legislation
Environmental regulation at the Commonwealth level (that is, national/federal level) is
limited to matters of national environmental significance and those involving the
Commonwealth or Commonwealth bodies. The Commonwealth's primary environmental
legislation is the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
(Commonwealth) (EPBC Act) administered by the Department of the Environment and
Energy (DOEE).
Sanctions and penalties

All jurisdictions in Australia consider a breach of environmental law a serious incident with
significant consequences, including criminal sanctions in some circumstances.
Legislative and policy authority

This section outlines government legislation and policies that are relevant to energy use,
greenhouse gas emissions and ozone depleting substances. These are:
• Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth)

• Building Energy Efficiency Disclosure (BEED) Act 2010 (Cth)
• Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Amendment Act 2010
(Cth)
• Energy Efficiency in Government Operations (EEGO) Policy (2006)
• Australian Government ICT Sustainability Plan (ICTSP) 2010-2015
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• Australian Government Data Centre Strategy 2010-2025 and Data Centre

Optimisation Policy
The key environmental regulatory authorities for each state and territory are as follows:
• Australian Capital Territory. The Environment Protection Authority.

• Northern Territory. The Environment Protection Authority.
• New South Wales. The Environment Protection Authority.
• Queensland. The Department of Environment and Heritage Protection.
• South Australia. The Environment Protection Authority.
• Tasmania. The Environment Protection Authority.
• Victoria. The Environment Protection Authority.
• Western Australia. The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and the
Department of Water and Environment Regulation (DWER).
Regulatory enforcement
To what extent are environmental requirements enforced by regulators?
While each jurisdiction varies, the relevant regulators all have significant enforcement
powers, including:
• Instituting criminal and/or civil proceedings.

• Issuing notices and orders.
• Suspending or cancelling licences or amending licence conditions.
In all jurisdictions the directors and managers of a organisation, unless they can establish
one of the available defences, can also be guilty of an offence if the organisation is found
guilty. Some jurisdictions also impose liability on licensees or occupiers for breach by a
contractor.
Broadly, penalties under state legislation are divided into three categories, depending on
the severity of the offence, and there are "follow on" penalties such as the amendment or
cancellation of licences, and daily penalties for each day an offence continues unremedied:
• Tier 1 offences. The most serious offences involving penalties in the order of:
o A$1 million for corporations; and
o A$500,000 and/or up to five years imprisonment for individuals.
• Tier 2 offences. These offences are strict liability offences resulting in penalties in the
order of:
o A$250,000 for corporations;
o A$125,000 for individuals.
• Tier 3 offences. Generally, minor offences involving penalties in the order or A$5,000
for both individuals and corporations. In addition to monetary penalties, courts
generally have powers to make the following orders:
o action to remedy, mitigate or prevent further environmental harm;
o restorative action;
o action to publicise the contravention.
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Internal and external sources of information

Internal and external sources of information and how they can be used to plan and develop
the organisation’s sustainability policy
Important internal sources include:
• Organisational policies and procedures manuals

• Information you glean from your own organisation resource usage levels
• sustainability reports available in-house,
• salesman’s daily reports, performance data,
• internal stakeholders (employees, supervisors and managers) and conversations,
• company meetings, and
• the company sustainability initiatives and report.
Important external information sources include:
• Environmental legislation, regulations and standards

• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines in each state and territories
• Education institutional research papers and published journals
• range of media coverage related to environmental concerns
• professional/industry associations,
• World’s best practice reports related to sustainability
• ISO standards,
• faith-based institutions,
• supply-chain partners,
• Published reports by World Bank, World Economic Forum, Economist Intelligence
Unit, CIA, etc.;
• government statistics, gazettes, and/or survey findings, e.g. economic and monetary
outlook, investors’ attitudes, organisation and consumer confidence, consumer price
index, etc.;
• Published market/industry reports by third parties (thinktanks, management
consultants, market researchers, organisation or trade associations, foreign
embassies, etc.);
• dialogues with dealers and customers,
• myriad email exchanges,
• newspaper headlines, articles and publications
• TV News, documentaries related to environment
• remarks made by knowledge experts or organisation folks on television or radio
broadcasts, etc.);
• networking contacts
• Internet sources (through search engines).
Those who think sustainability is important to their organization's long-term success were
interested in learning more about sustainability. Awareness of the organization's
sustainability initiatives is related to the belief sustainability is important to the
organization's success.
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How to develop policies and procedures

An overview of the stages in policy development.
Policy development involves identifying need, gathering information, drafting, consulting

and review.
Stages in policy development

The following steps summarise the key stages involved in developing policies:
1. Identify need
Policies can be developed in anticipation of need and;
• In response to need (e.g. a policy position on a government strategy may be

developed in response to a consultation paper).
• The organisation needs to constantly assess its activities, responsibilities and the
external environment in order to identify the need for policies and procedures.
2. Identify who will take lead responsibility
Delegate responsibility to an individual, working group, sub-committee or staff members,

according to the expertise required. (More on the management committee's role in policy
development).
3. Gather information
Do you have any legal responsibilities in this area? Is your understanding accurate and up to
date? Have other organisations tackled the same issue? Are there existing templates or
examples that you could draw on? Where will you go for guidance?
4. Draft policy
Ensure that the wording and length or complexity of the policy are appropriate to those
who will be expected to implement it.
5. Consult with appropriate stakeholders
Policies are most effective if those affected are consulted are supportive and have the
opportunity to consider and discuss the potential implications of the policy. Depending on
whether you are developing policies to govern the internal working of the organisation or
external policy positions, you may wish to consult, for example:
• Supporters;
• Staff and volunteers;
• Management Committee members; and
• Service users or beneficiaries.
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6. Finalise / approve policy

Who will approve the policy? Is this a strategic issue that should be approved by the
Management Committee or is the Committee confident that this can be dealt with
effectively by staff? Bear in mind that, ultimately, the Management Committee is
responsible for all policies and procedures within the organisation.
7. Consider whether procedures are required

Procedures are more likely to be required to support internal policies. Consider whether
there is a need for clear guidance regarding how the policy will be implemented and by
whom. (E.g. a policy regarding receiving complaints will require a set of procedures
detailing how complaints will be handled). Who will be responsible for developing these
procedures? When will this be done? What will be the processes for consultation, approval
and implementation?
8. Implement
How will the policy be communicated and to whom? Is training required to support the
implementation among staff and volunteers? Should the organisation produce a press
release (for external policy positions)?
9. Monitor, review, revise

What monitoring and reporting systems are in place to ensure that the policy is
implemented and to assess usage and responses? On what basis and when will the policy
be reviewed and revised (if necessary)?
Policy Contents
Background
This statement may include descriptions of the following where relevant:
• historical context;
• background in regard to the need for such a policy e.g. legal or regulatory
requirements and/or ministerial directives;
• context in which this policy has arisen including e.g. a description of the conflict or
problem the policy will resolve (recognising the legitimate interests of all parties);
• policy development process (including consultation undertaken); and
• what amendments have been made, if this is an amendment to an existing policy?
Policy Outline
• Operation of this Policy.
• Statement of Intent.
• Definitions.
• Policy Objectives.
• Application of the Policy.
• Acknowledgement.
• Review.
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Operation of this Policy
This section should include a description of:
a. what planning, management and operational aspects or activities the policy applies
to; and
b. what specific area within the municipality it applies, if applicable.
For example, for foreshore management: “This policy applies to foreshore planning and
management activities undertaken by [Organisation Name], including development,
provision of native vegetation buffers, and protection and restoration of foreshores”.
Statement of Intent
This should state the explicit intent of the policy and its overall scope. It should also include
a list of relevant State and/or Federal legislation with which the policy complies, or
alignment with any existing standards. It should also outline the benefits to be accrued from
the implementation of the policy.
For example, using the Local Government Landscaping with Local Plants Local Planning
Policy from the Local Government NRM Policy Manual to highlight:
“It is the intent of this policy to promote to [Organisation Name] staff and organisationlors,
residents and developers (urban, commercial and industrial) the use of local native species
in landscaping and the protection of existing vegetation. This policy complements, and is
consistent with existing standards and specifications for landscaping.
Major benefits to be accrued from implementation of this policy are three-fold;
(1) reduce requirements for both water and fertiliser, which contributes to the
improvement of downstream water quality;
(2) create habitat for native fauna, and enhance biodiversity values in local government
areas; and
(3) preserve, create and maintain the natural characteristics of the local environment
through vegetation protection and revegetation”.
Definitions
This section should list ONLY unique, unfamiliar, technical terms or terms with special
meanings to assist the reader’s understanding of the basic policy. Terms should be listed in
alphabetical order.
Policy Objectives
These are broad, clear authoritative statements of what the policy aims to achieve. The
objectives should provide clear direction to staff as to the particulars of what is intended be
achieved through the policy.
To highlight, with reference to the Local Government Landscaping with Local Plants Local
Planning Policy from the Local Government NRM Policy Manual.
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“This Landscaping Policy is for Organisation, developers and property owners to:
a. Increase the use of local native plants in landscaping across public and private
land.
b. Ensure that landscaping is more sustainable by:
i. Reducing the amount of irrigation water required;
ii. ii) Reducing the amount of fertiliser required, and to minimise
nutrient export to groundwater, wetlands and the Swan Canning river
system;
iii. iii) Reducing threats to biodiversity by avoiding plant selection that
may lead to future environmental weed problems;
iv. iv) Preserving and enhancing the identity and ‘sense of place’ for the
local community through appropriate landscaping; and
c. Enhance local biodiversity by conserving existing native vegetation areas and
by restoring and creating new native vegetation areas to create habitat for
indigenous fauna.”
Application of the Policy
This section should explain procedures regarding how to perform activities or tasks, in order
to carry out the intent of the policy. It should identify performance measures, timelines and
key deliverables, and clarify responsibilities for implementation.
Formal guidelines may need to be developed to support the implementation of the policy,
depending upon the issue being addressed.
Acknowledgement
This section should acknowledge the sources used in the development of this policy.
Review
This statement should outline the procedures for review of the policy. In normal
circumstances the responsible officer should be notified 6 months prior to the expiry date as
a reminder to advise that the policy requires review. Policies that ensue as a consequence of
legislation should be reviewed annually to assure legislative compliance.
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Policy Template
Policy Outline
• Operation of this Policy.
• Statement of Intent.
• Definitions.
• Policy Objectives.
• Application of the Policy.
• Acknowledgement.
• Review.
1. Operation of this Policy

This policy applies to…
2. Statement of Intent
It is the intent of this policy to promote to [Organisation Name] staff and [other relevant
audience] …
3. Definitions
4. Policy Objectives
5. Application of the Policy
6. Acknowledgement
7. Review
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Why your organisations need sustainability policy

With the green movement in full swing, many companies have put together a Sustainability
Policy to show how they are doing their part in making sustainability a core mission within
their organization. You may see a Sustainability Policy on a company’s website, or the
organization may simply state that they have one. Either way putting together a
Sustainability Policy is good idea and it will not only help you focus in on what you can do to
make your company more ‘green’ but can bring to mind some of the ways that your
company has been wasteful in the past.
Sustainability is the capability to equitably meet the vital human needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs by
preserving and protecting the area’s ecosystems and natural resources. The concept of
sustainability describes a condition in which human use of natural resources, required for
the continuation of life, is in balance with Nature’s ability to replenish them.
Here some steps your company can take in writing a Sustainability Policy:
• Look at each of the processes within your organization and find ways that they can
be altered to incorporate sustainability practices with minimal effect on the process
itself
• Look at your break room and find ways that you can eliminate wastefulness
• What about your companies use of electricity, or water? Are you being wasteful?
• How about how your employees are getting to and from work every day?
Here are some examples of ways that you might decide to improve:
• Replace most light bulbs with low energy light bulbs like LED’s or CFL’s
• Make it a practice to turn off lights when you leave a room that isn’t being used
• Use coffee cups that can be washed and reused instead of paper cups
• Purchase paper products made out of recycled material
• Offer employees the opportunity to work from home once a week
• Offer incentives for employees to ride the bus or join a carpool
Once you have all your ideas together and have decided that they are ‘doable’ you can write
up your policy. Remember that a Sustainability Policy does should be simple and easy to
understand.
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Example of sustainability policy (excerpt)

XYZ Corporation recognises that organisationes can have a negative impact on the
environment. We are committed, and enjoy, finding ways in which we can reduce the
impact of our work both in the office and when work takes us away from the office.
It is our policy to:
• Recycle as much waste material as possible

• Avoid the use of paper wherever possible. For example, sending invoices and quotes
via email as PDF files.
• Recycling equipment that is no longer of use to the company. For example, giving
away items such as computers and printers that we no longer use.
• Keep energy usage low. For example, making use of low energy light bulbs
throughout and ensuring that computers are shut down after work.
• Reuse wastepaper (from the printer) where possible, making use of the blank side
for notes etc.
• Purchase products made with recycled paper. For example, paper towels, printer
paper
• Purchase products with a lower environmental impact. For example,
environmentally safe soaps and detergents.
• Use low impact transport for travel to and from work and travel for organisation. For
example, we use public transport to attend meetings and offer a Cycle Scheme to
encourage staff to cycle to work or to carpool.
• Avoid unnecessary travel by making use of instant messaging, video and audio
conferencing, telephone and email.
So, get together with your employees today and write up your own Sustainability Policy.
Make it view able in your work area and/or on your website and re-visit it at least once a
year to find new ways to decrease your company’s carbon footprint. It’s good for the
environment and good for organisation.
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Organisational systems and procedures that relate to

sustainability
Organisations must reflect on ways to protect Mother Earth. You can extend your
environmental stewardship by encouraging green practices at work. How can your
organisation serve as a shining example and light the way to environmental sustainability?
Here are 5 workplace practices for better environmental sustainability.
1. Encourage employees to use public transportation. According to this APTA study, a

solo commuter can reduce CO2 emissions by 20 pounds per day by switching to
public transportation. That’s more than 4,800 pounds in a year! Other ways to
change up daily commutes include taking a bike or working remote. And by saving
money normally spent on gas, your employees will feel good about saving the planet
and their budgets.
2. Change to eco-friendly office lighting, a quick fix that’s as easy as screwing in a
lightbulb. LED lightbulbs use less energy and do not contain toxic gases like other
lighting alternatives. They also last up to five times longer!
3. Switch to post-consumer waste (PCW)paper, paper products, and packaging. Sure,
you recycle paper, but do you use recycled paper? The paper production industry is
the 5th largest energy consumer in the world. PCW recycled paper uses 45% less
energy and produces half the waste of the traditional papermaking process, reducing
overall consumption from production and consumers.
4. Become involved in your community. As big believers in community involvement,
our team hosts quarterly events to support and improve the environments we live
in. There are many ways to become involved, such as community clean-up. Simply
search for events in your area and encourage your team to join. It’s a good way to
spend quality time with one another and keep the place you call home clean.
5. Perform an energy audit to identify resource and cost savings
opportunities. According to the Department of Energy, sealing leaks and cracks at
your workplace can cut up to 20% off the costs of heating and cooling bills.
There are many practical, cost-saving and competitive benefits to going green with your
employees. Though, ultimately, the greatest benefit is preserving the planet that we call
home for our own generation and for those that follow.
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Barriers to implementing policies and procedures

