Environmental and Waste Audits Are a Good Start to CSR

Corporate social responsibility is an important issue in these times of fear and hysteria surrounding global warming. In the past and still presently, multinationals are particularly to blame for careless acts of waste often on a global scale. It can appear petty to complain about the waste of paper, or leaving lights on, but it is these little aspects that can make a big difference. Employees and employers alike have to rid themselves of lazy bad habits and turn the lights off when leaving the building. Starbucks was recently exposed by an investigation spearheaded by the Sun newspaper for wasting 23.4 million litres of water everyday because the company has a ridiculous policy of always leaving the taps running.

It is reasons such as this that environmental audits are so important for big business. They aid managers in identifying the areas of dissipation that are most damaging their CSR (corporate social responsibility) whether it be e-waste, air and water emissions or their lighting and heating situation. External environmental audits are typically less compromising and so more effective because the survey is conducted by an independent advisor who will have no qualms with informing the organisation on their many downfalls.

But on a day-to-day basis it is often a positive idea to appoint an internal auditor who can report to managers within the company as well as external agencies to ensure a lack of insider bias. Eventually a full environmental managing system should be initiated into the company's proceedings, but this must be executed after environmental reviews have successfully taken place over an extended period of time.

For ease and efficiency it is best to break the workplace down into sections, such as office space, canteen, process areas etc. Then within each of those particular areas organise them into environmental subdivisions, for example; heating, lighting, water, air and other aspects prone to emissions. In this way it is a lot simpler for the appointed environmental auditor to keep track of the emissions in each area and take the appropriate action.

There are specific protocols for waste auditing which is of course directly linked to the environmental review. Audit managers must analyse the production and handling of all waste. The origin of the waste must be assessed, whether it is necessary or if it is possible to avoid. If it is unavoidable then the storage and disposal of such waste must be reviewed and improved.
Companies taking steps such as these can make a big difference in the wider picture of global warming and should encourage other organisations to do the same.

About the Author

John McE writes articles on a number of subjects including advice in audits and similar careers. For more about this see Careers in Audit.

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