BSBSUS501

Develop workplace policy and procedures for sustainability

Learner Workbook

Table of Contents

Enhance College of Technology I RTO 41531

 Page|2

Table of Contents...............................................................................................................2
Candidate Details...............................................................................................................3
Assessment – BSBSUS501: Develop workplace policies and procedures for sustainability3
Competency Record to be completed by Assessor............................................................4
Activities............................................................................................................................7
Activity 1A...........................................................................................................................7
Activity 1B...........................................................................................................................8
Activity 1C...........................................................................................................................9
Activity 1D.........................................................................................................................10
Activity 1E..........................................................................................................................11
Activity 1F..........................................................................................................................12
Activity 2A.........................................................................................................................13
Activity 2B.........................................................................................................................14
Activity 3A.........................................................................................................................15
Activity 3B.........................................................................................................................16
Activity 3C.........................................................................................................................17
Activity 3D.........................................................................................................................18
Activity 4B.........................................................................................................................19
Activity 4C.........................................................................................................................20
Skills and Knowledge Activity............................................................................................21
Major Activity....................................................................................................................22

Enhance College of Technology I RTO 41531

Candidate Details

Assessment – BSBSUS501: Develop workplace policies and procedures for

sustainability
Please complete the following activities and hand in to your trainer for marking. This
forms part of your assessment for BSBSUS501: Develop workplace policies and
procedures for sustainability.

Name:

Address:

Email:

Declaration

I declare that no part of this assessment has been copied from another person’s work
with the exception of where I have listed or referenced documents or work and that
no part of this assessment has been written for me by another person.

Signed:

Date:

If activities have been completed as part of a small group or in pairs, details of the
learners involved should be provided below:

This activity workbook has been completed by the following persons and we acknowledge
that it was a fair team effort where everyone contributed equally to the work completed.
We declare that no part of this assessment has been copied from another person’s work
with the exception of where we have listed or referenced documents or work and that no
part of this assessment has been written for us by another person.

Learner 1:

Signed:

Learner 2:

Signed:
Learner 3:
Signed:
Competency Record to be completed by Assessor
Learner Name:

Date of Assessment:

The learner has been assessed as competent in the elements and performance criteria
and the evidence has been presented as:

Assessor Initials

Authentic

Valid

Reliable

Current
Sufficient

Learner is deemed: COMPETENT NOT YET COMPETENT (Please circle)

If not yet competent, date for re-assessment:

Comments from Trainer / Assessor:

Assessor Signature:
Observation/Demonstration

Throughout this unit, you will be expected to show your competency of the elements
through observations or demonstrations. Your instructor will have a list of demonstrations
you must complete or tasks to be observed. The observations and demonstrations will be
completed as well as the activities found in this workbook. An explanation of
demonstrations and observations:

Demonstration is off-the-job

A demonstration will require:

 Performing a skill or task that is asked of you

 Undertaking a simulation exercise

Observation is on-the-job

The observation will usually require:

 Performing a work based skill or task

 Interaction with colleagues and/or customers

Your instructor will inform you of which one of the above they would like you to
do. The demonstration/observation will cover one of the unit’s elements.

The observation/demonstration will take place either in the workplace or the training
environment, depending on the task to be undertaken and whether it is an observation or
demonstration. Your instructor will ensure you are provided with the correct equipment
and/or materials to complete the task. They will also inform you of how long you have to
complete the task.

You should be able to demonstrate you can:

 Develop workplace sustainability policy

 Communicate workplace sustainability policy

 Implement workplace sustainability policy

 Review workplace sustainability policy implementation

You will also need to show:

 Communication skills to adjust communication to suit different audiences;

 to respond effectively to diversity; to work as a member of a team to
consult on and validate policy

 Literacy skills to read and evaluate complex and formal documents such
as policy and legislation
 Problem-solving skills to effectively manage different points of view and
dissenting stakeholders

 Research, analytical and writing skills to research, analyse and present

information; to prepare written reports requiring precision of expression
and language and structures suited to the intended audience
Activities

Activity 1A

Estimated 20 Minutes
Time
Objective Define scope of sustainability policy and gather information from a
range of
sources to plan and develop policy.
Activity What is the scope of your sustainability policy?

Sustainability policy speaks to an adjusted cooperation between the

human-fabricated and regular world. This connection is regularly
communicated as having three parts: condition, social value, and economy.

