BSBSUS211 Student Guide

STUDENT
GUIDE
BSBSUS211
PARTICIPATE IN
SUSTAINABLE WORK
PRACTICES
First published 2020
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Business Works is a series of training and assessment resources developed for qualifications within the Business
Services Training Package.
Contents
Overview 4
Topic 1: Measuring sustainability at work 5

Topic 2: Working together to ensure sustainability 14
Topic 3: Improving the sustainability of work practices 20
BSBSUS211 Participate in sustainable work practices | 3

SKUP, Lvl2, 601Bourke St, Melbourne | Version 1.1.23 | Next Review Dec. 2023
Overview
The Student Guide should be used in conjunction with the recommended reading and any further
course notes or activities given by the trainer/assessor.
Application of the unit

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to measure, support and find opportunities to
improve the sustainability of work practices.
The unit applies to individuals, working under supervision or guidance, who are required to follow
workplace procedures and instructions. These individuals work in an environmentally sustainable
manner within scope of competency, authority and own level of responsibility.
No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.
Learning goals
Learning goals include:
• measuring sustainability at work
• working together to ensure sustainability
• improving the sustainability of work practices.
Videos
The following videos are relevant to this unit:
• Simply sustainable series:

o What is sustainability in business?
o Why is sustainability important for business?

o How can sustainability be implemented in business
o How do you measure success of sustainability in business?

Topic 1: Measuring sustainability at work
Performing your job with sustainability in mind

Our daily activities have an impact on the environment. The economy and society depend on the
natural environment to prosper and we need to use these resources in a way that reduces their
environmental impact.
Sustainability can be achieved by balancing the social, environmental and economic impacts
caused by the day-to-day operations of a business.
Sustainability in general, seeks to use resources to meet current needs without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their needs. It also describes how current processes have an
impact on climate change, water, energy, natural resources and waste.
Every worker should be familiar with the details of their job and the systems and procedures it
involves. Workers are often good at both identifying environmental hazards that influence their
area of work and can make useful suggestions for using resources in an efficient way.
You should be able to identify why sustainable work practices is important in your own work role.
Look for ways to use the minimum amount of resources you need to do your job – sustainability
is everyone’s responsibility.
To ensure that practices in the workplace are environmentally sustainable it is necessary to

consider the various environmental issues that are prevalent in our world today. Workplace
sustainability should include measures to:
• manage renewable and non-renewable resources
• minimise greenhouse gas emissions and limit climate change
• careful management of wastes
• support biodiversity conservation.

These environmental priorities should be weighed against social and economic outcomes to ensure
sustainable development for all generations on a local and global scale.
Activity: Brainstorm
Brainstorm some reasons businesses should aim to become more sustainable in

their practices.

Resources in the workplace
Resource Examples
Energy • electricity
• gas
• fuels such as petrol or diesel
Waste • office waste - recyclable and otherwise
• process waste - paper offcuts from a printing company
• putrescible waste - lunch room waste
• liquid waste - such as waste water from toilets and hand

basins
• chemicals and other hazardous liquids
Water • used in any industrial processes
• taps and toilet flushing
Raw materials and equipment • paper
• vehicles
• office equipment and furniture
Resources needs to be managed well in order to improve sustainability. Examples of sustainability

issues in the workplace may include:
• using too much electricity, having lights on or overusing heating or air conditioning
• not providing staff with opportunities to recycle
• not recycling items properly, for example toner cartridges
• creating large amounts of waste
• using too much paper
• using large amounts of packaging
• not using energy efficient resources and appliances
• wasting water
• lack of training staff to create awareness about sustainable practices
• traveling excessive distances to attend business meetings or seminars.

Businesses need to identify ways to improve their environmental performance while increasing
productivity and reducing costs of production. If a business produces too much waste, then there is
a good chance it is wasting money.

Resource efficiency is a preventative action to limit the size and cost of any processes and disposal
costs that can arise from practices that are not efficient.
You should make sure that you understand the correct way in which to use resources as it
applies to your job and that you dispose of waste products in an environmentally friendly way.
Your workplace can provide training regarding the proper use of resources. Employees need to
know where resources are located and how to use them in an appropriate and responsible way.
Examples of the area’s resources can be located at are filing cabinets, freezer rooms, display
areas, bin rooms and so forth.
Large savings have been made by companies that have implemented resource efficiency savings.
Businesses with better resource efficiency can:
• increase cost saving
• have better process efficiency
• improve occupational health and safety management
• enhance shareholder relations
• improve their reputation.
Activity: Reflect
How do different workers use resources to perform their duties?

