EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICAN MANAGEMENT

INSTITUTE

CORPORATE ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

 ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

1. ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS

An environmental policy is the very foundation upon which an organisation should base
all its interactions, decision-making and future policies, regarding environmental
concerns. The Canadian Standards Association defined an environmental policy as “the
overall environmental intentions and directions of an organisation as regards the
environment”.

An organisation’s environmental policy forms the backbone and skeletal framework from
which all other environmental components are hung (including EMS, audits, assessments
and reports). If the policy is flawed then all environmental systems could be weakened
and could not function effectively.

Developing an environmental policy is the first step for any organisation committed to
improving its environmental performance, and wishing to demonstrate to others that it is
intending to take environmental matters seriously.

There is no standard universal environmental policy that can be applied, ready made, to
all business sectors. Every organisation has its own unique activities, priorities and
concerns. This demands unique policies too. The essential key features that are common
to all effective and credible policies are as follows:

 A policy should be relevant to the activities, products and services and the
environmental effects of the organisation concerned.
 A policy should be communicated, implemented and maintained at all levels in
the organisation.
 It should be publicly available.
 It should include a commitment to continual improvement of environmental
performance.
 It should provide for the setting and publication of environmental objectives.
 It should state clearly and precisely how each objective will be achieved.
 It should indicate how environmental objectives will be made publicly available.

The commitment of top management is fundamental to the success of an environmental

policy. The Chief Executive or an individual on the Board of Directors should be
responsible and accountable for the organization’s policy.

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 2. DEVELOPING AN ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

The Canadian Standards Authority (CSA) have suggested that any environmental policy
should be developed from five main strands:

 The organization’s mission:

The reason the organization exists, the societal needs it fulfils, and the
business focus it will have acquired.

 The organization’s vision:

The state to which the organization aspires.

Both Vision and Mission are intended to provide long-term guidance for
the organization and they should be specifically stated within the policy.

 Core values and beliefs:

These are part of the cultural and ethical position the organization will
have adopted.

 Stakeholder requirements:

Include the expectations of shareholders, bankers, insurers, employees and

local communities.

 Guiding principles:

Serve to focus the actions of the organisation and can provide an ethical
stance in areas of importance to stakeholders.

A credible policy must demonstrate to the stakeholders that the organization is proactive
and intends to go beyond mere minimum compliance. General principles that should be
included in a policy to show proactiveness are:

 Adopt and aim to apply principles of “sustainable development”.

 Strive to adopt the highest available environmental standards in all site locations,
and meet or exceed all applicable legislation.
 Adopt a total “cradle to grave” environmental assessment and accept
responsibility for all products and services, the raw materials used and the
disposal of products after use.

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 Aim to minimize or eliminate the use of non-renewable materials, supplies and
energy, and wherever possible use renewable or recyclable materials and
compounds.
 Expect high environmental standards from all parties involved in the business
including suppliers, contractors and vendors, and put pressure on such groups to
improve their environmental performance in line with that of the organization.
 Accept strict liability for environmental damage.