The major barriers to policy implementation perceived by participants were a lack of a
monitoring and evaluation system, a lack of organization knowledge regarding skills
required for implementation, poor governance system, lack of funding and resources, lack
of effective multi-sectoral platforms.
Typical barriers to implementing policies and procedures in an organisation and possible

strategies to address them.
Barriers Description Strategy to overcome the barrier

Lack of A lack of leadership or the failure of Use examples of what other organisations have
Organisational leadership to inspire others in the done. Case studies can be used as a
Support organisation. organisation case for sustainability.
Despite a good reputation, the External experts or facilitators can be used to
sustainability agenda often relies on help raise awareness of sustainability internally.
individuals and occurs only in When communicating to senior management
pockets across organisations. on sustainability issues do it in a meaningful and
memorable way.
Try using statistics and graphs. Get your
sustainability initiatives recognised externally by
submitting awards applications.
Lack of The level of personal commitment, Recognise staff achievements in the area of
general knowledge and leadership provided sustainability. The intranet and staff newsletters
manager and by senior management, in particular are possible tools. Reward staff achievements in
senior the General Manager of the the area of sustainability e.g. Staff Awards
management organisation Program Ask your GM to endorse your work by
support inviting them to speak at relevant meetings and
training sessions.
Gap between A mismatch between what is Integrate sustainability into organisations
Theory & espoused and what is practiced. management plans, job descriptions and
Practice Policies not being carried through to induction training. Build momentum by doing
implementation. the little things right. It is better to excel in a
few targeted areas rather than have average
performance across a wide range of areas
Sympathetic The level of openness of staff to Make the most of a positive organisational
organisational change can effect how sympathetic culture by involving staff from across the
structure they are to the sustainability agenda. organisation in sustainability planning and
A organisation motivated to come up actions.
with new and improved ways of Create opportunities for staff to exchange ideas
doing things. A history of strong about sustainability. Start an internal
leadership and a policy of recruiting sustainability committee or host lunch time
people with these values and skills sustainability discussions.
can contribute to a sympathetic
organisational culture.
Lack of staff Staff with responsibilities for Improve staff capacity to work on sustainability
capacity and engaging their organisation or issues by developing an internal sustainability
high staff turn community in sustainability, feel the committee made up of staff from different
over pressures of their wide-ranging divisions. Support professional development
responsibilities and the types of skills opportunities around sustainability. Consider
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Barriers Description Strategy to overcome the barrier

required of them. There is a need for implementing a mentoring program to give staff
increasing skills of staff more additional support.
generally. High staff turnover and
loss of corporate knowledge.
Lack of Having a sustainability position or a Recognise dedicated staff by offering incentives
dedicated sustainability team was identified as such as staff bonuses and awards. Encourage
sustainability a major enabler. However regardless sustainability staff to speak at conferences.
staff of a person’s job title or position
within organisation, staff who are
highly motivated and possess skills in
motivating others are extremely
important.
Competing A lower priority for environmental or Host sustainability workshops to raise
priorities social equity issues was often a community awareness and build community
reflection of prevailing community support.
attitudes or lobbying by interest Use community expectations and concerns to
groups. highlight the importance of sustainability issues.
Inadequate For many organisations, data Use internal financial management systems to
systems for management and IT systems present track sustainable procurement.
managing real challenges. The problems of Investigate the use of external companies to
information complex and incompatible systems, monitor your water and energy consumption.
or lack of automation, can add to the
time involved in planning,
coordination and reporting.
Ineffective Internal management systems that If you are using good systems for sustainability
management brake down silos and ensure easy outcomes promote their use both internally and
systems access to information can help externally.
achieve sustainability outcomes.
Lack of A lack of resources can limit the Set up a revolving energy fund. The money that
internal and implementation of actions in is saved from reduced energy consumption is
external sustainability plans. The current reinvested in sustainability programs. Use a
funding economic climate is putting a strain grant database to track upcoming grants and
on organisation budgets, with avoid missed opportunities.
implications for staffing. Partner with other organisations or
organisations to develop regional grant
applications.
Apply for an environment/sustainability levy.
Identify and implement low cost initiatives.
The language While practitioners in this area Encourage organisation and the community to
of understand sustainability is define what sustainability means to them.
sustainability convenient shorthand for a set of Develop a shared sustainability vision and
well understood principles, the term understandings.
often proved problematic when used Sustainability newsletters, sustainability
in a broader audience. This is often induction and sustainability surveys can be used
adds to confusion about the term to build awareness of key principles.
“sustainability”.
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Test your knowledge

1. Define suitability using your own words.
2. Identify and briefly describe three pillars of sustainability.
3. Identify primary goals of sustainability.
4. Briefly explain sustainability examples of”
a. Technology
b. In the workplace
c. Value chain
d. Transportation
e. Fashion industry
f. Food industry
5. outline the environmental or sustainability legislation, regulations and codes of
practice applicable to the organisation
6. Identify internal and external sources of information and explain how they can be
used to plan and develop the organisation’s sustainability policy
7. Explain policy development processes and practices
8. Outline organisational systems and procedures that relate to sustainability
9. Outline typical barriers to implementing policies and procedures in an organisation
10. Outline possible strategies to address barriers to implementing policies and
procedures.
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BSBSUS501 – Section 1 – Develop workplace sustainability policy
Section 1
Develop workplace sustainability policy
Sustainability scope
As can be seen in the definitions above, sustainability represents a balanced interaction
between the human-built and natural worlds. This interaction is often expressed as having
three components: environment, social equity, and economy. The relationship between
each of these elements is often represented as either a Venn diagram, with sustainability at
the intersection, or as concentric circles, reflecting a layering of domains. This second case
reflects the more realistic perspective that a healthy economy depends on a healthy society,
both of which rely on a healthy environment. Sustainability occurs when all three are
thriving.
Sustainable organisations
Sustainable organisations reflect the same balance of economic, social, and environmental
responsibility. They exist as organisation entities, but are a part of a system that relies on a
healthy dynamic of man-made and natural elements. At their most basic level,
organisationes take inputs, process them (adding value), and generate outputs. That gives
us the ideal of a truly sustainable company to strive for:
A truly sustainable organisation is one that:

• Uses the waste of other processes as its input, and minimizes or eliminates the use of
virgin materials extracted from the earth;
• Creates output that can be used by other processes or returned to a natural state,
and eliminates waste that can’t be used or returned to a natural state;
• Uses the least amount of energy to achieve the desired outcome, and uses energy
ultimately derived from renewable sources.
The value organisations generate has traditionally been measured in purely financial
metrics. However, it is becoming more common to reflect the value generated as a “triple
bottom line.” Whether represented formally as a Corporate Social Responsibility report or
more informally, organisations interested in being sustainable now focus on the triple
bottom line of people, planet, and profit.
Sustainability manifests itself in organisations at a variety of levels, including:

• Strategy – Some organisations decide what to make or do based on sustainable
organisation ideals. Stonyfield Farms has made social and environmental
responsibility a key part of its organisation strategy since it began.
• Supply chain & value webs – Walmart requires its suppliers to evaluate and disclose
the full environmental impact of their products. There continues to be increased
attention to so-called industrial ecology, which analyzes the material and energy
flows within whole industrial systems, often extending far beyond the domain of a
single organisation.
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• Operations – Decisions about how to make and move products increasingly reflect
environmental impacts. In the case of the floor covering company Interface, what has
become one of the real sustainable organisation success stories started with
rethinking the social and environmental impacts of their operations.[1] In many
cases, organisations have instituted Environmental Management Systems (EMS) have
operationalized the tracking, documentation, and reporting of environmental
impacts by the organisation. There is even a specific ISO standard (ISO 14001:2004)
governing EMS.
• Product development & design – Organisations have incorporated sustainability into
their new product development process in ways ranging from specifically creating
“green” products (e.g., Brooks Green Silence, with its BioMoGo biodegradable
midsole) to the reduction of the environmental impact of its “regular” products (e.g.,
Apple’s use of a recyclable aluminium enclosure for its Mac Pro computer).
Scope of sustainability policy

As can be seen in the sustainability definitions above (introduction section), sustainability
represents a balanced interaction between the human-built and natural worlds. This
interaction is often expressed as having three components: environment, social equity, and
economy. This applies to organisational operations relevant to use of resources in each of
operational elements.
As you begin the task of creating a workplace sustainability policy, it is important to begin by
determining the scope of your sustainability policy. It is easy to decide that you are going to
change the whole world, or at least change your whole organisation, but much harder to
actually accomplish it. Therefore, your scope must be something that is achievable.
Remember, your policy is a living document. You can start out by developing a plan
and policy for changing one division of location of your company, then after seeing how
successful that plan is, expand it to include other divisions and location. Or, you can develop
a plan that starts with making changes in your manufacturing operations, then expands out
to include other parts of your company’s operations.
Scope of sustainability policy is that the policy application to the organisation and its
operations including:
• the managers, employees, contactors,
• customers, suppliers,
• enterprise locations,
• property, plant and equipment,
• machineries, technology,
• production,
• transportation, distribution
• waste management
• legislation, regulations and standards
• code of practice, ethical principles
• social responsibilities
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Gather information from a range of sources to plan and

develop policy
There may also be regulations, standards, policies, procedures, compacts, agreements or

covenants set by your company, government or industry. These are generally voluntary, but
compliance will ensure that your organisation is following ‘best practice’. For example, there
may be energy efficiency standards set for your organisation sector, a company
environmental policy or purchasing guides published for your industry. The Federal
Government also has a ‘National packaging covenant’ that provides requirements to reduce
large-scale packaging.
Important internal sources include:
• Organisational policies and procedures manuals

• Information you glean from your own organisation resource usage levels
• sustainability reports available in-house,
• salesman’s daily reports, performance data,
• internal stakeholders (employees, supervisors and managers) and conversations,
• company meetings, and
• the company sustainability initiatives and report.
Important external information sources include:
• Environmental legislation, regulations and standards

• Industry code of practice guidelines
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines in each state and territories
• Industry or company-based standards, guidelines, policies and procedures
• Education institutional research papers and published journals
• range of media coverage related to environmental concerns
• professional/industry associations,
• World’s best practice reports related to sustainability
• ISO standards,
• supply-chain partners,
• Published reports by World Bank, World Economic Forum, Economist Intelligence
Unit, CIA, etc.;
• government statistics, gazettes, and/or survey findings, e.g. economic and monetary
outlook, investors’ attitudes, organisation and consumer confidence, consumer price
index, etc.;
• Published market/industry reports by third parties (thinktanks, management
consultants, market researchers, organisation or trade associations, foreign
embassies, etc.);
• dialogues with dealers and customers,
• myriad email exchanges,
• newspaper headlines, articles and publications
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• TV News, documentaries related to environment

• remarks made by knowledge experts or organisation folks on television or radio
broadcasts, etc.);
• networking contacts
• faith-based institutions,
• Internet sources (through search engines).
You can locate information about standards, guidelines, policies and procedures by the
following methods:
• asking your relevant work department – compliance, human resources, strategic

planning or procurement for relevant company policies and procedures
• contacting your industry-based association or relevant environment/ sustainability
government department
• undertaking a search of the Internet – for example, typing in “energy efficiency
guidelines for financial institutions” will provide lots of links to industry initiatives
and guidelines.
Once you have identified the appropriate documents, you would need to review them to
identify relevant items and then determine if your practices follow the recommendations.
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Identify and consult stakeholders as a key component of the

policy development process
Broadly defined, a stakeholder is a person, group, or organization directly or indirectly
involved in or affected by a course of action of the organisation or affect the organisation by
them.
Key stakeholders include:
Internal
• Employees,
• Supervisors,
• Managers /Executives (management team}
External
• Governing bodies – local, state/ territory and commonwealth

• Supply chain partners,
• Customers,
• Regulatory bodies,
• Financial institutions,
• The local, national and global community
• Consultants, advisory groups,
• Policy makers, and others.
Stakeholder engagement refers to the process by which an organization involves people

who may be affected by the decisions it makes or who can influence the implementation of
decisions. Stakeholders may support or oppose decisions and may be influential in the
organization or within the community in which they operate. In this article we focus on
stakeholder engagement methods and the integration of feedback throughout various
genomics policy-development processes.
The type and extent of key stakeholder involvement in policy development may depend on
a number of factors, including the specific context of the policy development (e.g.,
environmental sustainability program); the purpose of the engagement; available resources;
and the power-sharing structure of the groups involved.
Therefore, the engagement methods used will likely vary. Several different models describe
a type of continuum, or different levels, of stakeholder involvement in decision making. For
example, the International Association of Public Participation’s spectrum of participation
defines five broad levels of increasing involvement in the engagement process:
1. inform (e.g., fact sheets, websites, open houses),

2. consult (e.g., public comment, focus groups, surveys, public meetings),
3. involve (e.g., workshops, deliberative polling),
4. collaborate (e.g., advisory committees, consensus building, participatory decision
making), and
5. empower (e.g., citizen juries, delegated decisions).
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Organisations consider this spectrum of participation when assessing of stakeholder

engagement in sustainability policy decision making.
There are several reasons to consider involving key stakeholders in sustainability policy
development. On a practical level, stakeholder engagement identifies areas of agreement as
well as disagreement and provides an opportunity to understand more fully what might be
driving key stakeholder differences and their requirements of organisational environmental
practices.
Stakeholder input may also help articulate the values of the broader community affected
and align policy recommendations with these expectations. Sustainability policy decisions
tend to involve a large amount of complex, environmental information that may be difficult
for laypeople to comprehend.
If an educational component is provided, stakeholder engagement may also increase

sustainability literacy. In addition, by building mutual understanding, credibility, and trust,
policies may be more likely to be implemented as intended by the key stakeholders.
Reasons to engage stakeholders in sustainability policy issues
• To gather as a valuable source of information, who are able to provide an insight into
their needs and wants, and feedback on their experiences
• To identify environmental issues, concerns and requirements
• To Identify areas of disagreement and determine what is driving those differences
• To help articulate/reflect values of the broader community that is affected
• To share environmental best practice models
• To align practice recommendations with societal needs and expectations
• To improve overall sustainability literacy and understanding of mutual perspectives
• To help execute the implementation of guidelines as intended
• To promote transparency
• To increase the quality and trustworthiness of the policy
The purpose of stakeholder involvement is intended to support decision making and user
involvement in decisions, encouraging their valuable inputs for the policy development
practices being:
• clear, accessible and transparent
• open
• inclusive
• responsive
• sustainable
• proactive
• focused on improvement.
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Stakeholder perceptions and expectations

The term ‘sustainability’ recalls a range of different perceptions and expectations from
different stakeholders.
The following perceptions are typical:
• Traditional investors view a property as sustainable if their investment continues to

deliver sound financial results.
• Ethical investors consider the performance of an enterprise as sustainable if it meets
their environmental and social expectations, as well as providing a good return on
investment.
• Organisation owners consider their organisation sustainable if it continues to deliver
against revenue targets, minimises its outgoings and grows in capital value, thereby
being attractive to retain in the portfolio.
• Designers view sustainability as a performance area which demonstrates energy
efficiency, good ‘green’ design, responsible material applications and achieves all
users’ requirements
• Tenants view sustainability in the context of accommodation that provides a good
indoor working environment for staff, efficient layout, reduces potential health risks
and is accessible to public transport.
• Regulators consider an enterprise sustainable if it exceeds occupational health,
safety, fire and environment regulatory requirements and can be used to
demonstrate sustainable design and construction to the market.
• Organisation communities associate an enterprises’ impact on its social,
environmental visual and physical amenity as a measure of sustainability
• Members of the general community expect organisations to ‘do the right thing’ and
reduce its contribution to major environmental and social issues such as adapting to
climate change and water conservation.
• Consumers display their willingness to pay a premium for sustainable products, and
also their inability to purchase the goods that meet their needs.
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Develop a stakeholder engagement plan