Resources you have used regularly in your previous or current work role?
How can you use these resources more efficiently?
How to measure the resources you are using

There are various ways to measure and document resource usage in the workplace. The methods
you use will depend on the type of business and size of the organisation.
Some general actions that can be taken to monitor usage include:
• observing your every day practices through a routine week
• comparing resource usage between work teams
• comparing your workplace with similar workplaces
• providing and using opportunities to recycle
• investigating your purchasing and the sustainability practices of your suppliers
• making use of modern technologies and the digital environment.

When planning how to collect resource usage data, you must determine whether you need to seek
assistance from other staff or departments.

Businesses typically need to measure usage relating to all or any of the following areas:
Waste Purchasing Storage Energy
Water Risk Emissions
How to do a waste assessment

The main aim of a waste assessment is to identify options for more efficient and effective waste
management (for example identify reduction/diversion opportunities).
During the first stage of waste assessment a business aims to identify their role in contributing to
environmental issues, opportunities for improvement and the economic factors involved.
The next stage is the development of a detailed study and improvement plan that aims to find the
best options for minimisation in the site. An improvement plan should contain detailed goals,
proposed actions and accountability.
Image by Paweł Czerwiński on Unsplash
A waste audit is a helpful tool to verify the type of waste being generated. It includes determining
whether there are separate waste collections for general rubbish, other materials (for example,
timber off-cuts or ink cartridges), scrap paper, aluminium/ steel or recyclable plastics and
identifying the contents of one bin or several bins in order to categorise the waste as percentages.

In order to reduce waste, it is useful to consider the 3R’s, namely Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
• Keep separate waste streams as it aids recycling and provides an indication of why waste is
forming.
• Determine where wastes are produced and to develop measures for waste prevention or
reduction. Many wastes occur because of inefficient processes.
• Request that suppliers exchange empty drums and containers where possible.
• Organic waste that cannot be reduced or reused should be recycled, for example converting
the waste to energy or compost.
The final stage in a waste assessment is to monitor and review the indicators and targets
previously established.
Improving how you purchase

By improving purchasing, resource use and waste output will be reduced.
Every final product has a sustainability footprint. This is the total of all impacts that the product has
on the environment, through its whole lifecycle. This includes the sourcing and preparation of the
raw material, the manufacturing process, the packaging, use and disposal of the product.
Some ways to improve purchasing include:
• Purchasing products with reduced sustainability footprints.
• Purchasing recycled materials to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill.
• Matching quantities to batch sizes to avoid over ordering of raw materials.
• Asking suppliers to accept their empty drums in return for full ones.
• Purchasing energy efficient equipment.
Improve storage and save

Businesses should only store what they need. Good inventory management can save money.
Other storage tips include:
• Keeping areas clear of clutter, clean and label items.
• Storing materials in a way that it cannot collect or mix with rainwater.
• Ensuring storage tanks, including those underground, are not leaking.
• Checking expiry dates for all stored materials.
• Keeping a spill kit easily and quickly accessible in your chemical storage area.

Conserving energy
Reducing energy consumption can save money and reduce greenhouse gases caused by burning
fossil fuels.
The energy usage of items is often written on the equipment or in the user guide.
• Air conditioning is a large energy user and details should be taken of the system so that any
improvements can be investigated. Make sure vents and filters are clean and service the
system on a regular basis. Self-closing doors can be installed to reduce heat (or cold) loss
from draughts and rooms can be insulated to minimise energy waste.
• For lighting, office equipment and general power make a note of whether equipment is left on
all of the time or when it is switched off. Ensure that the most efficient form of lighting and
office equipment is currently in use and that computers have energy-saving functions
activated. Install skylights in the roof or walls to reduce the need for artificial lighting.
• Hot water usage should be minimised as it costs much more than cold water. Alternative
energy sources such as solar hot water, waste, bio-ethanol and wind energy can be
investigated.
A device such as a ‘power mate’ can be installed to measure the amount of electricity used by
various appliances.
Image by Riccardo Annandale on Unsplash

Conserving water and preserving waterways
Some tips to conserve water include:
• Avoid using water wherever possible by using a dry mop, broom, vacuum cleaner or
compressed air jet.
• Fix dripping taps and leaking pipes — a dripping tap wastes more than $100 a year.
• Install water saving accessories around the business; contact your local water authority for
ideas.
• Install a tank that collects rainwater.