The main scope of our sustainability policy is to manage a connection

between every one of these components is frequently spoken to as either a
Venn outline, with manageability at the crossing point, or as concentric
circles, mirroring a layering of spaces. This second case mirrors the more
reasonable point of view that a solid economy relies upon a sound society,
both of which depend on a sound domain. Sustainability happens when
every one of the three is promising.

What sources of information have you gathered to help you plan and
develop your policy?

For developing the sustainability policy, we have used some primary and
secondary resources for gathering information and data accordingly. The
primary source of information is a unique information source, that is, one
in which the information is gathered first-hand by the analyst for a
particular research reason or task.

Essential information can be gathered in various ways. Be that as it may,

the most widely recognized strategies are self-regulated overviews,
interviews, field perception, and examinations. Essential information
gathering is very costly and tedious contrasted with auxiliary information
accumulation. In any case, essential information gathering might be the
main appropriate strategy for a few kinds of research.
Activity 1B

Estimated 20 Minutes
Time
Objective Identify and consult stakeholders as a key component of the
policy development process.
Activity 1. Who are your stakeholders?

It is an entrenched rule that sustainability development can't be

accomplished by one person and it requires the dynamic investment
surprisingly. The Major Groups, speaking to key divisions of society, help
channel the commitment of subjects, financial and social performing
artists, and master experts identified with practical improvement.
2. Choose a stakeholder from your list above and describe the methods
of communication you would use to consult with them and what you
would discuss.

Look for proving from perceived sources and invest energy with industry
specialists and genuine customers previously evaluating the upsides of
sustainability policy. Before talking about the supportability approach with
the investors, the probability that the perspectives of the stakeholder will
be joined into vital arranging.

• Recognize and track the needs and desires of investor

• Recognize and track his observations and mentalities

• Give input on particular arranged improvements

• Assess executions and activities involved in the policy

Activity 1C

Estimated 20 Minutes
Time
Objective 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.
Activity What strategies could you include to reduce toxic material and
hazard chemical use and employ life cycle management
approaches?

Life cycle management is implanted in realistic utilization and generation

strategies. These strategies are comprehended as the utilization of some
related items, that react to essential require and take a needs higher
satisfaction for common assets and dangerous materials and increase the
discharges of waste materials and toxic over the existence cycle of the
administration or item so as not to endanger the necessities of who and
what is to come.

Life cycle administration is a business administration idea connected in

mechanical and benefit areas to enhance items and administrations while
improving the general manageability execution of the business and its
esteem chains. Life cycle considering item sustainability is operational for
organizations that are driven also, dedicated to diminishing their natural
and financial weight while expanding monetary and social esteem.
Activity 1D

Estimated 30 Minutes
Time
Objective Make recommendations for policy options based on likely
effectiveness, timeframes and cost.
Activity Demonstrate how you can make recommendations for a policy
based on likely effectiveness, timeframes and cost.

This Recommendations of Sustainability Policy report catches the

endeavours of the Supportability Policy unit. The unit concentrated
principally on creating strategy proposals that may give guidance for the
City Council's activities in what's to come. Furthermore, the Task Force built
up a rundown of potential activity things that supplement these strategies
for future thought.

The Task Force distinguished five beginning centre territories in the field of
supportability:

1. Reduction of Toxic
2. Vitality and Conservation of Water
3. Toxins in Yard
4. Green Building
5. Communication and education regarding sustainability
Activity 1E

Estimated 30 Minutes
Time
Objective Develop policy that reflects the organisation's commitment to
sustainability as an integral part of business planning and as a business
opportunity.
Activity How do you propose to demonstrate your organisation’s commitment
to
sustainability?

Consolidating sustainability into the organization is a significant advance.

In any case, this is vital to convey your liability inside among your team,
and product and service providers, associated customers and other
shareholders. By imparting regarding a reasonable and steady mould,
sustainability gets changed into an imbued part of the culture of the
organization, one that the employees can be proud, increasing their
satisfaction. The following methodologies can likewise be utilized to exhibit
association's manageability strategy
Activity 1F

Estimated 20 Minutes
Time
Objective Agree to appropriate methods of implementation,
outcomes and performance indicators.
Activity Prepare for a meeting with your supervisors. Brainstorm ideas for
appropriate methods of implementation.