A Stakeholder Engagement Plan is a formal strategy to communicate with project
stakeholders to achieve their support for the project.
It specifies the frequency and type of communications, media, contact persons, and
locations of communication events. It is created at the beginning of the project and
updated frequently as stakeholder communication needs change.
A good stakeholder engagement plan contains the following parts:
▪ Stakeholder list
The first step in any stakeholder engagement plan is to list the stakeholders. But it’s
important to be thorough because it’s easy to underestimate the ability of a minor
stakeholder to trip up the project when they’re not being communicated with
adequately. According to the PMBOK, this list is called a Stakeholder Register, and it is
created as part of the Identify Stakeholders process.
▪ Project phase
Many stakeholders will be involved in only a certain phase of the project.
▪ Contact name(s)
It’s important to be in contact with the correct people. Large organizations or
government (regulatory) stakeholders have many layers of bureaucracy which can
result in project delays when the primary decision maker is not being communicated
with directly.
▪ Areas of Influence
This is where the stakeholder’s “stake” is defined. How do their interests overlap with
the project? What are their organisation goals and how does your project interfere
with them? Why is this stakeholder interested in your project? There can be no
meaningful stakeholder engagement without understanding each other’s viewpoints.
▪ Power
Each stakeholder has a unique ability to stop and/or change the project. What is that
ability? Where does it derive from, and how can it be controlled? Sometimes the
stakeholder’s power over the project can be removed, but this comes at a cost, both
monetary and in stakeholder satisfaction (they could become very unhappy and
influence other stakeholders).
▪ Engagement approach
The strategy for engaging the stakeholder must be outlined in detail. The types and
frequency of communication, for example weekly emails, monthly phone calls, or
weekly face to face meetings. The content of those communications, for example a
weekly update that contains project progress, design information, and open house
plans.
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How to develop a stakeholder engagement plan
There are five steps to developing a stakeholder engagement plan:
1. Classify Stakeholders
As an initial step in stakeholder analysis, classifying the stakeholders into defined
groups can assist in the next, more detailed steps. Stakeholders can be classified into
supporting or opposed, for example a project investor is a supporter and an
environmental NGO is opposed. They can be divided into
Upwards/Sideways/Outwards/Downwards, for example, upwards are executives from
the parent organization, sideways are project suppliers and contractors, outwards are
other projects competing for limited resources and downwards are the project team,
suppliers and contractors.
2. Develop Power/Interest Grid

This is the primary stakeholder analysis tool. It contains the power of the stakeholder
on the y-axis, which is the ability of the stakeholder to stop and/or change the project,
and the interest level of the stakeholder on the x-axis, which is the amount of overlap
the stakeholder’s interests have with the project. This defines the stakeholder’s
“stake” in the project.
3. Define Power
Although the stakeholder’s location on the chart is important, a verbal analysis of the
power of the stakeholder is imperative to get a sense of how much influence the
stakeholder has. For example, a government regulatory agency usually has extremely
high power to stop the project – they can withhold their approval and stop the project
immediately. The success of the project is heavily dependent on keeping them
informed on an ongoing basis.
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4. Define Interest
Once again, the location of the stakeholder on the chart is expanded and analysed to
determine what their interest in the project really is. The stakeholder’s organisation
interests are analysed and prioritized. Their needs and wants are described to a point
where the stakeholder is well understood by the project team.
5. Develop the Stakeholder Engagement Plan

The stakeholder communication needs are itemized based on the power and influence
analysis. The type of communication and its frequency is specified. The other parts of
the stakeholder engagement plan, described above, are more administrative in
nature.
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Strategies for resource use

Include appropriate strategies in policy at all stages of work for minimising resource use,
reducing toxic material and hazardous chemical use and employing life cycle management
approaches.
Typical resources that we use or consume at work include things such as energy and water.
Energy comes in many forms. The most obvious form is electricity, which we use in the
workplace to power up our appliances, and our computers. Gas is another form of energy
that we may use in our workplace for heating. There is also fuel that workplaces use for
their vehicles.
Water is used in many work environments, obviously in the toilets and bathrooms, and also
for drinking. Paper is another typical resource used in the workplace. Paper obviously comes
from trees, so it comes from a natural resource. Do not forget also that the building we
actually work in, is made up of a variety of things such as bricks, metal and glass. Most of
these products have obviously at some stage been mined from the ground, so there has
been an environmental impact at that point.
Resources include:
• energy – including electricity, gas and fuels such as petrol or diesel
• waste – this needs to be categorised – e.g., office waste (recyclable and otherwise),
process waste (e.g., paper offcuts from a printing company), putrescible waste (e.g.,
lunchroom waste), liquid waste (e.g., toilets and hand basins)
• water – used in any industrial processes, taps and toilet flushing
• materials – which are the things you use - e.g., paper, cars, office equipment and
furniture. The aim of collecting resource information is to identify whether the use of
these resources can be more efficient. Large savings have been made by companies
that have implemented resource efficiency savings.
What are the environmental issues with using resources?

There are many environmental issues associated with using resources at work. Many of the
resources that we use in the workplace come from non-renewable sources. Oil is an obvious
example, and petrol which comes from oil is a non-renewable resource. Coal is another non-
renewable resource, and at the moment, most of our electricity in NSW comes from coal.
Renewable sources of energy include solar and wind power and there are many advances in
increasing the use of these in society.
Many of the resources we use involve a lot of environmental damage. Paper for instance
obviously requires forests to be cut down, and many chemicals are used to give us clean
white office paper, so there is quite a substantial environmental impact associated with the
use of these resources in the workplace.
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How can we measure resource use?

For you to minimise your workplace environmental impact, you will need to identify the
current level of resource usage – so how can you measure resource usage in the workplace?
I guess there are two ways of going about it. The first is to use existing records and
documents. As an example, you might like to look at the electricity usage of your
organisation, in which case you would probably get out the copies of your electricity bills.
These bills will not only show you the cost of your electricity, but also the amounts
consumed.
The other way that you may want to measure your resource usage, is to physically monitor,
measure and record the usage of the resources. For instance, if you wanted to see how
much paper the company was using, you could go out and measure the amount of paper
being used by the photocopiers, the printers etc.
You may hear the term 'audit' used. An audit could be used to look at your energy, your
water and your waste, and audit is basically where you go out and measure all those aspects
of your organisation by calculating the volumes that you will use of those resources.
What are environmental hazards?

An environmental hazard is anything that can cause harm to the environment.
Environmental hazards may also cause harm to people. They are not necessarily obvious
things like poisons and pesticides. They may be things such as emissions to the air, and also
waste.
Some workplaces may have chemicals and pesticides used around their premises. These are
particularly hazardous. When they make their way into the environment, such as a
waterway, they are likely to harm the plants and animals that live there. Oil and chemical
spills are two of the worst environmental hazards that a company could face. If these
substances wash down into a river or a lake, they can cause major fish kills and the death of
aquatic birds and turtles. Having a sound environmental management plan should ensure
that an organisation reduces the risk of such environmental extreme events.
Resource usage
In determining how you will collect resource usage data, determine whether you will seek
assistance from other staff or departments. You should make it very clear to them what sort
of information you require, for example, requesting for ‘the last 12 months of invoices for
electricity usage in the building.
You can collect information about resources by obtaining the invoices for services such as
water, gas, electricity and waste collection. These invoices generally show amounts used in
both dollars and amount of usage, unit of measurement, and, increasingly, will also provide
a greenhouse gas emission calculation.
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Collecting information about general resources can be obtained from the purchasing
department or you can just count numbers and types of office equipment, furniture,
stationery, etc. To do this you could develop a table such as following:
Resource usage
Resource Mar-20 Apr-20 May-20
Building and Room Lights 6135KW 6032KW 5816KW
Air Conditioner 100kw 90kw 80kw
Computers 2050kw 3000kw 3050kw
Photocopiers x3 1010kw 1020kw 1001kw
Toner 11 10 9
Photocopy paper (reams) 95 102 97
Tap water – internal building (e.g.
400litres 505litres 601litres
kitchen)
Water consumption – Toilets 318KL 295KL 286KL
Tap water – external building (e.g.
250kl 110kl 90kl
gardens)
Plastic sleeves (box 300) 2 2 1
Folders (binders) 6 8 5
Coffee (500g tin) 1 1 1
Tea (100 bags in a box) 4 4 3
Milk 26L 28L 23L
Plastic cups for water cooler (pack 10) 5 4 3
Company cars x3 – petrol usage and

320L 340L 355L
carbon emissions (per week)
Waste bins x60 (wastage per day) 60litres 80L 85L

Recycling bins x1 (boxes emptied per
1 3 3.5
week)
Refrigerators x2 2000kw 2020kw 1080kw
Water cooler x1 20L 15L 16L
Hot water cylinders x2 40L 60L 55L
Microwaves x8 60kw 70kw 45kw
Soft drink vending machine x1 55kw 55kw 40kw
Building heating 250kw 300kw 305kw
The energy usage of items is often written on the equipment or in the user guide. You could
make up a third column noting this information and the amount of time the equipment is
switched on/in use so that you can calculate energy usage later if required.
Depending on the detail of your audit, you may even identify the types of coffee/tea you
supply, stationery supplies (pens, pencils, etc), copy paper, etc. A Green Office program can
assist you identify and categorise these items.
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Sustainability strategies for policy options

Product stewardship
Also known as extended product responsibility (EPR), this approach is based on the principle
that all those involved in the lifecycle of a product should share responsibility for reducing
its environmental impact. It often results in voluntary partnerships among manufacturers,
retailers, government, and non-government organizations to set up effective waste-
reduction systems and practices. However, to address the full range of product lifecycle
issues, the Product Stewardship program also works with other EPA programs, as well as
various public- and private-sector stakeholders, to promote ‘greener’ design, greener
product standards, and greener purchasing practices.
Design for Disassembly
This is a design approach that enables the easy recovery of parts, components, and
materials from products at the end of their life. Recycling and reuse are noble intentions,
but if a product cannot be disassembled cleanly and effectively, they are impossible, or at
least cost prohibitive to achieve.
Cradle to Cradle
William McDonough and Michael Braungart popularized the notion that product lifecycles
should be considered not as cradle to grave, but as cradle to cradle. The key idea here is
that there is no such thing as a “grave” at the end of use, since everything goes somewhere.
As they say, there is no such thing as “away.” Given that, in order to be sustainable all of the
elements of a product that has reached the end of its useful life should be designed to go
somewhere where it can serve as the input to another system, a concept often
characterized as “waste = food.” While product development processes may focus on cradle
to gate, cradle to grave, or even gate to gate plans, effective lifecycle planning needs to find
ways to close all possible loops.
Green chemistry
Green chemistry focuses on reducing the generation and use of hazardous chemicals,
decreasing pollution at its source. Chemical products and processes should be designed to
the highest level of this hierarchy and be cost-competitive in the market.
1. Source Reduction/Prevention of Chemical Hazards
2. Reuse or Recycle Chemicals
3. Treat Chemicals to Render Them Less Hazardous
4. Dispose of Chemicals Properly
Green marketing
Many companies find that promoting the environmental responsibility, or even just the
benefits, of their products can be a powerful marketing angle. Touting the “green” aspects
of existing products, processes, or systems has become almost the standard in many
industries. Some companies’ messages actually outstrip their reality, leading to what is
generally called “greenwashing.” As will be discussed later in the guide, there are now quite
strict guidelines issued by the Federal Trade Commission about making “green” claims.
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When talking with sales and marketing people in their company, product designers will find
it helpful to know what benefits of their sustainable design and engineering efforts can be
claimed publicly.
Policy Scope
The second major consideration in assessing the sustainability of a product is the scope of
analysis. For products, the scope is usually described by how much of its lifecycle is included
in its impact assessment.
Lifecycle Stages
As with impact categories, there is not a single standard set of lifecycle stages, although
there are certainly some that are most commonly used. In general, the full lifecycle of a
product can be measured in five to seven stages:
Raw Material Extraction
This includes the energy and other resources used to acquire the basic materials used in the
product, whether through mining ore, harvesting timber, extracting oil, etc. This stage can
include harvesting materials from recycled sources if they are in the form of raw materials.
Material Processing
Raw materials are converted into forms used for manufacturing during this stage. It covers
the processes required to make steel, copper, plastic feedstock, paper, gasoline, and the
like.
Part Manufacturing
This stage covers single, or at least simple, part manufacturing. Common processes include
injection moulding, metal stamping and machining, weaving, and milling.
Assembly
In many cases, products need to be assembled using processes that go beyond the creation
of individual components. Because this is usually the first stage that brings together a
disparate assortment of materials (e.g., a plastic handle and a metal container),
environmental impact assessments significantly increase in complexity.
Product Use
Any energy used, emissions generated, other resources affected directly by the product
during its actual use are counted during this phase. This includes waste that occurs in the
context of a product’s use, such as discarded packaging.
End of Life
Once a product is no longer used, it has reached its end of life. This usually means that the
product is no longer usable, although there are many examples of end of life coming before
end of usability (e.g., paper cups). This stage is usually broken down into three resulting
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streams: the fraction of a product being sent to landfill, to incineration, and to reuse or
recycling.
Transportation
Transportation is not typically given as a lifecycle stage, since transportation legs occur
between each of the lifecycle stages, but it’s an important consideration to account for in
the product’s lifecycle impacts. Transportation can be included among the stages according
to where it takes place (e.g., the shipping of raw materials to processing centres could be
considered a piece of the processing stage). In some cases, transportation may appear as a
separate lifecycle component, especially between Assembly and Product Use for consumer
products, since there are typically several stops along the way (e.g., wholesaler, r etailer,
delivery). No matter how it’s handled, it is important to make sure that transportation
doesn’t fall through the cracks.
System Boundary
Doing environmental assessments can sometimes be like chasing fractals. Product lifecycles
intersect a great many processes, some more directly linked to the product than others.
Since an assessment can’t always cover everything, system boundaries clarify what it will
include. It’s often helpful to draw a process diagram, and then trace a boundary around
what will be measured.
Some of the standard product lifecycle system boundary scopes include
• “Cradle to grave” – Usually denotes all phases from raw materials through disposal.
• “Cradle to cradle” – Like cradle to grave except that it tracks where the product’s
elements go after end of use, with special attention to recycling and reuse.
• “Cradle to gate” – Includes part of the product lifecycle, typically either:
o all upstream phases, not including the assessing company’s own processes;
this is used to assess the “environmental burden” of raw materials coming
through the door; or
o all phases through the assessing company’s manufacturing and assembly (the
factory gate), bound for the customer, since this is the end of most
manufacturer’s ability to directly influence impact.
• “Gate to gate” – A narrowly-scoped lifecycle assessment, focused on only one
particular stage or set of stages of the product lifecycle.
Source: https://www.solidworks.com/sustainability/sustainable-design-guide/
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Policy options
A comprehensive review on the policy on sustainability in the workplace is required with
policy options. The exercise is to find out the options of effective policy framework to
implement sustainable workplace management locally. This will look into the issues from
three perspectives to arrive the policy options, namely the:
1. policy priorities,
2. policy instruments and
3. enterprise arrangements.
Policy priorities - a clear statement of its objectives, i.e. what it is that wants to achieve.
Expressing objectives as “priorities” is important since not all the desired achievements are
likely to be practicable within the foreseeable time-frame;
Policy instruments, which is used to achieve the priority policies;
Enterprise arrangements, which are required to successfully identify and formulate the
priorities for policy, specify the appropriate policy instruments and implement them; and in
due course, undertake their view.
There are three main elements to sustainable workplace:
• economic sustainability as a result of making more efficient use of resources;