Invoices are useful for determining water usage. You can also estimate your water usage by
determining the number of toilets, the size of the cistern and the amount of times they are flushed
per day. For example: 2 toilets flushed 5 times per day on full flush (11 litre) = 110 litres of water
per day.
• Ensure that all stormwater drains and sewer entry points are correctly and clearly marked, and
protected where appropriate.
• Ensure that all staff know the difference between stormwater and sewer.
• Stop garbage going to the local creek by fitting litter traps onto stormwater inlets.
• Reduce accidental spills into to the local creek by knowing the location of stormwater drains.
• Dispose of oils, paints, solvents and pollutants responsibly and never pour them onto the
ground or down a drain.
• Prevent spilt materials or wastewater from flowing into stormwater drains.
Reducing risk
Staff should have an appropriate level of induction and operational skills training to fulfil their duties
safely and efficiently. All workers need training to handle materials as directed by the information
on the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) that applies to their job.
Reducing odour and air emissions

• Close doors and windows of the premises or use a spray booth to avoid vapours leaving the
area, when using odorous materials.
• Use low odour products and materials.
• Minimise the quantities of solvents and other volatile materials used.
• Seek advice on reducing odour emissions or other such air emission issue.
• Remember that odours can be irritating to neighbours and other commercial/industrial

premises in the vicinity, so improve communication with neighbours to avoid conflict.
• Improve housekeeping.
• For dust, 'damp down' dusty surfaces/materials.

Recording your resource usage
Nowadays most information is produced, sent and recorded in a digital format.
Invoices are useful tools for tracking usage of resources such as gas, electricity, water, office
supplies and more.
• Invoices can be stored and compared on

a monthly or quarterly basis to track
whether resource use is increasing or
decreasing.
• An invoice shows amounts used in both

dollars and a unit of measurement and
will also provide a greenhouse gas
emission calculation.
• Invoices from your waste collection

contractor will provide details of the amounts Image by Scott Graham on Unsplash
of waste generated by the organisation.
• Invoices will provide information on water usage and will roughly equal your wastewater output
as most water is used for toilet flushing and hand washing in an office environment.
• Physical invoices may be scanned and saved to a folder for future reference.
A spreadsheet can be kept to record resource usage by individual employees or teams over a
period of time. This becomes a tedious task in the case of a large organisation with many
employees.
In your own work area, you should review the effectiveness of all existing controls and work
instructions and keep detailed records of any issues you identify.
There are many types of sustainability software available to help organisations set sustainability
goals and keep track of their resource efficiency, digitally.
Some benefits of implementing sustainability software are:
• managers can monitor waste generation, recycling volumes, etc.
• the ability to create and track sustainability objectives and targets
• documents are passed around digitally instead of distributing physical copies, saving
resources
• working collaboratively with colleagues across their organisation
• ease of reporting on qualitative and quantitative metrics for internal and external sustainability
• data is accessible to staff and often visually appealing

Collecting information about general resources can be obtained from the purchasing department or
you can just count numbers and type of office equipment, furniture, stationery, etc.
Maintenance and material safety data sheet manuals should be kept in an easily accessible place
and always be kept up-to-date.

Activity: Read
Read the articles at the following link:

https://www.myob.com/nz/blog/reduce-small-businesss-carbon-footprint/
https://www.myob.com/nz/blog/tips-sustainable-business-2020/
Activity: Research and discuss
Business owners have a responsibility to limit their energy and water use and reduce
the amount of waste their business creates.
• Split into pairs.
• Consider how you would use technology to record resource usage.
• Research appropriate software that can be implemented to track resource use.

Topic 2: Working together to ensure
sustainability
Legislation and workplace procedures

Environmental Legislation
The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) is key piece of
Australian environmental legislation
with the purpose of protecting the
environment and managing national
and internationally important flora,
fauna, ecological communities and
heritage places.
Specifically, this means that the EPBC
Act is triggered in the case of
developments that affect world
heritage sites, national heritage sites,
wetlands, threatened and migratory
species and nuclear action. Thus,
Federal government approval is
required in the case of such
developments. Image by Dmitriy Melnikov on Dreamstime
There is also legislation relevant to each state and territory:
• Australian Capital Territory: Environmental Protection Act 1997.

• New South Wales: Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997.
• Northern Territory: Environmental Assessment Act 1982.

• Queensland: Environmental Protection Act 1994.
• South Australia: Environment Protection Act 1993.
• Tasmania: Environmental Management and Pollution Control Act 1994.