For implementing the sustainability policy in the organization, there are

some important aspects that need to be covered in order to perform an
effective implementation. There are the following points important for
implementing the policy:

• Follow current environmental laws and rules

• Consider, survey and take activities where important to consistently

enhance natural practices

• Stress to workers at all levels their own particular obligation to the

ecological prosperity, giving preparing and data where relevant

• Show and give this Policy to all workers including Sub-contractual

workers

• Review natural and manageability execution

• Survey this arrangement taking in to think any review discoveries every

year as a base.
Activity 2A

Estimated 20 Minutes
Time
Objective Promote workplace sustainability policy, including its expected
outcome, to key stakeholders.
Activity Why should you promote your workplace sustainability policy?

The primary purpose for promoting sustainability policy is that, once

organizations begin making practical items and administrations, it turns
into a decision between existing items or administrations and manageable
choices.

Think about your key stakeholders and how you can

promote your sustainability policy to them – how does it
benefit them?

As innovation enhanced, sustainable items in the market wound up less

expensive and better and began contending with items made by traditional
strategies. Numerous clients today incline toward feasible items over
customary items, on the off chance that they are given a decision,
regardless of whether the cost is higher. Organizations all around perceive
this pattern
 What do you have to think about when promoting the policy and its
expected outcome to stakeholders?

For convincing the key stakeholder regarding the sustainability policy, a

clear demonstration must be done regarding the scope and benefits of the
policy in front of him. Multiple people preferred the possibility of
sustainability and the larger part of shoppers upheld the thought. Be that
as it may, not very many individuals really acknowledged how vital
manageability was.
Activity 2B

Estimated 30 Minutes
Time
Objective Inform those involved in implementing the policy about expected
outcomes, activities to be undertaken and assigned responsibilities.
Activity When informing those involved in implementing the policy of the
outcomes you expect why is it important to be specific?

It is important to be specific regarding the expected outcomes of the policy

because they are somehow interrelated to the consequences of the
implementation. There might be done chances that the policy will not give
outcomes as expected so the involved individuals must be clear about the
possibilities of different types of outcomes whether they are positive or
negative.

Give an example of an activity or activities that you would like staff to

undertake to help achieve a target (also specify the target).

Here, the target will be a successful implementation of the sustainability

policy. For this, icebreaker activity will be the best option where all the
team members will comfortably interact with each other regarding the
aspects of the sustainability policy. This will help to identify some other
opportunities for improvement in the implementation and help the entire
staff to achieve the goals and targets more precisely.

You have given a supervisor the task of meeting this target.

What responsibilities would the supervisor have?

My partner has the responsibility to reduce the confliction among the staff
member’s thoughts and perceptions regarding the sustainability policy.
This will help him to make decisions as a supervisor and find out the best
way to implement the sustainability policy.
Activity 3A

Estimated 15 Minutes
Time
Objective Develop and communicate procedures to help implement
workplace sustainability policy.
Activity What is a procedure? Give an example below:

A procedure is a setup strategy for achieving an errand, as a rule with steps

that are performed in an endorsed order. The systems are fundamentally
consecutive activities that are intended to finish an undertaking. In the
business world, all organization tasks can be separated into classes called
forms. For example, first a business is started, after that, customers are
added and they try the products and if they like the quality then they will
tell others about the product. After all these steps, a business becomes
successful. There is no way to make a business successful without following
the proper procedure.

What different methods of communicating a procedure are you aware

of?

• Inter process communication

• Intra-process communication
• Verbal communication
• Non-verbal communication
Activity 3B

Estimated 15 Minutes
Time
Objective Implement strategies for continuous improvement in resource
efficiency.
Activity 1. What is continuous improvement?

Continuous improvement can be termed as a progressing press on to make

some advancement in items, procedures or techniques. These activities are
needs to be done essentially for profitable change after some time for
making forward change all at once. Customers valued procedures are
regularly enhanced and assessed for their productivity, adaptability and
viability.
2. What qualities should staff have for this?

• Communication qualities
• Measurement skills
• Commit through the organization
• Patience
• Constancy of purpose

3. What qualities should supervisors have to help staff achieve this?

For a continuous improvement within an organization, the supervisor

should have the following qualities in order to take the entire team with
him towards achieving the goal of continuous improvement:

• Leadership quality
• Shift to long-term mind-set
• Focusing on prevention instead of suffering
Activity 3C

Estimated 20 Minutes
Time
Objective Establish and assign responsibility for recording systems to track
continuous improvements in sustainability approaches.
Activity 1. First, write a list of all the tasks that need to be done to track
continuous improvements in sustainability approaches.