• environmental sustainability as a result of preventing harmful impacts on the
environment; and
• social sustainability involving appropriate responses to the needs of people at all
stages in the workplace process and providing high levels of satisfaction not only for
clients and suppliers but to employees and communities.
The workplace should achieve these aims by being more competitive, and delivering
products and services that provide greater satisfaction and value to the users. Sustainable
workplace is a way for the industry to take into account environmental, socio-economic and
cultural concerns. It involves the design and management of workplace, operation,
materials, service performance, energy use levels and resource consumption.
Sustainable workplace should:
• Create a stimulating environment, support energy efficiency, promote awareness

and remove barriers to improved well-being;
• Enable the implementation and application of new and appropriate technologies;
• Build capacity at the institutional and professional level.
Sustainable workplace is a set of processes by which a profitable and competitive industry

delivers assets which enhance the quality of life, offer customer satisfaction, are flexible and
have potential to cater for changes in the future and provide support for natural and social
environments. It should permit increased investment in people as well as structures and
equipment, achieve higher growth while reducing pollution, and improve the conditions of
people, machinery, equipment and resources for the benefit of society.
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Energy conservation initiative

Conserving energy is one of the most effective ways to work towards sustainability. It saves
the company money while helping the environment. Investing in energy-saving devices is a
good start that will pay itself off quickly. Automatic light switches, smart power strips,
and LED light bulbs conserve energy and save money.
You can opt for laptops instead of desktops, as they save energy and money as well. Set up
their sleep mode, too, to save even more.
Elsewhere, you can find where appliances or systems are using unnecessary energy. Storage
rooms, for instance, may not need temperature controls.
Water conservation initiative

Water is another important factor in sustainability. The biggest culprit in terms of wasting
water is the bathroom. The toilets and faucets let a significant amount of water go down the
drain, and with it, money. Low-flow toilets and faucets conserve water so that they do not
require as much per-use. Remember that you can install these kinds of faucets in the
kitchen, too. And with these new devices, you’ll save more money and water.
Employee engagement initiative

Engaging employees is a productive way to get everyone involved in the movement.
Employees can work toward goals that help the mission statement and company culture.
Engagement provides employees with a chance to be sustainable themselves. So, a recycling

program or a friendly competition to conserve energy allows for a group bonding
experience that helps the environment. The workplace can also reward employees for their
sustainable acts. For instance, taking alternative commuting methods like biking or walking
could warrant rewards. Something like an electric commuter bike provides an efficient and
sustainable way to travel.
Employee training or information sessions about sustainability can raise awareness, too.
Getting employees involved can take on these and so many other forms.
Paperless office initiative

Going paperless is something that can save time and money. First, you’ll want to invest in a
digital system that can help keep the workplace organized. With a company knowledge base
as your platform, employees can store data, information, to-dos, client information,
revenue, expenses, and more, all in one place for easy access from any location.
With a digital system, your workplace can ditch as much paper as possible. Digital platforms
make communicating and sending documents easier and more efficient. They reduce the
costs of paper and printing as well. By going paperless, you conserve on the paper you use,
which helps the environment. If you do need to use paper, make sure it’s recycled.
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Reduce, reuse, recycle initiative

Work to reduce workplace waste. Reducing your waste includes removing all disposable and
single-use products from the kitchen. These things could be plates, cups, K-cups or coffee
pods, and more. Instead, opt for reusable silverware and dishware. These quickly pay
themselves off, as you’ll no longer need to buy disposable items regularly. Reusable
kitchenware will last for a good while. Recycling is one of the biggest tangible acts
employees can achieve together. You’ll want to make sure you have proper signage so that
people know what to recycle and where. Paper recycling, waste, compost, and electronic
waste all have different processes and must be separated.
Electronic waste consists of things like computers, monitors, ink cartridges, wires, and more.
You can provide a bin to recycle these and take them to your nearest e-waste recycler or
places like Best Buy.
Carbon footprint initiative

There are many services and sites online that offer carbon footprint calculations for free.
These sites will break down your usage and emissions with the information you input. From
there, you can use the information to take appropriate steps in reducing your carbon
footprint if possible. Rewarding employees for walking or biking to work helps reduce
carbon footprints. Knowing where your energy comes from can help, too. If you are looking
to take a big, impactful step, you could switch your energy source to a renewable one, like
solar.
Plants
Something simple and effective you could do is place different plants around the workplace.
This is a nice way to spruce up the place and add some green. It helps reduce air pollution,
too, as the plants take in carbon dioxide and emit oxygen. Plants also bring happiness and
productivity benefits as well. Plants show that something small can go a long way.
Give Back
You can give back to the community and the environment in greener ways. Things like
community service projects, environmental fundraisers, or other events help show your
company’s dedication to sustainability and helping the environment. Giving back also entails
employee engagement. Everyone in the workplace can come together to give back through
volunteering, raising money, throwing charity events and more.
Local Economies
Who your company chooses to support can reflect on its goals and values? Try to support
local organisations and economies as much as possible. Furthermore, work with the
organisations you know have green initiatives and are working towards
sustainability. Whether it’s the supply chain, hosting events or going out to lunch, local
organisations can always benefit from the support. They are typically more sustainable than
the bigger corporations, but you should check to make sure their goals line up with your
company’s. You can also screen your suppliers to compare their social and environmental
impacts.
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Develop Policy that reflects the organisation’s commitment

to sustainability
The time of taking natural resources for granted is over. Natural resources are being
depleted while the need for them is increasing due to population growth, urban sprawl and
rising standards of living. The world is facing a challenge both ecological and societal:
ensuring everyone’s right to access essential services in the context of scarce resources and
climate change. Organisations must be determined to make today’s and tomorrow’s world
more sustainable. Its vocation is to resource the world through the design and deployment
of solutions to enable the development of access to resources, their preservation and their
renewal.
Sustainability policies should address and build on a commitment to appropriate practice by

enabling employees to become active contributors to local workplace solutions to
environmental problems, including global issues such as climate change, environmental
pollution and the degradation of natural resources. Organisations need to reinforce trust
and cooperation, find the best possible consensus around a value creation that is at the
same time financial, social, societal and environmental. If sustainability is an integral part of
organisation planning and employees are able to align their personal values and ethics with
those demonstrated by the organisation, employee satisfaction levels will be high,
productivity will increase, and the organisation will operate effectively and efficiently.
Part of the organisation planning process involves the identification of what the
organisation want to achieve (goals and objectives), how to achieve and implementation of
the strategy and the criteria against which performance will be measured. Within the
organisation there must be agreement about these things and agreement should lead to
policies that reflect the organisation’s commitment to sustainability is an integral part of
organisation planning. Committed organisations will use their commitment to sustainability
as a competitive edge. They can highly talk about that they use renewable resources or
green products. They might commit, for example, to fair trade initiatives and will be able to
use this in their promotion and advertising activities. They might give back to the
community by sponsoring sporting events or support disadvantaged communities in
developing countries. This type of action with genuine commitment will create a positive
image for the organisation and the publicity can be used to increase their competitive edge.
Sustainability might be, for many organisations, the edge they need. If they can present
products that are good for consumers but that also have minimal environmental impact – in
their design, development, use and disposal these products might provide the needed edge.
Policy items that reflects the organisation’s commitment to

sustainability
Policy items that reflects the organisation’s commitment to sustainability as an integral part
of organisation planning and as an organisation opportunity may include:
• Switch-off lights and equipment when not being used;
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• Prefer low energy equipment when buying new items, including considerations of
cost and quality;
• Actively reduce the use of disposable and consumer goods;
• Favour the purchase of sustainable goods and services, office and catering supply,
giveaways and merchandise;
• Comply with the legislation concerning waste disposal;
• Take action to reduce the amount of (non-refillable) plastic bottles of drinking water
for office use;
• Separate all materials which can be recycled and organise them for their collection
and proper disposal;
• Use products twice or three times when possible;
• Avoid harmful or hazardous products or products which need, and give preference
to environmentally friendly alternatives;
• Set copy and printing machines by default to double-sided printing;
• Reduce transport-related impacts by telework, tele/video meetings, work-at-home
policies or other means;
• Encourage employees to use environmentally conscious methods of transport when
commuting to work, i.e. walking, cycling and public transport;
• Provide environmental guidance, training and information to all employees;
• Encourage employee involvement.
• Continually improving the environmental management systems that mitigate direct
environmental impacts, reduce our use of natural resources and prevent pollution of
our built estate.
• Integrating environmental considerations into organisation decisions in line with
commitment to environmental sustainability.
• Using sustainable practices in property design and property management.
• Setting targets on key aspects of our environmental performance and reviewing
them periodically. We will communicate proactively and openly about our
environmental commitments and performance.
• Reducing carbon emissions from our own operations by investing in energy efficient
buildings and technology, improving our energy management, managing our
organisation travel and influencing colleagues’ behaviour.
• Managing indirect environmental and social impacts in lending through the Barclays
Environmental and Social Impact Risk Standard, sector specific lending guidance and
through our commitment to the Equator Principles.
• Managing indirect impacts in the supply chain by collaborating with key suppliers to
secure an improvement in our environmental performance and their own. Our
assessment of suppliers within the sourcing process assigns appropriate weighting to
their environmental performance issues.
• Raising our employees’ awareness of environmental issues, encouraging
environmentally responsible behaviour and providing appropriate training to enable
them to play a full role in implementing our environmental policy.
• Engaging with industry groups and non-governmental organisations in order to
contribute positively and proactively to environmental sustainability in organisation.
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Methods of implementation of sustainability policy

Sustainability in organisation is crucial for a number of reasons.
Beyond the obvious first thoughts of environmental benefits – which are hugely important
for our future – sustainability also plays a role in minimising energy and waste costs, it helps
to attract and motivate employees to your company, and is fantastic for the reputation of a
organisation as well as its bottom line.
What problems or complications can arise in implementing a sustainability strategy?
Despite clear sustainability rewards, there are inevitably problems and complications when
you put good intentions into practice.
First, the investments have to be justified by more than ‘this is the right thing to do’. In the
long term, being more sustainable should help differentiate the organisation, meanwhile,
maybe the short-term costs are high, the transition process long, and some of the benefits
are fuzzy and hard to pin down. If the sums are significant, then agreeing the investment
can be tough, even when the long-term vision is clear.
On the other hand, you can make many small changes sustainability. The complete picture
has environmental, social and governance dimensions. Investments to improve environment
performance can be large, while governance changes are often low cost and so easy to
justify. So, you need to pick your targets, especially to get started and build momentum.
You also need to work out how you measure progress including:
• How should your organisation measure sustainability?

• How do you get finance and organisation managers to align their goals?
• How do you engage management and encourage employees to participate?
The following five effective measures can an organisation take to create sustainability within
its organisation?
1. Define some clear goals. If anything in organisation is going to work, there has to be
a plan, and sustainability is no different. Defining some goals is an essential first step.
Whether you want to reduce carbon emissions or improve employee motivation,
you need a goal before you can develop a plan.
2. Gradual and consistent improvements. Sustainability is a journey rather than a

destination. Small improvements are probably the easiest way to start, and require
little in the way of a challenging organisation case. It could be something as small as
making it easier to recycle in the office. A consistent focus on incremental
improvements will keep you moving forward on the sustainability journey.
3. Assure sustainability in your supply chain. No matter how good your own
performance, supply chain shortcomings will damage the outcome. You could have
the cleanest internal processes, but if poor practices deliver the raw materials, they
also taint your product. Try putting ‘sweatshop scandal’ into your search engine to
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see how many got caught out in this way. Eventually, there will be reputation
damage, and a financial hit.
4. Allocate resource. If you are going to keep making progress, you need a continual
focus. That is especially true in the early stages, when there may be small projects
that get completed, then next ones need to start. While major projects clearly need
resources, keeping momentum on the sustainability journey takes effort. It is more
important than something the CEO thinks about every now and then, someone in
your organisation needs to own the responsibility.
5. Engage employees. Organisation sustainability includes your staff. Encourage more

recycling, cycling to work or not using plastic products in the office. We found
sustainability challenges, especially with a competitive element, build morale and
team spirit, especially amongst the millennials who will have to live with the
consequences when today’s organisationes are not sustainable. When they get
involved, your people will come up with lots of fresh ideas.
In the end, it is less complicated than you think, the outcomes are better than you expect,
and it is more important than you can imagine.
Steps to a sustainable strategy implementation

For every company like Unilever and Wal-Mart that has successfully embedded
sustainability into their core organisation, there are many others that are struggling with the
implementation of corporate sustainability strategies. To be sure, every company presents a
unique case and requires a comprehensive review of its strategy, operations and goals to
advance sustainable practices. There is no single path to adopt sustainability, but critical
steps exist that can help to successfully integrate sustainability into a organisation strategy.
This post will focus on these steps, essentially creating a roadmap for the development and
implementation of a corporate sustainability strategy.
Raising C-suite awareness of sustainability benefits is a critical initial step before even
creating a roadmap. Some progress can be reported on this issue, as more CEOs are aware
of the benefits of implementing corporate sustainability.
According to MIT Sloan’s 2012 Sustainability and Innovation Global Executive Study, 48% of
CEOs responded that they had changed their organisation model to incorporate
sustainability; of those, 46% reported that sustainability added to their bottom line.
However, out of 600 companies surveyed by CERES for The Road to 2020 Report, more than
half still fall into the Tier 4 “Starting Out” in their Roadmap for Sustainability. In Tier 4,
CERES catalogues those companies who are beginning to understand sustainability and
which need considerable work to integrate sustainability into overall corporate
accountability systems.
Corporate sustainability demands a broad view of issues and impacts, as well as a working
understanding of what the company does and how it does it. Embedding sustainability
means joining the two together through a series of concrete steps.
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1. Understand sustainability and recognize what it means to the company

As a first step, it is important to define what sustainability means for every area in the
company and to identify its benefits. From investment decisions, developing new products
or services to changing procurement practices, sustainability has an increasingly central role
in these decisions. Coca-Cola is one of the companies centering its investment decisions on
sustainability. When considering the development and location of new production plants,
water sustainability has been now included as a key factor. Sanjay Guha, president of Coca-
Cola Great Britain says “potential markets and ease of distribution were once the only key
factors. Now it is the long-term supply of water.” In order to understand where
sustainability efforts should be concentrated in a company, it is necessary to identify those
issues that have the biggest impact and are most relevant to the organisation and to
stakeholders.
2. Engage with stakeholders

