• Assess your organisation's Environmental Policy
• Discuss key features of any environmental policy
• Suggest improvements to Environmental Policy

The UK government considers that:

"A comprehensive policy is likely to include

• a recognition that the organisation has environmental impacts. These might include indirect impacts associated with the goods and services it provides. You may also wish to cover how these impacts are taken into account in your organisation's strategy, and the business or operational benefits you have gained or envisage gaining from taking account of your environmental impacts.
  
• a commitment to measure and report publicly on key aspects of environmental performance including the performance of goods and services
  
• a statement of your company's plans to improve environmental performance in the future. This should cover improvement programmes and associated activities such as staff training and awareness raising.
  
• a commitment to set targets and to report progress
  
• plans to consult and involve interested parties - you may find it helpful to include comments from appropriate stakeholders in the report as well as a contact point for further comments."
  

"Other possible elements could include

• anything else you are doing to benefit the environment, such as developing a plan covering employees' journeys to work or supporting community bio-diversity projects or recycling initiatives
  
• your 'green' procurement policies or anything you are doing to raise the environmental management/standards of your suppliers. You could describe how you assess your suppliers' environmental performance standards, for example by certification or registration to a recognised environmental management standard or scheme, site inspections, or questionnaires. You could also mention any organisations that have agreed to work with you over time to improve their standards to an agreed target level, or any sectoral agreements on greening supply chains you are party to
  
• anything you are doing to integrate environmental considerations into the design, marketing and after sales management of goods and services including the impact on waste management / recycling or how end-of-life products affect the environment
  
• a reference to the relevant sections of the ethical portion of the Statement of Investment Principles from your occupational pension fund describing the extent to which environmental issues are taken into account in investment decisions. "

Tasks:

1. Obtain a copy of your organisation's environmental policy (Click here to view Your Organisation Policy)

Where is your nearest copy:
Who is responsible for it:

2. Look at the statements below, select and tick those that can be matched with clauses in your organisation's environmental policy.

The organisation will continually improve its environmental performance
The organisation will do everything it can to prevent pollution
The policy commits the organisation to comply with all legislation
The policy states which environmental impacts the organisation will minimise
The policy is signed by senior management
The policy includes mention of what the organisation does
How objectives and targets will be set is set out in the policy
The policy makes a commitment to training
The policy commits to communication both inside and outside the organisation
The policy mentions environmental impacts you have identified

3. Name one task that you carry out that is directly connected with a clause in your organisation's policy.

4. Have you been told what you need to do to conform to the policy?
- If yes - state what.

5. Do you have any suggestions as to how the Environment Policy could be improved?

Allow 30 mins