• Victoria: Environment Protection Act 1970.
• Western Australia: Environment Protection Act 1986.
Activity: Research
Research at least 3 pieces of environmental legislation that is relevant to the state or

territory in which you live.
• What is the main purpose of this legislation?
• How is it enforced?

Standards and Codes of Practice
Environmental Management
There are both Australian and International Standards that relate to the environment. For example,
ISO 14001 sets out the criteria for an environmental management system and maps out a
framework that a business can follow to set up an effective environmental management system.
Australian Packaging Covenant voluntary code of practice
The Australian Packaging Covenant comes under the National Waste Policy and is in effect
voluntary code of practice for businesses.
The Covenant is designed to minimise environmental impacts arising from the disposal of used
packaging; conserve resources through better design and production processes; and facilitate the
re-use and recycling of used packaging materials.
Australian Ecolabel Program voluntary code of practice

The purpose of the Australian Ecolabel Program code of practice is to provide voluntary standards
for environmentally preferable standards. It is based on the international standard ISO 14024:
“Environmental Labels and Declarations – Guiding Principles” which requires environmental
labelling specifications to include criteria that are objective, reasonable and verifiable.
Environmental Protection Authorities

EPAs partner with business, government and the community to reduce pollution and waste, protect
human health, and prevent degradation of the environment. Each state and territory have its own
EPA.
In general, an EPA encourages businesses to make sure their activities do not harm the
environment and human health by:
• issuing environment protection licences
• requiring strict operating conditions and pollution reduction programs
• monitoring compliance with licence conditions and investigating pollution reports
• ordering the clean-up of pollution
• imposing fines or prosecuting organisations and individuals who break the law.
• responds to and manages pollution incidents involving hazardous materials (in collaboration
with other government agencies)
• develops and informs environmental programs and policy
• delivers education and awareness programs
• support activities that protect the environment with grants and sponsorships
• provides technical support and expertise to other government agencies.
The following EPAs exist across Australia:
• Victoria: Environment Protection Authority Victoria

• New South Wales: New South Wales Environment Protection Authority
• Queensland: Department of Environment and Heritage Protection
• Western Australia: Department of Water and Environmental Regulation
• South Australia: Environment Protection Authority South Australia
• Tasmania: Environment Protection Authority
• Northern Territory: Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority
• Australian Capital Territory: Access Canberra
Activity: Watch
Watch the video at the following link:

https://youtu.be/6EGGLWm6aDs (03:08)
• Note down as many duties of the Qld EPA mentioned as possible.
Following the procedures at your workplace

Many established organisations will have an environmental or sustainability policy. This is part of
every organisation’s ethical and social responsibility and it also demonstrates how the organisation
is meeting legal requirements.
The purpose of the policy is to establish and promote sound environmental practice in the business
operations. The policy may contain statements around environmental commitments such as:
• Providing a safe and healthy work environment
• Being an environmentally responsible business in the local community
• Conserving natural resources by reducing waste, reusing and recycling
• Undertaking business activities that do not adversely affect the environment
• Having an environmentally sustainable aware culture, where there is accountability
• Ensuring the responsible use of energy throughout the organisation
• Participating in efforts to improve environmental awareness
• Working with suppliers who promote sound environmental practices
• Evaluating and improving sustainability policies on a regular basis
• Educating and motivating staff to act in an environmentally responsible manner.
It’s important that you know what your organisation’s sustainability policy is and how it applies to
your job so that you can ensure your compliance to it.

Businesses that are committed to environmentally responsible practices will make sure all
employees are informed on their sustainability policies. This may happen at induction and as part
of ongoing discussion at meetings and organisation-wide emails
Some businesses will have actions plans which a disseminated to all employees so that everyone if
‘on the same page’ and all are working towards meetings the aims in the action plan.
The table below includes a range of possible strategies in an action plan:
Action area Strategy
Management • Develop environment policy and have it endorsed by senior management.
• Establish environment committee, recruit members and agree terms of

reference
Energy • Install timer-switches on domestic hot water units
• Implement education program to encourage staff to turn off computers

and monitors before going home
Water • Install flow restrictors on all taps
• Investigate opportunities for capturing water and reusing in toilets
Carbon • Undertake a carbon foot printing exercise to better understand most

carbon intensive activities
Waste • Investigate options for reducing waste from food services
Activity: Research
Do some research by going to the website of your state/territory EPA.
• Find one pollution reduction initiative that EPA has published information on.