• Make little, incremental changes on the fly

• Coordinate a gathering to examine bigger changes

• Plainly distinguish the issue or change

• Plan potential arrangements

• Test changes in a non-live condition

• Screen changes after the organization

2. Next, explain how you propose to assign people to those tasks. Do

you need a large team? Explain your answer.

Yes, there will be a large team needed for completing the tasks discussed
above because it is important that all the persons associated with the
sustainability policy must be involved in this process. Their presence will
help to successfully track the continuous improvements.
Activity 3D

Estimated 15 Minutes
Time
Objective Document outcomes and provide feedback to key
personnel and stakeholders.
Activity 1. What might you have to give feedback to stakeholders regarding?

A feedback might be given to the stakeholders regarding the performance

of the employees and working on strategies as their money is invested in
the business. They are the most important persons to get aware of the
actual situation of the organization because they are the ones who will be
affected the most by the results and consequences of the profit or loss.

2. Think about your stakeholders – who would be interested in each of

the above examples? Assign at least two stakeholders for each.

While documenting the outcomes of the work being done, it is important

that the stakeholders will get to know the factual status about the
progress and work. A key personnel stakeholder will be interested in
identifying that the continuous improvement is being done or not because
they do not only want to make money but they also want to the
organization to grow. Instead of that, an individual stakeholder outside of
the company who just invested some of his money in the company, only
wants to know about the outcome of the strategies being made for
improving the company.
Activity 4B

Estimated 15 Minutes
Time
Objective Investigate successes or otherwise of policy.
Activity 1. What should you research when investigating successes?

Without responsibility from those at the highest point of the organization,

it's difficult to identify why an investigation is vital for success. There are
some following components that can be used to investigate success:

• Strategic Focus (Planning, direction, supervision)

• Individuals (workers Staff, knowledge, growth)

• Tasks (effort, process)

• Promoting (consumer Relations, Profit, awareness)

• Funds (resources, services, Equipment)

2. What should you research when investigating areas for

improvement?

There are some following qualities required for investigating areas for
improvement:

• Be honest with the stakeholders

• Goal alignment
• Identify issues and concerns
Activity 4C

Estimated 15 Minutes
Time
Objective Monitor records to identify trends that may require remedial action
and use to promote continuous improvement of performance and
modify policy and or procedures as required to ensure improvements
are made.
Activity What is a trend? Give an example.

A trend is what's popular or famous at one point in time. To set a trend

intends to accomplish something that ends up acknowledged or stylish,
and that a lot of other individual’s duplicates. This term trend just reflects
the most famous thing which is being adapted by everyone in current time.
Trends does not follow a specific category of items or something, they can
be anything depending upon the present time and situation.

You have found a problem with a procedure. How could you find a
solution?

For solving any issues or problem with a procedure, all issues and concerns
must be identified. After identifying these issues, a prioritization will be
done to identify the issues that have the highest intensity and these issues
will be solved first. This will help to detect the main issue with the
procedure more precisely. Finally, a solution will be introduced for the
particular problem.
Skills and Knowledge Activity

Estimated 120 Minutes

Time
Objective To provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge
of the foundation skills, knowledge evidence and performance
evidence.
Activity Complete the following individually and attach your completed work to
your workbook.
The answers to the following questions will enable you to
demonstrate your knowledge of:
 Reading
 Writing
 Oral Communication
 Numeracy
 Navigate the world of work
 Interact with others
 Get the work done
 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
 Policy development processes and practices
 Organisational systems and procedures that relate to sustainability
 Typical barriers to implementing policies and procedures
in an organisation and possible strategies to address
them.

Answer each question in as much detail as possible, considering your

organisational requirements for each one.
1. Research two of the following and write a synopsis of
useful information you found from each document:
 Ecological foot printing
 Energy Efficiency Opportunities Bill 2005
 Global Reporting Initiative
 Green office program
 Green purchasing
 Greenhouse challenge plus (Australian government initiative)
 ISO 14001:1996 environmental management systems life
cycle analyses
 Life cycle analyses
 Product stewardship
 Supply chain management
 Sustainability covenants/compacts
 Triple bottom line reporting.