Depending on its line of organisation, a company’s impact can vary among stakeholders.
Generally, companies engage with the most influential groups, keeping close ties and a
constant dialogue. However, engagement can happen on different levels and should
respond to expectations from both sides. Different levels and methods of engagement bring
benefits to both companies and stakeholders and can be translated into more sustainable
practices. Bonnie Nixon, Director of Environmental Sustainability at Hewlett Pa ckard
explains, “allowing stakeholders to honestly critique us pushes us to improve our programs
and helps us develop our thought leadership platforms.” In the same way, Procter and
Gamble has benefitted through the engagement with local communities around the world
by finding alternative uses for its waste materials. Through employee engagement, Kraft
Foods has developed a model where employees contribute with ideas and viable plans to
reduce waste while helping to reach the company’s waste reduction targets.
3. Set goals and commitments

Once key environmental, social and governance issues have been identified and
engagement methods for each stakeholder group have been defined, efforts must focus on
reducing risks and seizing opportunities around these issues centered on sustainable
practices. Whether driven by cost reductions, innovation or improved financial
performance, sustainability commitments and goals need to be established.
For Wal-Mart, most of it commitments and goals on sustainability are focused around the
use of renewable energy and the adoption of energy efficiency. Initiatives in these areas
have resulted in the recognition of Wal-Mart as the largest on-site green electricity
generator in the U.S. and have led to cost savings of over $500m USD a year. Another
example is United Airlines. The airline aims to reduce its environmental impact through the
participation of all its suppliers in its Sustainable Supply Chain initiative.
While companies like Wal-Mart and United Airlines aim for a complete transformation of
their organisationes, small companies are setting goals and commitments according to their
scope of action. Initiatives mainly focus on cost reductions from energy use, waste
management and commuting practices, as well as social actions in the community like local
development projects and volunteering campaigns.
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4. Establish systems and processes

Once the goals are established, specific systems and detailed processes need to guide the
implementation of each initiative. Throughout the design, processes and policies in place
must be taken into consideration and collaboration among areas encouraged. At this point,
gaining executive commitment is crucial. The appointment of an internal sustainability
champion as the main driver of sustainability and the development of a successful employee
engagement model are also good practice. According to the 2012 Report of Sustainability
Leaders by VOX Global and Net Impact Berkeley, 78% of respondents say top management
was a key contributor to embracing sustainability. However, 81% identified their colleagues
across the company as primary drivers of success.
Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan was launched in 2010. Under the leadership of its CEO
Paul Polman, this ten-year sustainability plan has already accomplished considerable
progress in its first two years. Under the umbrella of its comprehensive overall sustainability
strategy, Unilever is utilizing its wide array of brands to target distinct social issues, invest in
sustainable technologies and change consumer behaviour. Unilever has also accomplished
to fully embed sustainability across the company and to successfully engage external actors.
Besides the appointment of a Chief Sustainability Officer in 2012, the company’s
management structure includes a Sustainable Living Plan Steering Team, a group of external
specialists in corporate responsibility and sustainability known as the Sustainable
Development Group and the launch of the “Small Actions, Big Difference Budget” which
finances employees ideas based on environmental benefit and financial return.
5. Track progress, communicate actions and meet expectations

Lastly, it is important to set a system that measures the performance towards each goal.
Defining key performance indicators to meet the identified goals will allow to detect areas
for improvement and will gather relevant data to track progress. Metrics and indicators are
also central for the reporting and communicating activities of the company. Internally, the
availability of data contributes to the prioritization of issues and initiatives and to promote
employee involvement around sustainability. Externally, collecting data is fundamental for
an accountability strategy, to respond to stakeholders’ expectations and interests and to
comply with reporting standards.
Companies reporting under the Global Reporting Initiative guidelines have already
embraced the development of indicators. In addition to these guidelines, the Sustainability
Accounting Standards Board is currently preparing frameworks that will standardize
sustainability key indicators per sector. Alongside these efforts, companies are designing
their own systems to measure performance, like Wal-Mart’s Sustainability Scorecards,
which, among other criteria, ranks suppliers according to their environmental footprint and
contributes to Wal-Mart’s performance measurement.
In the end, corporate sustainability needs to adapt to the maturity of the organisation and
the company’s willingness to treat sustainability as a strategic opportunity. These steps are
only the beginning of a process that can eventually transform a company’s entire
organisation strategy into a sustainable organisation strategy.
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Sustainability outcomes and performance indicators

Incorporation of sustainability concepts into the sustainability policy and decision-making
process will require the adoption of sustainability indicators for purposes of problem
definition, goal setting, measurement of progress, evaluation of performance,
communication with stakeholders, and management reporting. In particular, to effectively
support sustainability initiatives in processes, procedures and program and, coordination
will be facilitated by the adoption of a common framework for sustainability indicators.
Sustainability indicators are a powerful tool for focusing attention on important

environmental, economic, and social trends that provide signals of change in corporate
sector establishments. However, indicators can potentially be manipulated to convey biased
messages, and therefore the selection of indicators for sustainability policy purposes should
be approached with the utmost effort to assure objectivity, transparency, and stakeholder
consensus. Based on the three pillars concept, a sustainability indicator can be defined as a
measurable aspect of environmental, economic, or social systems that is useful for
monitoring changes in system characteristics relevant to the continuation of corporate and
environmental well-being.
The use of sustainability indicators and corresponding metrics is essential for an integrated
systems approach to the addressing challenges of sustainability. When carefully chosen and
implemented, indicators can help managers and policy makers to (modified from “An
overview of sustainability assessment methodologies:”
• Anticipate and assess conditions or historical trends

• Provide early warning information to prevent adverse outcomes
• Benchmark against other systems
• Communicate ideas
• Support decision-making
• Formulate strategies and establish improvement goals
• Track progress
System-Based Indicators
It is clear that the characterization of sustainability and the development of sustainable

solutions require a comprehensive “holistic-systems” approach with integrated evaluation
of the social, environmental, and economic consequences (NRC, 2011). ORD has developed
an innovative “triple value” (3V) framework, depicted in Figure 3 that helps to capture the
dynamic interactions among industrial, societal, and ecological systems (Fiksel, 2009). There
are four major categories of indicators that are applicable to these systems:
1. Adverse Outcome (AOI)—indicates destruction of value due to impacts upon individuals,

communities, business enterprises, or the natural environment.
2. Resource Flow (RFI)—indicates pressures associated with the rate of consumption of
resources, including materials, energy, water, land, or biota.
3. System Condition (SCI)—indicates state of the systems in question, i.e., individuals,
communities, business enterprises, or the natural environment.
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4. Value Creation (VCI)—indicates creation of value (both economic and well-being)

through enrichment of individuals, communities, business enterprises, or the natural
environment.
Major Categories of System-Based Indicators
Indicator Category Indicator Types Organisational Scale National Scale

indicator Examples Examples
Adverse Outcome • Exposure • Health impacts of air • Health impacts of
Indicators • Risk pollution of workplace air pollution
• Incidence • Worker safety • Public safety
• Impact • Sewer overflow • Life cycle footprint
• Loss frequency of energy use
• Impairment •
Resource Flow • Volume • Greenhouse gas • Greenhouse gas
Indicators • Intensity emissions emissions
• Recovery • Material flow volume • Material flow
• Impact • Water treatment volume
• Quality efficacy • Resource depletion
• Recycling rate rate
• Land use
System Condition • Health • Air & water quality • Air quality
Indicators • Wealth • Local employment • Water quality
• Satisfaction • Local household • Employment
• Growth income • Household income
• Dignity • Housing Density
• Capacity • Infrastructure
• Quality of Life durability
• Community
educational equity
Value Creation • Profitability • Cost (reduction) • Cost (reduction)
Indicators • Economic Output • Water use efficiency • Fuel efficiency
• Income (reduction) (gain)
• Capital Investment • Fuel efficiency (gain) • Energy efficiency
• Human • Energy efficiency (gain) (gain)
Development • Vehicle use (miles per
employee)
Indicators comprise a baseline and a target, both of which when compared against each
other, measure change. Here’s how we define them.
• Baseline: a measure used to benchmark the current state of an indicator so that the
recorded results can be appropriately calculated
• Target: the improvement or achievement expected to take place while the project is
being implemented
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Most-used types of KPIs

Performance Description Example
indicator type
Quantitative Quantitative indicators are the most • measurements of
Indicators straight-forward of KPIs. In short, they time/duration,
are measured solely by a number. • dollars and cents,
There are two types of quantitative • Whole number
indicators - continuous and discrete. • Fraction
Continuous quantitative indicators can • Percentage,
take any value (including decimals) • Quantity and
over a range. Discrete quantitative
measures include things like • weight.
complaints, accidents, and rating
scales.
Qualitative Qualitative indicators are not A common qualitative indicator
Indicators measured by numbers. Typically, a that organizations regularly use
qualitative KPI is a characteristic of a would be an employee
process or business decision. Examples satisfaction survey. While some
of qualitative KPIs include opinions, of the survey data would be
properties, and traits. considered quantitative, the
measures themselves are based
on the opinion of a person.
Qualitative focuses more on the
“why” as opposed to the “how.”
Leading Leading indicators are used to predict • Number of new patents
Indicators the outcome of a change in a process • Number of new innovations
and confirm long-term trends in data. • Customer service perception
In a Best Practices LLC survey, several
fortune 500 companies supplied some
of the metrics that they use as leading
indicators.
Lagging Indicators Lagging indicators are used to measure Lagging indicators give
results at the end of a time period to businesses the ability to evaluate
reflect upon the success or failure of the effectiveness of their
an initiative. Often, they are used to business decisions and
gauge historical performance. Some determine whether their
examples of lagging indicators include business decisions facilitated the
total customer contacts or total desired outcome.
incidents.
Input Indicators Input indicators are used to measure • staff time,
resources used during a business • cash on hand, or
process. Input indicators are necessary • equipment.
for tracking resource efficiency in large
projects with a lot of moving parts, but
are also useful in projects of all sizes.
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Process Process indicators are used specifically Tickets resolved, tickets opened,
Indicators to gauge the efficiency of a process and average resolution times are
and facilitate helpful changes. A very all process indicators that shed
common process indicator for support light on the customer support
teams are KPIs focused around process. In this example, that
customer support tickets. data can be used to influence
changes in the support process
to improve performance.
Output Indicators Output indicators measure the success • revenues,
or failure of a process or business • profits, or
activity. Output indicators are one of • new customers acquired
the most used KPI-types.
Practical Practical indicators take into account For this reason, many practical
Indicators existing company processes and indicators may be unique to your
explore the effects of those processes company or work processes.
on the company.
Directional Directional indicators evaluate specific An example of a directional
Indicators trends within a company. Where are metric used by many service
the metrics moving? Are they providers would be Time on Site.
improving, declining, or maintaining? This metric is used to measure
Ideally, most companies would like to the time that techs spend on-site
lower their average Time on Site, as it fixing issues and troubleshooting
is indicative of a faster, more effective problems.
service. Broad directional indicators
can be used to evaluate your
company’s position within your
industry relative to competitors.
Actionable Actionable indicators measure and Those changes could be:
Indicators reflect a company’s commitment and • within business processes,
effectiveness in implementing • company culture, or
business changes. These metrics are • political action.
used to determine how well a
company is able to enact their desired
changes within specified time-frames.
Financial Financial indicators are the • gross profit margin,
Indicators measurement of economic stability, • net profit,
growth, and business viability. • aging accounts receivable
Financial indicators provide straight- and asset ratios.
forward insight into the financial
health of a company but must be
paired with the other KPI-types
mentioned in this article to provide a
complete picture.
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Based on generally accepted performance measurement principles, an overarching criterion

in the selection of indicators is “materiality,” i.e., their relevance to the problem or issue
under consideration. The following is a list of selection criteria that can be used to choose
sustainability performance indicators. The set of indicators should be:
• Relevant to the interests of the intended audiences, reflecting important opportunities

for enhancement of social and environmental conditions as well as economic prosperity.
• Meaningful to the intended audiences in terms of clarity, comprehensibility and
transparency.
• Objective in terms of measurement techniques and verifiability, while allowing for
regional, cultural and socio-economic differences.
• Effective for supporting benchmarking and monitoring over time, as well as decision-
making about how to improve performance.
• Comprehensive in providing an overall evaluation of progress with respect to
sustainability goals.
• Consistent across different sites or communities, using appropriate normalization and
other methods to account for their inherent diversity.
• Practical in allowing cost-effective, non-burdensome implementation and building on
existing data collection where possible.
In addition, the Green Book (NRC, 2011) states that indicators should have the following
attributes:
• Actionable, so that practical steps can be taken to address contributing factors.
• Transferable and scalable, so that they are adaptable at regional, state, or local levels.
• Intergenerational, reflecting fair distribution of costs and benefits among different
generations.
• Durable, so that they have long-term relevance.
While every indicator need not satisfy all of these criteria, a credible portfolio of
sustainability indicators should have the above characteristics. The most effective
performance measurement programs are those that focus upon a small number of
quantifiable key performance indicators (KPIs) covering the most important aspects of
sustainability for the specific problem at hand.
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BSBSUS501 – Section 2 – Communicate workplace sustainability policy
Section 2
Communicate workplace sustainability policy
Promote workplace sustainability policy

Promote workplace sustainability policy, including its expected outcome, to key
stakeholders. Inform employees about this policy and the service’s approach to
environmental sustainability through:
• information sessions,
• networking activities
• media releases, editorials, web pages
• presentations
• social media platforms
• photo/poster displays and newsletters etc.
Design a poster outlining the key principles of environmental sustainability, for display in the
foyer of the service. This may include a charter of principles and key targets to be achieved.
Become involved in community events such as sponsorship or support community

initiatives, Earth Hour, World Environment Day and Clean Up Australia Day.
Make sustainability a way of practice.
Incorporate sustainability into your everyday operations
Many of the world’s largest and most successful companies are investing in environmental
stewardship initiatives. Companies like Apple and Ikea, for instance, have gone well beyond
the requirements of government regulations to find environmentally friendly alternatives to
unsustainable organisation practices. Apple has committed to using green energy to power
its manufacturing plants, while Ikea is using ocean-bound plastics to make its products.
Assess your supply chain to determine where your organisation may be able to follow their
lead.
You could also join a community task force that focuses on green initiatives. For example,
the working groups of OneSTL —which focus on energy, food, water and green
infrastructure, transportation, materials and waste, and biodiversity — allow organisation
leaders to work toward changes in their community within the niche area that best aligns
with their organisation’s values. Also consider how your organisation can contribute to — or
take advantage of — the sustainability initiatives of your city. For example, Boeing will
be using waste heat from a new Seattle sewer trunk line to heat the organisation’s assembly
facilities. That’s not only better for the planet, but it saves the organisation money to boot.
Make changes in the office
For some companies, greening supply chains or reducing raw materials usage and waste will
have immediate and obvious bottom-line benefits. Those tactics, however, tend to take
quite a bit of strategic planning and time to execute. Fortunately, there are also some
obvious practices you can adopt that won’t take much time to put into place.
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Encouraging employees to recycle and making it easy for them to do so can help you begin
to establish a culture of sustainability. Set recycling goals for your team, and reward team
members for meeting them. Change the light bulbs in your office to LEDs, which use much
less energy and last 10-20 times longer than halogen or incandescent light bulbs. You’ll pay
more upfront, but you’ll save over the long term. Plus, you’ll be working toward something
larger than yourself.
Make sustainability a two-way street
Making responsible environmental choices could start at work, but it certainly shouldn’t end
there. You can incentivize sustainable lifestyles outside the office as well. Bank of America,
for example, will pay $500 of an employee’s solar panel installation, while Facebook offers
employees $10,000 or more if they move within 10 miles of its Silicon Valley campus (thus
shortening their commutes and reducing their carbon emissions). You may not have
Facebook amounts of cash to throw around, but you may be able to subsidize mass transit
passes for your team members or award gift cards to those who have energy audits
performed on their homes.
One benefit to encouraging your workers’ eco-consciousness outside the office is that
employees who are used to living sustainably will be much more likely to help
environmental initiatives succeed at work. Create a green team to prioritize your efforts.
You can make going green into a game or competition, challenging each department to
decrease its footprint through recycling and more conscious energy use. Departments with
the least landfill-bound trash, say, or the lowest electricity use in a quarter might earn a
special lunch.
Environmental stewardship must be an ongoing commitment if we're to truly make a

positive impact on the planet, for ourselves and for future generations. Promoting
sustainable practices may not impact your bottom line immediately, but sticking to them
over the long term will inevitably be good for organisation.
Workplace must be committed to promoting sustainability recognizing that all firms and
individuals have an important role to play in reducing negative environmental impacts and
specifically tackling climate change. As such, concern for the environment and the
promotion of a broader sustainability agenda are integral to workplace activities and the
management of the organization. Workplace must aim to follow and to promote good
sustainability practice, to reduce the environmental impacts of all our activities and to help
our clients and partners to do the same.
Workplace Sustainability Policy must be developed, which comprises a set of principles,

operating procedures and organisation targets.
Principles
Sustainability Policy must be based upon the following principles:
To comply with, and exceed where practicable, all applicable legislation, regulations and
codes of practice.
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• To integrate sustainability considerations into all our organisation decisions.