How to identify workplace environmental hazards
Health and safety hazards in the workplace should be
monitored and controlled to prevent injury, avoid
wasting resources and minimise the impact on the
environment.
Office environments are generally considered low-risk
workplaces, but this doesn’t mean you should neglect
your health and safety duties. In the same way as at
any workplace, offices need to have hazards identified
and risk assessments carried out in order to
implement control measures to reduce the likelihood
of a workplace incident occurring.
Image by creativecommonsstockphotos on Dreamstime
Look for these common environmental hazards in
your workplace:
• poor or inadequate lighting
• working at heights
• exposure to gases and fumes
• extreme temperatures and fire hazards
• slippery floors, trip and fall hazards
• electrical hazards such as exposed wiring, faulty appliances, power sockets
• contagious illnesses spread by sick workers
• chemical hazards (e.g. cleaning products)
• moving vehicles or machinery
• pesticides.
All health and safety hazards, once identified, need to be risk assessed and controlled. To do this
you need to determine the likelihood of the risks causing serious injury and, based on the
assessment, put control measures in place to reduce or eliminate the risks.
After implementing control measures, it’s essential that you monitor and review them to ensure
they remain effective.
Hazards can be identified by employing some of the methods below:
Safety checklists Investigating reports and incidents
Audits Feedback
Observing routine practices Reviewing registers

Activity: Research and discuss
Research an example of a hazard report.
• Make a list of the information that a hazards report should contain.
• Has anyone in the group needed to report an environmental hazard in the past?
What was it? What was the outcome?
Reporting breaches to appropriate personnel

You may need to report breaches to the policy to an appropriate member of staff, which may
include the business owner, your manager or supervisor or the environmental department.
The person involved my need to be reminded of the current targets and practices to achieve those
targets or may even need further training.
The types of breaches that commonly occur in a workplace are:
• waste disposal
• chemical disposal
• pollution burning materials
• noise
• undertaking business activities without gaining approval
• breaching an approval condition
• failing to obtain permit
• not complying with permit
• Commencing work without the correct documentation.
Activity: Reflect and discuss
Consider the following scenario:
• Your organisation is committed to saving energy by turning off air-conditioning

units and computers before leaving the office to go home.
• You share a small office with another employee and you notice that he leaves
his computer on. Some mornings when you arrive the air-conditioning unit is still
switched on.
• You have tried to raise the issue with him, but he says he prefers to leave it on
as it’s quicker to get started in the morning.
o What other actions can you take?
o Take turns to share your ideas.

Topic 3: Improving the sustainability of work
practices
Improving sustainability in your work area

Environmental Management Plans (EMPs)
Your organisation has a responsibility to be environmentally compliant. Business activities affect
the environment and an environmental management plan (EMP) can help to minimise this impact.
In additional there are many benefits for environmentally friendly businesses such as:
• cost cutting due to developing more sustainable practices
• competitive advantage over business who are not environmentally compliant

• a good reputation that opens doors for new business and aid in your marketing efforts.
An Environment Management System (EMS) is a tool for managing the impacts of an
organisation's activities on the environment and provides a structured approach to planning and
implementing environment protection measures. It can help to:
• minimise environmental liabilities
• maximise the efficient use of resources
• reduce waste
• demonstrate a good corporate image
• build awareness of environmental concern among employees

• gain a better understanding of the environmental impacts of business activities
• increase profit and improve environmental performance through more efficient operations.
An EMS will include the organisation’s environment policy and have environmental targets the
business wants to achieve. These may include targets around reduction in energy, water and
waste consumption and changes in purchasing. It will also include a detailed plan on how to
achieve these reductions.
It’s important you know what your organisation’s strategies are and how you can be part of
achieving improved sustainability.
Activity: Read
Read about influencing the behaviour of workers through engagement at the

following link:
https://cityswitch.net.au/Resources/CitySwitch-Resources/Behaviour-
change/Behaviour-change-article/category/behaviour-change/overview-sustainable-
workplace-behaviours
Take any notes to summarise what you have read and keep for future reference.