2. Create a five to ten minute presentation to communicate your

research with stakeholders. How can it help you to create your
policy? Show how you will implement and review it. You should
also consider stakeholder’s different opinions and positions
when tailoring your presentation.

Ensure you prepare for questions from the audience.

Answer

Ecological foot printing

The ecological footprint is a sustainability indicator that expresses the relationship that exists
between society’s consumption of the natural resources and the surrounding environment. It
expresses the areas nature’s interest that are being appropriated. If there is more bio-production
than what is and the rate of consumption is not sustainable we can say land and sea production
should be more (Chambers et al., 2000). On the other hands if every individual lives within his/her
own earths share, then we can only consume what the earth provides.
The ecological footprint uses a common global hectare that can be used to derive ecological
footprints like processes, regions, countries, products and individuals. In calculating ecological foot
print we use area and sea types which include energy land, built land, biodiversity, bio-productive
land and sea.

The ecological footprint analysis uses responsibility principle that takes into account the resources
that are used by the residents.

The ecological footprint has proved to be a real factor of a better sustainable consumption. This is
achieved through aggregating the consumption of a range of resources and comparing the resources
consumption with the available resources globally.

Through the wide range of materials and energy used, ecological foot printing can be used to be an
indicator of resource efficiency, providing a service and creating economic wealth.
Above all we can use ecological foot printing to indicate how well the resource efficiency of a product
is declining or improving.

ISO 14001:1996 environmental management systems life cycle analyses

This are international standard guidelines that must be followed by a company. They are used by a
registrar to ensure that a company can be certified. It also gives an outline on the requirements that
any company has to meet before it is given a certification on their environmental management
systems use.
The ISO 14001:1996 was revised by ISO 14001:2004. This rules entails:

a) Environmental policy: the company has to define an environmental policy which is in line with
the scope of the EMS and relevant to the organisation.
b) Planning: the organisation has to establish and maintain procedures that identify the
environmental aspects and determine those that have significant impacts on the environment.
c) Implementation and Operation: it spells out the roles, authorities and responsibilities for the
environmental management systems.
d) Checking and Corrective Action: this are procedures that are used for monitoring and
measuring the main characteristics of activities and operations.
e) Management Review: ensure that the management reviews the EMS to make sure that it is
suitable, adequate and effective.
2. Create a five to ten-minute presentation to communicate your research with stakeholders.
How can it help you to create your policy? Show how you will implement and review it. You should
also consider stakeholder’s different opinions and positions when tailoring your presentation.

Ensure you prepare for questions from the audience.

Presentation slides should be attached here:

Major Activity

Estimated 1 Hour
Time
Objective To provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge
of the entire unit.
Activity This is a major activity – your instructor will let you know whether
you will complete it during class or in your own time.

Completed answers should be attached to the workbook.

You must individually, answer the following questions in full to

show your competency of each element:
1. Develop workplace sustainability policy
2. Communicate workplace sustainability policy
3. Implement workplace sustainability policy
4. Review workplace sustainability policy implementation

1. Decide on and describe your approach to sustainability.

2. How do you hope to minimise resource use in your

organisation? Give some examples of the strategies you intend
to use.

3. Thinking of sustainability as a business opportunity means thinking

about its advantages for the business. What are some advantages?

4. Develop a workplace procedure to put a part of your policy into

action. Choose an appropriate method and explain your choice of
method in your answer.

5. Choose a procedure to audit and create an audit checklist for

monitoring continuous improvement regarding your chosen
procedure.
 6. Choose one barrier that you might have to overcome when
implementing policies and procedures. Explain how you could
overcome this barrier.

Answer

Sustainability policy of my workplace

Bright consultants (BC) engage in activities that impact the environment,

use resources and create waste and emissions. Examples include using non
recycled paper as well as use of vehicles. Creating a Sustainability
Management System will allow GMC to control and monitor such impacts
and at the same time achieve environmental objectives. This policy should
be communicated to stakeholders and implemented and reviewed on a
regular basis.