• To ensure that all staff are fully aware of our Sustainability Policy and are committed
to implementing and improving it.
• To minimize the impact on sustainability of all office and transportation activities.
• To make clients and suppliers aware of our Sustainability Policy, and encourage them
to adopt sound sustainable management practices.
• To review, annually report, and to continually strive to improve our sustainability
performance.
In order to put these principles into action and to reduce our negative environmental
impacts as a firm and as individuals, Workplace implements the following procedures:
Promote minimizing carbon emissions from travel
• Where possible, employees should use public transport, walk or cycle to attend
meetings, apart from in exceptional circumstances where this is impractical and/or
cost prohibitive.
• Wherever possible, employees use clean-tech vehicles rather than traditionally
powered cars and aircraft
• All employee air travel requires CEO sign-off and is subject to review to determine if
alternative travel arrangements have been explored
• Wherever possible, employee travel within Canada or within a 500km radius, will be
undertaken by train
• Workplace shall provide employees with technology options that provide an
alternative that can avoid the need to physically travel to meetings, including
teleconferencing, web cams, and the efficient timing of meetings to avoid multiple
trips.
• Workplace will reduce the need for our staff to travel by supporting alternative
working arrangements, including home working
• Workplace will promote the use of public transport by locating our offices in
accessible locations.
Promote minimizing water consumption, waste & maximizing recycling
• Workplace believes that the consumption of bottled water in an office or hospitality

context is unnecessary. We use mains water in our office environments and request
that venues to do the same for all Workplace events and meetings.
• Minimize our use of paper and other office consumables, for example by double-
siding all paper used.
• As far as possible arrange for the reuse or recycling of all waste, including paper,
computer supplies and redundant equipment.
• Reduce the energy consumption of office equipment by purchasing energy efficient
equipment and employing good housekeeping (switching off equipment that is not
in use).
Promote sustainable working practices
• Workplace undertakes regular annual employee awareness sessions to ensure every

employee adheres to our sustainability policy
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• Wherever possible we source products and services from suppliers with a

sustainability policy. This primarily covers printing supplies, stationery, computing
equipment and organisation travel.
• Workplace requests that every employee takes account of sustainability issues in
their advice to clients.
• Workplace will include a copy of our Sustainability Policy in all our proposals to
clients.
Reporting progress
• Workplace will use own sustainability and emissions management solution to

monitor the impact in real-time and identify potential sustainability opportunities.
• Workplace will report annually environmental impact and progress against
sustainability goals.
Workplace Sustainability Targets
• Plan to reduce emissions per employee by setting a 2025 baseline and using co-
working spaces as possible.
• Increase volunteering hours donated per employee to 100% of allocated quota by
2025
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Inform those involved in implementing the policy

Inform those involved in implementing the policy about expected outcomes, activities to be
undertaken and assigned responsibilities
Focus areas for sustainability

Organisation will focus its sustainability efforts in the following key areas, based on the ten
principles of One Planet Living:
1. Carbon Reduction - Making buildings and activities more energy efficient and
delivering all energy with renewable technologies, aiming at zero carbon
2. Waste reduction - Reducing waste, reusing and recycling wherever possible,
ultimately aiming at zero waste to landfill
3. Sustainable transport - Encouraging low carbon modes of transport to reduce
emissions and looking at ways to reduce the need to travel
4. Local and sustainable materials - Using sustainable healthy products, with low
embodied energy, sourced locally and made from renewable or recovered resources.
Minimising packaging wherever possible.
5. Local and sustainable food - Choosing low impact, local, seasonal and organic
catering and reducing food waste
6. Sustainable water – Reducing water consumption by using water more efficiently in
buildings and considering water usage in the products we buy
7. Land Use and biodiversity - Protecting and restoring biodiversity and natural
habitats through appropriate land use management and planning
8. Health and Happiness - Encouraging active, sociable and meaningful lives to
promote good health and well being
9. Equity and Local Economy – Supporting a local economy that supports fair
employment, inclusive communities and international fair trade
10. Culture and Community - Supporting local culture and respecting and
acknowledging local knowledge and wisdom.
Organization will implement the sustainability policy by:
• Applying the principles and focus areas outlined in this policy to its decision-making
frameworks using continuous improvement approach
• Applying the principles and focus areas outlined in this policy to its operational
activities.
• Ensuring all staff understand their role in applying sustainability to their daily work.
• Showing leadership to the community as a good corporate citizen by continually
improving its sustainability performance.
• Setting its own sustainability targets and regularly monitoring and reporting on this
sustainability performance to the community.
• Supporting the efforts of the wider community in the transition to a low carbon
community by fostering greater awareness of sustainability issues.
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• Recognising that investing in sustainability initiatives provides long-term social,

economic and environmental outcomes/ benefits.
Key responsibilities
Position Department Responsibility

CEO Head of the To lead sustainability outcomes across the
organization organization through driven by leadership, Vision and
Plan 2030.
Directors Departmental To provide management commitment and
heads communicate the sustainability principles and ensure
that managers and staff have access to any training
necessary to effectively implement the policy.
General General To lead the integration of sustainability principles in
Manager management all of council’s decision-making.
Executive Divisional and To ensure sustainability is integrated into workplace
and sectional heads practices and that staff undertake any necessary
Managers training to adhere to the policy.
Supervisors Team heads Supervise the policy implementation by employees
Employees Under all the Participate in practicing policy and procedures
departments/ implementation within duties and responsibilities
divisions
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BSBSUS501 – Section 3– Implement workplace sustainability policy
Section 3
Implement workplace sustainability policy
Develop and communicate procedures to help implement

workplace sustainability policy
Most organizations take the “if we build it, they will come” approach to rolling out
sustainability programs, but employees traditionally do not look to their employer to help
them live more sustainably. Even worse, many see organizational initiatives as being more
of a PR move than a genuine effort to decrease negative environmental impact. If you want
to let your staff know that you are serious about sustainability and get them to actively
participate in programs and contribute to initiatives, try these nine tips.
1. Be clear about your goals

Staff will be much less likely to question your motives if you are up front about why
sustainability is important to your organization. Sharing specific, tangible goals (e.g.,
increase use of public transportation by 40%) will motivate staff to join in the effort. Show
your people that you are integrating these objectives into operations: tie them to overall
organisation objectives and performance evaluations and implement relevant policies and
procedures.
2. Make it personal
If you are trying to encourage behaviour change in the workplace and beyond, you need to
make the benefits relevant to staff as individuals. Take time to discover what your
employees need, value and want. What’s in it for them? What will happen if they do not
engage in sustainable behaviours? Use this information to communicate with them on a
more personal level: appeal to values and egos, bribe shamelessly and develop incentives to
encourage participation. Think about how you can make it easy for employees to act more
sustainably. Want people to stop drinking bottled water? Stop supplying it and provide
reusable water bottles.
If you are not sure what will be meaningful and easy, ask your staff. Including employees
early in your planning – and on an ongoing basis – builds enthusiasm and buy-in. Add a
question about sustainability attitudes to required reports or host a lunch to get feedback
on ideas for reducing employee consumption.
3. Recognize achievements
Positive reinforcement is much more effective than guilt. When we feel good about doing
something, we’re much more likely to keep doing it. Recognition can range from a simple
staff sustainability superstar profile in the employee eNewsletter to something more
involved like organisation-wide contests. Contests are a great way to incentivize
participation and encourage healthy competition amongst co-workers, while bringing
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colleagues together and allowing you to recognize more people at different levels.
Whatever you do, make it fun and positive!
4. Take a holistic approach

Most organizations we work with are eager for immediate change, but behaviour change
takes time and requires a sustained, holistic approach. If you do one project here and there
– or let programs lapse – you’ll never gain momentum and staff will have a hard time seeing
how these efforts relate to larger goals.
Plan for multi-faceted communications over time, with each touch point reinforcing the last.
Coming at it from different angles allows you to communicate with a variety of employee
types, while connecting the dots between specific initiatives.
5. Be consistent
When your sustainability communications hang together, employees are more likely to
recognize how these efforts compliment and build on each other toward your shared vision.
Establishing a personality, voice and tone to apply to all communications is a good first step
toward consistency. Use these to inform creation of core messaging for your sustainability
program. If possible, create a visual look and feel to provide consistent visual cues and make
sustainability communications easy to recognize. This might include a logo(s), iconography,
color palette, typography and photographic image styles.
Think about who will develop and use the sustainability and wellness “brand” elements and
be sure they have the resources they need to do so effectively. Consider having an
orientation, followed by regular check-ins with this group to discuss how it’s going,
exchange ideas and identify new elements to consider.
6. Do not reinvent the wheel

Look at how your organization currently operates and identify areas for change. Then,
review how you already communicate with staff and infuse sustainability messaging into
those existing channels. Add a rotating tip to the homepage of your organisation intranet,
create a folder of tools and resources on the shared drive or add a regular column to your
eNewsletter. Getting creative with even the most ordinary communication can send big
signals to your people. Why not record volunteering hours on paystubs or provide managers
with a menu of brief sustainability impact statements for meeting agendas?
Also think about everyday actions and insert communications at the point of impact.
Healthy lunch ideas posted on the refrigerator and stickers on copiers encouraging double
sided printing are easy, low-cost ways to encourage positive behaviour where and when
staff can take action.
7. Keep it simple
In all of your communication, do not get bogged down with endless lists and background
info. Unless they’re seeking out information for a specific purpose, your staff will likely be
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skimming whatever information you provide. Offer manageable bits of information. Avoid
jargon. Include a call to action.
8. Evaluate and update

Create momentum by regularly sharing the impact of efforts with staff. While large, formal
reports may be helpful to show the cumulative effect of accomplishments, do not wait to
tell employees the impact of their actions. Share the good and the bad. Be sure to respond
to feedback, and let them know that you are making changes based on their input.
Updating staff means that you’ll need to think about how you will measure and evaluate
sustainability efforts from the start. This may also help you think through how to structure
programs, contests, outreach, etc.
The effort you put into measurement and evaluation now will save you time and money in
the long-run by helping you identify where to keep putting resources, what to tweak and
when to refocus.
9. Be patient
Do not throw in the towel if changes aren’t noticeable right away even if people seem
enthusiastic. Remember that behaviour change takes time. While sustainability may be a
high priority for your organization, it may not top the list of things competing for the time
and attention of your employees.
Continue to talk to staff to find ways to reduce any barriers to their participation. When you
get discouraged, keep in mind the long-term impacts on the health and wellbeing of your
employees, your organisation and your planet.
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Implement strategies for continuous improvement in

resource efficiency
Organisational teams need to work well together, utilize the strengths of each of the team
members and use a process that is repeated over and over to achieve desired sustainability
for the organisation. The following continuous improvement cycle used repeatedly will lead
to a new “chemistry” within the organization so that the culture begins to change to one of
continuous improvement for resource efficiency.
Benefits of adopting continuous improvement

Continuous improvement processes allow organisationes to uncover problems and find
ways to fix them. Small, positive changes made over time can dramatically impact a
organisation’s overall process. Here are a few ways continuous improvement can benefit
your organisation over time:
Increased productivity & profits
By incrementally improving processes, your organisation will start seeing a much higher
product per input. This, as a given, makes your entire organization more efficient, which
finally translates into higher profits.
Employee morale and accountability
Oftentimes, your employees can have a lot of ideas on how to improve processes or
products. A rigid organizational structure, however, can shut them down and kill their
motivation. In a organisation with the culture of continuous improvement, on the other
hand, every employee is key to organizational growth. Allowing your employees to walk the
extra mile and contribute to progress makes them feel valued, increasing overall morale and
accountability.
Greater agility
An organization has to be changing at all times to keep up with the competition. If your
employees are used to change on a regular basis, they won’t be phased during times of
crisis and change.
How continuous improvement works

Getting your organisation used to continuous improvement isn’t easy. You can’t just go up
to your employees one day and tell them “the organisation will function differently from
here on out.” Making any kind of change in an organization is hard, and this is especially
true if you are doing something so major. But of course, you need to start somewhere. First
things first, you’ll need to let your management know about the initiative. Meaning, any
suggestions on improving organisation processes will be welcomed by the management.
Then, you’ll need to allow for the establishment of organisation process improvement
initiatives. Once someone suggests a plausible way to improve a process, you will need to
assign an individual or team (depends on skills needed to change the process) in charge or
improving it.
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The 5-step continuous improvement cycle
Creating a continuous cycle is a hard journey but breaking it down and taking it one step at a
time (and taking each part one step at a time) will be rich and rewarding for organisations.
Step 1: Define
1. Define the target process for resource efficiency

2. Organize and empower an improvement team
3. Describe the issues, concerns or opportunities
4. Collect current resource usage performance data
5. Create a process map for improvement of resource efficiency
Step 2: Identify
1. Identify the organisational units, operations and resource usage data

2. Define the process inputs and outputs
3. Define the process improvement requirements
4. Identify wastes and value-added activities
5. Generate a list of potential improvements
Step 3: Select
1. Establish desired performance goals of resource usage levels

2. Prioritize the potential solutions for resource efficiency
3. Establish the selection criteria for resource usage
4. Select the best solution(s) for resource efficiency
5. Define the desired process
Step 4: Implement
1. Develop an action plan to achieve the resource efficiency goals

2. Develop process performance metrics
3. Document the solutions(s)
4. Test the changes
5. Implement per the action plan
Step 5: Evaluate
1. Establish ongoing feedback

