Environment Big Tick Winners' Top Tips
Big Tick winners for this year's Environment Categories in Business in the Community's Awards for Excellence were asked to provide top tips for other companies to follow their best practice examples.
The Top Tips below were provided by the Big Tick Winners of the 2010 Awards for Excellence Environment Categories which your business may find of use. Please click on the company names to read their winning case studies.
The Bank of America Merrill Lynch Climate Change Award in association with the Mayday Journey
1) The first step to managing and reducing an organisation’s environmental impact is to set up an EMS, which identifies targets, objectives and KPIs in key areas such as energy, water, procurement, waste and travel. A nominated member of staff should manage this system, with the help of others to undertake audits and enforce environmental policy within your organisation.
2) Try to incorporate consideration for environmental sustainability in all your business activities, such as procurement and the biodiversity of your local site; try and influence your suppliers and customers to do the same.
InterfaceFLOR (Example of Excellence)
1) Businesses that think laterally in terms of their sustainability credentials and product development will reap the highest future rewards.
2) Waste costing and mapping can highlight areas for improvement and cost savings
3) Where possible use a renewable energy supplier to save your business money as well as carbon emissions
4) Don’t over-engineer products for minimum cost and environment impact products should be fit for purpose and no more.
1) It is vital that a senior Board Executive has overall responsibility allied to personal commitment in order to help drive the approach through the company.
2) Changing the corporate culture is vital; success follows when initiatives switch to being driven bottom-up rather than top-down.
1) Executive/Senior Management support is crucial
2) Ensure Communications Team is part of the delivery process and support initiatives. Don’t underestimate the budget needed for proper employee engagement
3) Ensure data of whatever description is available to support business cases and measure successes
4) Build carbon management into business planning processes/financial budgeting. Make this part of periodic reporting to senior management/executive
5) Dedicated role for carbon/climate change within companies
1) Remember that whatever is good for addressing climate change is also good for your company
2) Let your environment team think about your whole operations to assess opportunities for improvement
3) Work with local authorities to use their expertise and information
4) The Carbon Trust provides financial backing to help companies
1) There are many channels out there to help you such as Business in the Community, Energy Saving Trust, Carbon Trust – use them as they really are a great help and source of information.
2) Meet regularly with other businesses learn and share ideas.
1) Look amongst all potential stakeholders; all types of supplier, customers, even competitors for win-win solutions that will help you both improve your environmental performance. All too often arrangements are based on historic requirements or assumptions that are no longer relevant and a fresh look together by both parties will reveal a range of opportunities.
2) Agree clear, measurable goals and commit to them with regular updates on progress, league tables etc to capture the competitive spirit within the business to achieve them.
3) Don’t under estimate the value of employee suggestions – they are the experts in your business.
Environmental Leadership Big Ticks
1) Leverage the environmental strengths of your business to differentiate yourself from your competitors. What strengths do you have that could be used to gain internal buy-in to your initiatives and programmes?
2) Understand the environmental issues that are important to your industry and perfect the basic principles of environmental responsibility before tackling the more ambitious ones.
Kingfisher plc (Example of Excellence)
1) Keep plans simple and relevant to your business
2) Ensure that your environmental strategy is embedded across the wholeof your business
1) Engage your leadership to support your environmental agenda, and use them as spokespeople for your initiatives
2) Embed your goals in the business by liaising with internal service providers, i.e. procurement, travel, and facilities
3) Engage your employees, suppliers, and clients to help achieve your goals
4) Use technology to your advantage, to reduce travel
5) Set the tone from the top, and where necessary, change policy
1) It is the responsibility of all your stakeholders to create a better future, engage them, and encourage them to make those small changes
2) Make sure you break down your aims to smaller obtainable targets. These collectively will make a big difference.
1) Work with your partners; share your values with them, and really work with them side-by-side, including sharing gains and losses
2) Share your approach with others
3) Understand what the problem is and work with relevant stakeholders to find a solution
4) Understand what your stakeholders’ needs are, and don’t just meet them, exceed them
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