As part of corporate social responsibility programs, many organisations set targets in relation to recycling, carbon emissions, waste management and health of employee and stakeholders. An environmental audit provides an opportunity to gather data to assess the current performance of the organisation and to determine where there are gaps in performance.
Setting the Standard for Environmental Audits – ISO 19011
The international standard ISO 19011 sets the benchmark for undertaking quality and environmental audits. It suggests that there are four main components of an environmental or quality audit: establish, implement, monitor and review. ISO 19011 also details the required skills, knowledge and experience required for each member of an auditing team.
Establishing An Environmental Audit – Deciding What to Measure
The first step in undertaking an environmental audit is to decide what to measure. Appropriate measurements are individual to each organisation and, in fact, may need to change within departments. For example- a manufacturing business may need to measure air quality within its factory settings and paper usage in its office areas.
Measuring Environmental Impact
Measurements to be taken in an environmental audit include:
- Air quality
- Water quality
- Land and soil quality
- Carbon emissions
- Energy Use
- Noise
- Use and storage of hazardous materials
- Recycling programs
- Waste management
A separate audit, the health impact analysis, can be undertaken to assess the effect of business operations on the health of members of the public and employees of the organisation.
Assess Performance of Environmental Management System
The environmental audit is an opportunity for a business to assess the performance of its current environmental management system. If the environmental management system has been created in accordance with the principles set out in ISO 14001, specific measurable targets and objectives will be outlined.
Data gathered during the measurement phase of the environmental audit can be used as a benchmark for assessing future performance against the objectives set out in environmental policies and legislation.
Reporting Results to Stakeholders – Sharing the Outcomes
Results of the environmental audit can be shared with the organisation’s stakeholders through the corporate social responsibility report. Other options for reporting the results include hosting an open day where stakeholders can see the improvements made in relation to environmental objectives. Open days are of particular value when organisations have direct environmental impacts such as needing to clear land or undertaking reparation work at the end of a project.
The environmental audit is an opportunity for an organisation to assess its performance against stated environmental impact objectives and targets. The results of the environmental audit provide the basis for future targets and can be reported to stakeholders via a variety of means including through the corporate social responsibility report and open days.
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