2. Measure progress per the action plan
3. Compare results with desired performance resource efficiency goals
4. Determine corrective actions that need to be taken
5. Repeat the cycle to define new opportunities
The key to really being successful using this process is the very last step – going back to the
beginning and looking for new opportunities. Without this, it is a one-time change, not
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continuous improvement. All too often, organisations declare victory when a change is
complete and sit back for the new status quo to set in rather than taking another look at
things to find more opportunities.
By using this cycle on a formal basis over and over as problems or opportunities are
addressed in the organization, inherent use of the cycle will begin to occur since people will
become accustomed to it and the culture of the organization will begin to embrace the idea
of continuous improvement. This resulting chemistry that begins to develop will be unseen
and unquantifiable but will provide an edge for the organization so that it can succeed
within itself and against the competition.
Whether a organisation is going down the path of developing sustainability policies and
procedures, lean enterprise performance, implementing an enterprise resource planning
(ERP) organisation system, or making improvements in some part of the organization, this
five-step cycle can be quite valuable.
The PDCA Cycle

One of the most popular process improvement tools is the “Plan Do Check Act” cycle
(PDCA). This cycle is often credited to Dr. William Edwards Deming and Walter Shewhart.
This four-step model is often shown as a circle because continuous improvement is a
process that should be repeated. Here is a closer look at each of the steps of the PDCA
Cycle and what they involve:
PDCA Process
Plan In this first part of the cycle, you will identify the opportunity present and
create a plan for improvement. You can begin by:
• defining the problem,
• outlining the opportunity present,
• brainstorming ideas, and developing a plan.
You should also state what your desired outcome is once your problem is
resolved.
Do Now that you have identified a possible solution you need to implement
this plan on a smaller scale. This will allow you to test your solution and
figure out whether your changes achieved your desired outcome. Testing
your solution in this way will be a good way to see if it works or not
without making any major disruptions.
Check During this stage, you will compare your results to the expected outcome
you outlined in the planning phase. If your expected outcome was not
achieved, you should start the cycle over again. If it does work, you can
continue to the fourth stage of the cycle.
Act During the final stage, you will implement your solution on a wider scale.
However, keep in mind that PDCA isn’t a one-time initiative. Whenever
there’s an opportunity for improvement within the organisation, you will
need to repeat the process.
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Kaizen
Kaizen is a Japanese word that means “change for the better.” The methodology was first
used during the World War 2 by Japanese organisationmen, eventually spreading around
the world. Masaaki Imai, a Japanese management consultant helped spread awareness of
the Kaizen methodology in his book, Kaizen: The Key to Japan’s Competitive Success.
To establish a culture of continuous improvement, he recommends using 2 types

of processes:
1. Quality Teams and

2. Kaizen Corners.
The first is a team of experts specializing in process improvement through statistical tools
and software. They are for the type of improvements that you need expertise on and not
something the average joe can just suggest.
Kaizen Corners, on the other hand, is a place where every single employee can hand in
suggestions on how to improve processes. Masaaki recommends splitting the
implementation of a Kaizen Corner into three stages…
• Stage One – All suggestions made by employees are considered and implemented.
This is to show the team that everyone’s input will be valued.
• Stage Two – Employees are trained on how to properly analyse current processes
and make better suggestions.
• Stage Three – Offer an economic incentive for employees to contribute towards
process improvements.
Once you have enough suggestions, you can start improving the processes.
Continuous improvement tracking (CIT) is part of an overall continuous improvement

model.
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Track continuous improvements in sustainability
Six Sigma's DMAIC methodology
Lean Six Sigma is simply a process for solving a problem. DMAIC is a project methodology
with five phases; Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, Control. These steps are used to help
ensure that improvements are data-driven, measurable, and repeatable.
The DMAIC improvement cycle is an effective technique for structured change
management. The emphasis on measurement and analysis helps ensure that opportunities
for improvement are executed in a way that ensures the most positive impact.
Within the Six Sigma method, the overall model is DMAIC (define, measure, analyse,
improve, and control). What’s important about this model as it applies to tracking is its
closed-loop nature. As improvements are defined and implemented, selecting appropriate
metrics is critical so that improvements can be tracked and verified.
Tracking tools need to be responsive enough so that they can detect the effectiveness of the
improvements as well as the unintended consequences. Many tools are available and can be
used to implement CIT, including control charts, histograms, trend analysis, etc.
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DMAIC Project methodology description

Define The Define phase is all about selecting high-impact opportunities for
improvement and understanding which metrics will indicate project success.
During this phase the leaders will perform activities such as:
• identifying the improvement opportunity,
• outlining the scope of the project,
• estimating the project impact, and
• creating a team.
Measure During the Measure phase, existing processes are documented and a baseline is
established. Critical activities at this point include (but are not limited to)
developing the methodology by which:
• data will be collected to evaluate success, and
• gathering, plotting, and analysing current state data.
Analyse The goal of the Analyse phase is to find and validate the root causes of
organisation problems and ensure that improvement is focused on causes,
rather than symptoms. Doing this includes, in part,
• developing a problem statement,
• completing a root cause verification analysis,
• designing measurable improvement experiments, and
• developing a plan for improvement.
Improve Once you reach the Improvement phase, it is time to determine exactly which
steps will be taken and begin to roll out the changes that analysis has
prescribed. In this stage, it's common to:
• generate and evaluate solution ideas,
• determine expected solution benefits, and
• communicate solutions to all stakeholders.
Control The objective of the last stage is to develop the monitoring processes and
procedures that will ensure long-term success. To do so, you will need to do
things like:
• verify reduction in failures due to the targeted root cause,
• determine if additional improvement is necessary to achieve the project
goal,
• update your Standard Work documentation, and
• integrate lessons learned.
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Improvement track sheet
Strategy Baseline Responsible for Improvement Data

data implementation During the Year 2020
(e.g. Nominated Quarter Quarter Quarter Quarter
Supervisor etc.) 1 2 3 4
Data Collection
Collect baseline data from
energy and water bills and
monitor waste collection. Use
information gathered to set
reduction targets and evaluate
whether they have been
achieved.
Green purchasing
Purchase local products
Purchase recycled products
Purchase energy and water
efficient products
Purchase organic produce
Purchase items with minimal
packaging
Purchase chemical-free, green
cleaning products
Purchase formaldehyde-free
paint
Waste management
Minimise waste from one-use,
throwaway products (e.g.
paper towels, disposable
nappies, wet wipes) by
changing behaviours and
procedures, and using
alternative products. The
following are some suggestions.
Replace paper towels with
individual cloth towels on a peg
located in the bathroom or at
each child’s locker, and washed
each week.
Install a low energy electric
hand dryer.
Cut paper towels in half to
reduce waste while working
towards using cloth towels or
installing a low energy electric
hand dryer.
Replace wet wipes with
washable cloths.
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Adopt green cleaning practices

by using safe and sustainable
cleaning products and methods
Recycle plastic waste glass,
paper, cardboard, foil and
metal
Explore the waste hierarchy of
refuse within the educational
program i.e. reduce, reuse,
repair and recycle.
Energy usage
off computers and/or screens
when not in use.
Turn off computers and
electrical equipment before
leaving the building.
Install and use ceiling fans
instead of air conditioning,
when appropriate.
Close doors and windows when
heating or air conditioning the
building where possible, while
maintaining adequate
ventilation. Strategies must be
developed for indoor-outdoor
programs to enable this to
occur.
Turn off fridges that are not in
use during extended holiday
periods (ensure no food
remains and the fridge is
cleaned well beforehand).
Turn lights off when not
required. Install light sensors
where possible.
Upgrade old appliances with
energy efficient appliances
Water consumption
Install 5,000–20,000-liter water
tanks and consider connecting
these to toilets.
Ensure that water from troughs
and bowls is reused to water
the garden.
Use grey water (containing low
salt/phosphate detergents) to
water grass and gardens when
children are not in attendance
at the service
Install water saving taps in
bathrooms.
Install dual flush toilets.
Place buckets or watering cans
next to drink stations to collect
excess water.
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Transport
Encourage staff to walk, cycle
or catch public transport to
work, where possible.
Create prominent, effective
spaces for the storage of bikes
and prams to promote riding
and walking to staff, customers
and suppliers
Example
Big Bank Inc. implemented a new electronic deposit and withdrawal system for walk-in
customers after analysing customer satisfaction and transaction effectiveness. The bank had
defined the project to increase speed and accuracy of customer transactions through the
use of an electronic forms system. The system would rely on customers swiping their bank
cards and then electronically checking a few boxes. Then, a form indicating the type and
amount of the transaction would be printed. The project was implemented at several
branch banks, and improvement was measured based on average transaction time and form
errors.
After several weeks, the data showed a marked improvement in capturing the right
information from customers’ cards. The improvement led to fewer errors and decreased the
average transaction time.
However, several new issues were uncovered by analysing the results.
• First, when the transaction printer broke, the entire system would become non-
functional, causing increased transaction times and general customer frustration.
This information was fed back to the team, making printer reliability a key
component of the improvement. The team corrected the problem by duplicating the
transaction printers to ensure at least one working printer at all times.
• Second, much of the printed information on the customers’ transaction slips was
being retyped by the teller. The bank improved the system further by printing a bar
code on each slip. When presented to the teller, the bar code could be used to
retrieve all of the information from the bank’s database. This further increased the
system’s effectiveness in terms of transaction accuracy and speed.
• The final step was that that the bank developed an on-going monitoring process to
track the process and continue increasing efficiency and effectiveness.
Source: http://asqservicequality.org/glossary/continuous-improvement-tracking/
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BSBSUS501 – Section 4– Review workplace sustainability policy implementation
Section 4
Review workplace sustainability policy implementation
Document outcomes and provide feedback to key personnel

and stakeholders
Documentation - material that provides official information as policies and procedures as a
record is a set of documents provided on paper, or online, or on digital media such as
websites. Examples are policies and procedures, progress reports, implementation
outcomes etc. The procedures of documentation vary from one sector, or one type, to
another. In general, these may involve document drafting, formatting, submitting,
reviewing, approving, distributing, reposting and tracking.
Outcomes - are specific, measurable statements that let you know when you have applied
the policies and procedures and reached your goals. Outcome statements describe specific
changes in your resource usage reduction and minimizing environmental impact you expect
to achieve as a result of your actions. Good outcome statements are specific, measurable,
and realistic.
Develop outcomes as follows:
• Outcomes - should describe what you want to happen after your activity is
completed. Focus your intermediate outcomes on what you want people to do when
they go back to their [level of resource usage efficiency] and apply what they have
been asked to do.
• Impacts - describe the impact you hope to have on your workplace resource usage
after the policy and procedures implemented, but farther into the future. Describe
what you hope will change as a result of your activities.
Well-written and complete outcome statements will usually define the following six
elements as you describe:
1. What was introduced – new sustainability policies and procedures

2. What will change - the knowledge, attitudes, behaviour and application
3. Who will change - the people you are supervising/employees
4. By how much - how much change you think you can realistically achieve/targets/KPIs
5. By when - the timeframe within you hope to see change
6. How the change will be measured – performance data, the surveys, tests, interviews,
or other methods you will use to measure the different changes specified
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Investigate successes or otherwise of policy

If the policy and procedures are in place and all the employees practice the procedures
introduced through the policy, we can assume the policy is successful. If a problem or
complaint has come up at the organisation, a proper investigation can help you figure out
what happened and what to do about it. It can also help your organisation avoid liability for
employee wrongdoing, but only if you act fast and take effective action to remedy the
situation. Below, you will find the ten steps to a successful workplace investigation.
1. Decide whether to investigate

Before you put on your detective's hat, take some time to decide whether you really need
an investigation. In a few situations, for example, if all employees agree on what happened
or the practice of procedure appears to be minor, you may reasonably decide that a full-
blown investigation is unnecessary. Usually, however, it's best to err on the side of
conducting an investigation. If the problem is more serious than it seemed, failing to
investigate can lead to legal trouble and continuing workplace problems. And sometimes,
you just can't tell how widespread or substantial a problem is until you do a little poking
around.
2. Take immediate action, if necessary

You might have to act right away even before you begin your investigation if a situation is
volatile or could otherwise cause immediate harm to your organisation. If an employee is
accused of not following the sustainability procedure, you will probably want to suspend the
accused employee temporarily with pay while you look into the matter. But be careful not
to prejudge the situation or lead the accused employee to believe that you have already
made up your mind.
3. Choose an investigator
You will want an investigator who is experienced and/or trained in investigation techniques,
is impartial and perceived as impartial by the employees involved, and is capable of acting
and, if necessary, testifying in court professionally about the situation. If you have someone
who meets this job description on your payroll, you are in luck. If not, you can hire an
outside investigator to handle things for you.
4. Plan the investigation

Take some time up front to organize your thoughts. Gather any information you already
have about the problem such as an employee complaint, a supervisor's report, written
warnings, or materials that are part of the problem (such as video surveillance footage,
usage bills etc.). Using this information as your guide, think about what you will need to find
out to decide what happened. Whom will you interview and what will you ask? Are there
additional documents that employees or supervisors might have? Is there anyone who
witnessed important events or should have?
5. Conduct interviews
The goal of every investigation is to gather information and the most basic way to do that is
by asking people questions. Most investigations involve at least two interviews: one of the
employees accused of wrongdoing, and another of the employee who brought up the
matter into the knowledge of management. Sometimes, you will also want to interview
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witnesses others who may have seen or heard something important. When you interview
people, try to elicit as much information as possible by asking open-ended questions.
6. Gather documents and other evidence

Almost every investigation will rely to some extent on documents personnel files, email
messages, organisation policies, correspondence, and so on. And some investigations will
require you to gather other types of evidence, such as video surveillance footage,
observation reports etc.
7. Evaluate the evidence

The most challenging part of many investigations especially if witnesses disagree or
contradict each other is figuring out what actually happened. There are some proven
methods of deciding where the truth lies methods all of us use in our everyday lives to get
to the bottom of things. You will want to consider, for example, whose story makes the
most sense, whose demeanour was more convincing, and who (if anyone) has a motive to
deceive you. And in some situations, you may just have to throw up your hands and
acknowledge that you do not have enough information to decide what really happened.
8. Take action
Once you decide what happened, you will have to figure out what to do about it. If you
conclude that serious wrongdoing occurred, you will have to take disciplinary action quickly
to avoid legal liability for that employee's behaviour and to protect your organisation and
other workers from harm. In deciding how to handle these situations, you should consider a
number of factors, including how serious the actions were and how you have handled
similar problems in the past.
9. Document the investigation