Improving sustainability practices as a team
Employees work in a team.
Teamwork is the joint action of people working toward the same end goal. As such individual
workers have the responsibility of contributing to the success of the team.
Employees fulfil their responsibility to environmental sustainability by attending meetings,
contributing to decision making and problem solving, and participating in sustainability programs.
Employees also have the responsibility of ensuring that they perform according to the
organisation’s sustainability policies and report hazards and breaches promptly.
Teams can improve their resource efficiency and thereby have a significant impact on your overall
sustainability performance. Team goals can include:
• delivering better quality goods or services
• reducing energy, waste and cost
• applying compliance and reporting mechanisms
• investing in technology, infrastructure and design features
• measuring and monitoring to identify issues
• engaging all team members in sustainability practices
• sharing knowledge.
Once an organisation has implemented environmentally sustainable work practices, the
performance needs to be monitored to determine success in achieving the goal.
A system to do this may include:
• using sustainability software or other applications
• questionnaires or surveys of relevant staff
• calculating amounts of resource usage or using an online calculator tool
• checking and comparing supply records/invoices
• audits by an audit team (which should be representative of the participants)
• using lists or forms to track activities.

Once information has been collected, analysed and reported, an organisation can identify where
adjustments and/or improvements can be made, so that the work practices can be continually
improved.
Continuous improvement strategies can involve researching new trends, technologies and software
and keeping up-to-date with the latest sustainability initiatives.

Activity: Watch
Watch the video explaining sustainability practices.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGwumD-tRms&ab_channel=LACOE%20
(03:44)
Discussion: What sustainability practices were mentioned? What impact did it have?
Making suggestions can lead to improvements

Every individual counts in the transition to better sustainability and reduction of resource
consumption. You can contribute by following your organisation’s sustainability strategies or by
making suggestions for improvements.
Staff should be given ample opportunities to share their
suggestions. This may happen during:
• formal training sessions
• feedback sessions
• surveys
• focus groups, etc.

Some suggestions you might make are:
• Utilise video conferencing
• Sharing lifts to work, not travelling unnecessarily
• Reducing the use of air-conditioners and heaters
• Reducing chemical use

Image by Alena Koval on Pexels
• Using LED lights.
Activity: Read and reflect
Read through some of the topics listed at the following link:

https://www.sustainabledestinationpartnership.com.au/resources/
Reflect: Do you have any suggestions for improvements to workplace practices in
your own previous or current work area?


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Topic 1: Measuring sustainability at work 5

BSBSUS211 Participate in sustainable work practices | 3

Application of the unit

• measuring sustainability at work

• working together to ensure sustainability

• improving the sustainability of work practices.

• Simply sustainable series:

o Why is sustainability important for business?

BSBSUS211 Participate in sustainable work practices | 4

Performing your job with sustainability in mind

To ensure that practices in the workplace are environmentally sustainable it is necessary to

• manage renewable and non-renewable resources

• minimise greenhouse gas emissions and limit climate change

• careful management of wastes

• support biodiversity conservation.

Brainstorm some reasons businesses should aim to become more sustainable in

BSBSUS211 Participate in sustainable work practices | 5

• fuels such as petrol or diesel

Waste • office waste - recyclable and otherwise

• process waste - paper offcuts from a printing company

• putrescible waste - lunch room waste

• liquid waste - such as waste water from toilets and hand

• chemicals and other hazardous liquids

Water • used in any industrial processes

• taps and toilet flushing

Raw materials and equipment • paper

• office equipment and furniture

Resources needs to be managed well in order to improve sustainability. Examples of sustainability

• not providing staff with opportunities to recycle

• not recycling items properly, for example toner cartridges

• creating large amounts of waste

• using too much paper

• using large amounts of packaging

• not using energy efficient resources and appliances

• lack of training staff to create awareness about sustainable practices

• traveling excessive distances to attend business meetings or seminars.

BSBSUS211 Participate in sustainable work practices | 6

• increase cost saving

• have better process efficiency

• improve occupational health and safety management

• enhance shareholder relations

• improve their reputation.

How do different workers use resources to perform their duties?

How can you use these resources more efficiently?

How to measure the resources you are using

• observing your every day practices through a routine week

• comparing resource usage between work teams

• comparing your workplace with similar workplaces

• providing and using opportunities to recycle

• investigating your purchasing and the sustainability practices of your suppliers

• making use of modern technologies and the digital environment.

BSBSUS211 Participate in sustainable work practices | 7

Waste Purchasing Storage Energy

Water Risk Emissions

How to do a waste assessment

Image by Paweł Czerwiński on Unsplash

BSBSUS211 Participate in sustainable work practices | 8

Improving how you purchase

• Purchasing products with reduced sustainability footprints.

• Purchasing recycled materials to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill.

• Matching quantities to batch sizes to avoid over ordering of raw materials.

• Purchasing energy efficient equipment.