2. Sustainability facts and figures

Some key facts relating to sustainability include:

● by recycling 1 plastic bottle, enough energy can be saved to
power a computer for 25 minutes
● between 2001 and 2007 in Australia the volume of waste
deposited to landfill increased by 12% increasing from 19
million tonnes to 21.3 million tonnes
● recycling one glass container saves enough energy to power
a 100 watt light bulb for 4 hours
● one tree makes approximately 3000 pieces of paper
● over 6 billion plastic bags are used each year
● if you use recycled paper, there is 99% less water and 50%
less energy used in the production process compared to
paper from new raw materials

Benefits to businesses of implementing sustainable initiatives

include:
● improved reputation of business in the community as the
company is seen as environmentally responsible
● cost savings from implementing policies such as using
double sided printing
● more efficient and competitive
● attract and retain employees
● improve customer sales and loyalty
 ● grow supplier commitment

3. How sustainability can be built into business planning and can

inform business opportunities

Sustainability should be built into business planning and be used to

inform business opportunities.

There is a rapidly growing market in relation to sustainable

products and services. Many businesses are looking to see how
they can include this group in their target market by providing
environmentally or socially superior products to their competitors.
Examples include renewable energy solutions as well as more
responsibly sourced products such as coffees.

Sustainable goods and products may also receive government

grants or have other financial benefits.

Therefore these things should be factored into account when

planning the business and looking to opportunities.

4. Legal requirements in relation to workplace sustainability

There are a number of legal requirements that BC must comply

with in relation to workplace sustainability. These are relevant to a
wide range of BC's business.

In relation to energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and ozone

depleting substances the relevant legal requirements include:

● 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
● Australian Government Data Centre Strategy 2010-2025 and
Data Centre Optimisation Policy
● State Government Environment Protection Legislation and
Regulations, such as the Protection of Environment
 Operations Act 1997 (NSW)

In relation to waste management and resource recovery the

relevant legal requirements include:

● Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act

1999 (Cth)
● Product Stewardship Act 2011 (Cth)
● Hazardous Waste (Regulations of Exports and Imports) Act
1989 (Cth) as a national response to the Basel Convention
on Transboundry Movement of Hazardous Waste
● National Waste Policy: less waste, more resources
● Australian Packaging Covenant – Action Plan 2010-2015
● Australian Government ICT Sustainability Plan (ICTSP) 2010-
2015
● State Government Environment Protection Legislation and
Regulations, such as the Protection of Environment
Operations Act 1997 (NSW)
● Local Government Environmental Planning Policies (LEPPs)

5. Sustainability policies and procedures researched

Australian Government Department of Human Services

https://www.humanservices.gov.au/organisations/about-
us/publications-and-resources/environmental-sustainability-policy

The department support's the Australian government's

environmental policies and has its own measures and targets for
carbon emissions, energy, waste and resource use, as well as set
mandatory environmental standards for incorporating
sustainability into government procurements.

The department supports these commitments to reduce its impact

on the environment and to adopt practices that use resources
sustainably. These objectives are outlined in its comprehensive
Environmental Sustainability Policy, which also includes
accountabilities and actions to drive performance.
6. Overview of life cycle mapping

Life cycle stages

Step 1 – Identifying the stages in your life cycle
● choose publisher
● choose which books to publish
● printing of books
● distribution and sale to customers
Step 2 - Life cycle mapping
● see life cycle map below
Step 3 - Identifying key environmental impacts
● waste of paper - cutting down of trees etc
● excess travel - carbon emissions
● workshops on premises - wastage of resources including
energy and water
Step 4 - Developing strategies to reduce environmental impacts
● print double sided
● use local publishers
● use webinars and new technologies
● utilise ebooks
● use more public transport and car pooling
Step 5 - Selecting most effective strategies
Step 6 - Developing SMART1 action plans
Step 7 - Implementation
Step 8 - Evaluation and continuous improvement

Life cycle map

Life cycle mapping matrix

Stages of Habitat Potentiall Energy Water Green

life cycle destructio y use use house gas
n hazardou emission
s
materials

Printing of Destroy - Electricity - -

Books trees and for
habitat of printing
wild and
animals computer
use etc

Packaging - - Use of - Aircraft

and petrol, used to
Distributi wastage transport
on of of paper the books
Books emit
greenhous
e gases

Commuti - - Use of Regula -

ng of petrol, r
Employee commuti
s ng
purpose

Strategies to minimise environmental impact

● print double sided

● use local publishers
● use webinars and new technologies
● utilise ebooks
● use more public transport and car pooling

7. Example Sustainability Actions

• Develop tools to measure sustainability performance
• Design and operate systems in a manner that allows for the
integration of consultancy activities ]
• Promote the use of LEED (Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design) or similar green building standards in the
construction of new facilities.