Once your investigation is complete, you should write an investigation report that explains
what you did and why. This will not only give the organisation some protection from
lawsuits relating to the investigation, but will also provide a written record in case of future
misconduct by the same employee(s). Among other things, your report should explain how
and when the problem came to the organisation's attention, what interviews you
conducted, what evidence you considered, what conclusions you reached, and what you did
about the problem.
10. Follow up
The last step is to follow up with your employees to make sure that you have solved the
problem that led to the investigation. Has the misconduct stopped? Has the wrongdoer met
any requirements imposed as a result of the investigation, for example, to complete a
training course on sustainability? If the investigation revealed any systemic workplace
problems (such as widespread confusion about organisation policy or lack of training on
issues like workplace sustainability or proper techniques for dealing with customers), some
training might be in order.
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Monitor records to identify trends that may require

remedial action
Sustainability policy Methods of monitoring records
Data Collection
Collect baseline data from energy and water bills and Analysis of bills and procedures
monitor waste collection. Use information gathered to before introducing the new
set reduction targets and evaluate whether they have sustainability policy
been achieved.
Green purchasing
Purchase local products Analysis of purchase invoices
Purchase recycled products Analysis of purchase invoices
Purchase energy and water efficient products Analysis of purchase invoices
Purchase organic produce Analysis of purchase invoices
Purchase items with minimal packaging Analysis of purchase invoices
Purchase chemical-free, green cleaning products Analysis of purchase invoices
Purchase formaldehyde-free paint Analysis of purchase invoices
Waste management
Minimise waste from one-use, throwaway products Analysis of comparison of waste
(e.g. paper towels, disposable nappies, wet wipes) by management before and after
changing behaviours and procedures, and using
alternative products. The following are some
suggestions.
Replace paper towels with individual cloth towels on a Analysis of wastage count before and
peg located in the bathroom or at each locker, and after
washed each week.
Install a low energy electric hand dryer. Analysis of maintenance data
Cut paper towels in half to reduce waste while working Analysis of wastage count before and
towards using cloth towels or installing a low energy after
electric hand dryer.
Replace wet wipes with washable cloths. Analysis of purchase invoices
Adopt green cleaning practices by using safe and Analysis of purchase invoices
sustainable cleaning products and methods
Recycle plastic waste glass, paper, cardboard, foil and Analysis of purchase invoices
metal
Explore the waste hierarchy of refuse within the Research reports
educational program i.e. reduce, reuse, repair and
recycle.
Energy usage
off computers and/or screens when not in use. Observation reports/Video footage
Turn off computers and electrical equipment before Observation reports/Video footage
leaving the building.
Install and use ceiling fans instead of air conditioning, Analysis of purchase invoices /
when appropriate. Observation reports/Video footage
Close doors and windows when heating or air Observation reports/Video footage
conditioning the building where possible, while
maintaining adequate ventilation. Strategies must be
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developed for indoor-outdoor programs to enable this

to occur.
Turn off fridges that are not in use during extended Observation reports/Video footage
holiday periods (ensure no food remains and the fridge
is cleaned well beforehand).
Turn lights off when not required. Install light sensors Observation reports/Video footage
where possible.
Upgrade old appliances with energy efficient appliances Analysis of purchase invoices/
Maintenance data
Water consumption
Install 5,000–20,000-liter water tanks and consider Analysis of purchase invoices/
connecting these to toilets. Maintenance data
Ensure that water from troughs and bowls is reused to Analysis of purchase invoices/
water the garden. Maintenance data
Use grey water (containing low salt/phosphate Analysis of purchase invoices/
detergents) to water grass and gardens when children Maintenance data
are not in attendance at the service
Install water saving taps in bathrooms. Analysis of purchase invoices/
Maintenance data
Install dual flush toilets. Analysis of purchase invoices/
Maintenance data
Place buckets or watering cans next to drink stations to Analysis of purchase invoices/
collect excess water. Maintenance data
Transport
Encourage staff to walk, cycle or catch public transport Presentation notes/newsletters/
to work, where possible. emails and training data
Create prominent, effective spaces for the storage of Analysis of purchase invoices/
bikes and prams to promote riding and walking to staff, Maintenance data
customers and suppliers
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Monitor records to identify trends and use to promote

continuous improvement of performance
You have implemented your sustainable work practices, you or your ‘implementation team’
feel that practices are working well and you have developed measurable targets so that you
can determine whether this is in fact the case. Monitoring the program will require
development of a system that makes monitoring an easier task to complete. You could
consider preparing checklists that can be used to do a visual count of lights switched off,
equipment in use, amount of single sided waste paper or other work practices. There are
various monitoring or tracking templates that you could develop to assist you with this task
relevant to the workplace resources such as following example:
Resource usage
Resource June-20 July-20 August-20
Building and Room Lights x 78
Air Conditioners x 4
Computers x 12
Photocopiers x3
Toners
Photocopy paper (reams)
Tap water – internal building (e.g.
kitchen)
Water consumption – Toilets
Tap water – external building (e.g.
gardens)
Plastic sleeves (box 300)
Folders (binders)
Coffee (500g tin)
Tea (100 bags in a box)
Milk
Plastic cups for water cooler (pack 10)
Company cars x3 – petrol usage and

carbon emissions (per week)
Waste bins x60 (wastage per day)

Recycling bins x1 (boxes emptied per
week)
Refrigerators x2
Water cooler x1
Hot water cylinders x2
Microwaves x8
Soft drink vending machine x1
Building heating
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Modify policy and or procedures as required to ensure

improvements are made
Policies and procedures are among your organization’s most important documents. Without
them, employees would have no clear guidelines on how to perform their work, how to
start and maintain equipment, how to get expense reports approved, and so on.
Improving policies and procedures can increase operational efficiency and benefit everyone
in your organization, from upper management to individual contributors.
How do you improve your policies and procedures?
Start to improve your policies and procedures by inventorying your company’s existing
documents. Once you’ve done this, follow the steps in the table below as you apply the
Information Mapping Method to make them more effective.
Step Action
1 Analyse each document thoroughly:
• Determine whether the contents of the document are limited to
• policies and procedures. Make sure to separate other document types
(such as templates, notes, meeting minutes, etc.) from the policies and
procedures.
• Ensure that the content is current, up-to-date and relevant.
• Are primary and secondary topics distinguished from one another?
2 Examine the structure of the policy and procedure document. Make sure that
• it contains all the necessary Blocks to ensure a smooth, accurate
execution of the policy or procedure
• steps or stages are presented in chronological order, and
• if it’s a procedure, it uses Step/Action tables.
3 Apply the Information Mapping principles to rewrite your document.
4 Review the document before deployment. Seek input from relevant
stakeholders and end users, including management as well as employees
External policy writers may be helpful
It’s not always easy to perform a critical analysis of your own documentation: very often an
external party can provide you with an objective assessment and valuable insights. External
consultants such as policy writers may have deep-level experience that can help you
improve the quality and usability of policies and procedures.
For some people, the idea of an employee policy manual brings to mind an image of a dusty
binder sitting on a shelf. These people tend to think of policies and procedures as inflexible
and unchanging. Once they are created, they are in place for good. But this is a flawed and
problematic view of policies and procedures. Effective policy and procedure management
requires far more than just creating a manual to sit on a shelf.
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Policies and procedures are living documents that should grow and adapt with a
organisation. While the core elements of policy may stay the same, the details should
change with the industry and the organization. Policy review and revision is a crucial part of
an effective policy and procedure management plan.
Why is it important to review policies and procedures?
Outdated policies can leave your organization at risk. Old policies may fail to comply with
new laws and regulations. They may not address new systems or technology, which can
result in inconsistent practices. Regularly reviewing policies and procedures keeps your
organization up to date with regulations, technology, and industry best practices. Policy
review ensures that your policies are consistent and effective.
Reviewing policies and procedures is especially important for high-risk or highly regulated
industries such as healthcare, public safety, banking, and more. But organizations in every
industry should regularly review and revise their organisation policies.
When to Review Policies and Procedures
With all the pressing daily tasks in the workplace, it’s easy for policy review to fall through
the cracks. Administrators may know that it’s important to review policies and procedures,
but other tasks take precedence. However, policy review is best when its done regularly and
proactively. Organisation leaders shouldn’t wait for an incident to occur before they review
and update organisation policies.
Regular policy and procedure review

The best way to proactively tackle policy and procedure review is just to build it into the
corporate calendar.
As a general rule, every policy should be reviewed every one to three years. But most
experts recommend reviewing policies annually.
Policy review doesn’t have to be as daunting a task as it sounds. A good policy management
software will let you set up workflows to collaborate with your policy review committee,
gather feedback, and track approvals.
Organizational changes
When your organization goes through large-scale changes, it’s a good idea to review
relevant policies. Policies should line up with the organisation’s mission, vision, and values.
So if you have a change in strategic direction or a reorganization, it’s important to review
policies to make sure they align with the changes.
These kinds of changes won't affect every policy. For example, a new structure probably
won’t impact a vacation policy. But it may change other day-to-day policies and processes.
Page 83 of 88
Changes to laws or regulations

Corporate laws and regulations change constantly. Compliance teams need to be aware of
the changes and know which policies they impact. If there is a big regulatory change, you
may need to gather your policy review committee for a special meeting instead of waiting
until the regularly scheduled review time.
Adopting the changes into your policies as soon as possible helps you start to adjust your
workplace to the new regulations. If you build them into your policies early on, you will have
a smooth transition into compliance when the new laws go into effect.
An incident or policy violation

As mentioned before, you shouldn’t wait until an incident occurs to review your
organisation policies. However, an incident or policy violation can indicate the need for a
change.
After an incident, it’s a good idea to do a debrief to make sure the policy had the intended
effect. Examine the details of the incident to see if employees carried out the procedures
properly. And look to see if there were any gaps in training or employee understanding of
the policy. This will help you determine whether you need to revise the policy in question.
Not every policy violation should result in sweeping policy changes. Sometimes it’s an
isolated incident, calling for additional training or remediation for the employees involved.
But in some cases, especially if there are many incidents in the same area, the issue may be
that the policy is outdated, confusing, or requires increased training.
Page 84 of 88
References
Boyle, A. (2015) ‘9 Tips for Communicating Sustainability in the Workplace,’ Roundpeg, Available at:
https://www.roundpegcomm.com/9-tips-for-communicating-sustainability-in-the-workplace/,
Accessed 22 June 2020.
DIY Committee Guide, (n.d.) ‘How to Develop Policies and Procedures’ Available at:
https://www.diycommitteeguide.org/resource/how-to-develop-policies-and-procedures, Accessed
22 June 2020.
Dosal, C. (2013) ‘5 Key Steps to a Sustainable Corporate Strategy,’ PGS Advisors International,
Available at: http://www.pgsadvisors.com/2013/08/5-key-steps-to-a-sustainable-corporate-
strategy/, Accessed 23 June 2020.
Ene, C. (2019) ‘5 Ways To Implement A Sustainability Strategy’ CEO Today Magazine, Available at:
https://www.ceotodaymagazine.com/2019/05/5-ways-to-implement-a-sustainability-strategy/,
Environmental-Legislation-Guidelines (2018), Australian Government, Geoscience, Available at:

‘https://www.ga.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/72030/Environmental-Legislation-Guidelines-
v1.0.pdf Accessed 22 June 2020.
Gibbsons, S. (2020) ‘3 Ways To Make Sustainability A Part Of Your Business’ Forbes, Available at:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/serenitygibbons/2019/02/28/3-ways-to-make-sustainability-a-part-
of-your-business/#5d6db5476637, Accessed 22 June 2020.
Guerin, L. (2019) ‘The Essential Guide to Workplace Investigations,’ Available at:

https://store.nolo.com/products/the-essential-guide-to-workplace-investigations-nvst.html,
Learner Guide (2007), Business services, Sustainability Victoria, National Centre for Sustainability
(NCS) at Swinburne University of Technology.
Ledue, N. (n.d.) ‘How to Promote Sustainability in the Workplace,’ Boss Magazine, Available at:
https://thebossmagazine.com/promote-sustainability-workplace/, Accessed 22 June 2020.
Mason, M (n.d.) ‘What Is Sustainability and Why Is It Important?, Environmental Sci3ence, Available
at: https://www.environmentalscience.org/sustainability, Accessed 22 June 2020.
Scope of sustainability, (2020), Solidworks, Sustainability, Available at:

https://www.solidworks.com/sustainability/sustainable-design-guide/ch2-scope-of-
sustainability.htm
Sealy, P. and Shepherd, J. (2018) ‘Environmental law and practice in Australia: overview’ Thomson
Reuters, Available at: https://content.next.westlaw.com/Document Accessed 22 June 2020.
Strait, G. (n.d.) ‘5 Workplace Practices for Better Environmental Sustainability’ Gensuite, Available at:
https://www.gensuite.com/5-workplace-practices-for-better-environmental-sustainability/,
Press8 Editorial Team (2015) ‘What is a Sustainability Policy and Why Your Company Needs One’
Press8 Telecom, Available at: https://www.press8.com/what-is-a-sustainability-policy-and-why-
your-company-needs-one/, Accessed 22 June 2020.
Page 85 of 88
What Is Sustainability? (n.d.) ‘Sustainability – What Is It? Definition, Principles and Examples‘
youmatter, Available at: https://youmatter.world/en/definition/definitions-sustainability-definition-
examples-principles/, Accessed 22 June 2020.
Page 86 of 88
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BSBSUS501 - Develop workplace policy and procedures for sustainability - Introduction

How to use the workbook

Application of the unit

What is sustainability, then? Sustainable is an adjective for something that is able to be

Principles of sustainability: The 3 pillars of sustainability

Primary goals of sustainability

• The end of poverty and hunger

From Sustainability to Regeneration

The REGENESIS Group speaks of Regenerative Development as working to reverse the

our environment. Environmental damage, pollution, destabilising soils by cutting down

Examples of sustainability: A long-term vision

Technology: Examples of what is sustainability in technology

Workplace: Examples of what sustainability in the workplace

Operations and value-chain: where’s the sustainability?

An organisation’s strategy (CSR): Where is its sustainability?

Fashion: Examples of sustainability in fashion

Transportation: What is sustainability in transportation?

Zero Waste - As an example of sustainability

The food industry: Examples of sustainability in this area

Summary of Australian environmental legislation

• Most states and territories mandate a ‘general environmental duty’ to take

Environmental regulatory framework

• Recent developments in Australia include an increasing focus on:

State and territory legislation

• Australian Capital Territory. The Environmental Protection Act 1997 (Australian

Sanctions and penalties

Legislative and policy authority

• Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth)

• Australian Government Data Centre Strategy 2010-2025 and Data Centre

• Australian Capital Territory. The Environment Protection Authority.

• Instituting criminal and/or civil proceedings.

Internal and external sources of information

• Organisational policies and procedures manuals

Important external information sources include:

• Environmental legislation, regulations and standards

How to develop policies and procedures

Policy development involves identifying need, gathering information, drafting, consulting

Stages in policy development

Policies can be developed in anticipation of need and;

• In response to need (e.g. a policy position on a government strategy may be

2. Identify who will take lead responsibility

Delegate responsibility to an individual, working group, sub-committee or staff members,

5. Consult with appropriate stakeholders

6. Finalise / approve policy

7. Consider whether procedures are required

9. Monitor, review, revise

Operation of this Policy

This section should include a description of:

Major benefits to be accrued from implementation of this policy are three-fold;

Application of the Policy

1. Operation of this Policy

5. Application of the Policy

Why your organisations need sustainability policy

Example of sustainability policy (excerpt)

It is our policy to:

• Recycle as much waste material as possible

Organisational systems and procedures that relate to

Here are 5 workplace practices for better environmental sustainability.

1. Encourage employees to use public transportation. According to this APTA study, a

Barriers to implementing policies and procedures

Typical barriers to implementing policies and procedures in an organisation and possible

Barriers Description Strategy to overcome the barrier

Barriers Description Strategy to overcome the barrier