8. Options for Strategies to Ensure Continuous Improvement of

Resource Efficiency

• Turn off all lights and equipment when they do not need to be
operating. • Use energy efficient office equipment and power
saving functions where they will be most effective. • Use the most
efficient motors, make sure equipment is the right size for the job,
that is, not too big. • Use the most efficient lights — triphosphor
tubes are cheaper to run than fluorescent lights. • Replace
incandescent globes with fluorescent tubes to save power as well
as reduce air conditioning loads and reduce labour needed to
change globes. • Install skylights in the roof or walls to reduce the
need for artificial lighting. • Minimise expenditure on space
heating. At 20 °C, a 1 °C increase can cost about 20 per cent more. •
Insulate rooms to minimise energy waste. • Fit self closing doors to
reduce heat (or cold) loss from draughts. • Consider installing a co-
generation plant to reduce energy costs and increase energy
efficiency. • Minimise the use of hot water as it costs much more
than cold water. Determine the minimum volume of water you
need. Compare your performance to others and make
improvements where possible. • Fix dripping taps and leaking pipes
— a dripping tap wastes more than $100 a year. • Install water
saving accessories around your business, contact your local water
authority for ideas. • Compare water usage on volume per unit
production, not per unit time (for example, use litres/bottle of
soda, not litres/minute). • Avoid using water wherever possible —
use a dry technique such as a broom, vacuum cleaner or
compressed air jet. • Use a dry method as a materials conveyor
instead of water. • Use counter flow rinsing with as many rinse
stages as possible, as most contaminants are removed in the first
rinse. Two short rinse stages are much more water efficient than
one long one. • Minimise contaminant ‘drag out’ to additional rinse
stages by optimising your counter flow rinse system. • Keeping up-
to-date and accurate records. • Regular maintenance programs.
Match package quantities to your batch sizes to avoid over ordering
of raw materials. • Investigate whether a different raw material
would produce less waste. • Set environmental standards for your
suppliers, their products and services, and request substantiation of
their claims. There should be no premium for this. • Check for
damaged or tainted goods when received as these are a source of
costly waste. • Ask your suppliers to accept their empty drums in
return for full ones. • Purchase recycled materials where possible, if
you do not 'buy recycled', you're not recycling. • Give preference to
products that are designed for long life, are reusable or recyclable,
and are made and packaged with minimum material.

8. Policy Options

● Reduce meeting costs: make a phone call instead of holding

a meeting, send an email rather than posting, conduct
virtual meetings to save the cost of making business trips.
● Minimise using materials: archive computer files rather than
print files, advertise on your website rather than in
brochures, email your promotional material rather than
posting it.
● Reduce waste: re-use old envelopes, have staff use their
own mugs, get printer cartridges refilled not replaced and
buy recycled stationery supplies.
● Recycle it: recycle everything you can't reuse - check with
the council what they will recycle. Set up recycling bins in
locations staff will use them. A good way to involve staff is
to hold a regular office book, clothing or DVD swap day.
● Turn it off: switch off lights, computers, printers and
appliances at the power point when not in use - they will
last longer and your power bills will be considerably
reduced.
● Outsource it: reduce your server needs and cut power costs
by using cloud computing services (web-based data storage)
and use virtual office services or outside contractors rather
than expand office space.
● Reduce it: turn down the air conditioner - lowering the
temperature just one degree on a hot day can increase your
energy costs by 10 per cent. Reduce energy consumption
further by: using cut-out switches to cut out standby power
usage, installing automatic lighting sensors, having power
supplied by green energy providers, choosing hybrid cars for
your fleet vehicles. In the office kitchen, reduce water and
power consumption by running office dishwashers when
full, fixing leaky taps and reducing the hot-water
temperature setting.
● Buy green: get some green credentials by setting up a
sustainable supply policy and guidelines, and send a
checklist to your suppliers asking about their sustainable
products and services. Ask printers for recycled paper,
replace defunct equipment with high-energy efficiency
models with a long shelf life.
● Also look at your accounts and see where the money is
unnecessarily spent. If stationery and paper supplies are
costly, set up a task force to minimise paper waste. If staff
travel costs are high, investigate video conferencing.