1. BSBSUS501 Develop workplace policy and procedure for sustainability Section 1 – Develop workplace sustainability policy Section2 – Communicate workplace sustainability policy
Since the industrial revolution in the 19th Century, natural resources have been used at an ever increasing rate. In the latter half the 20th century, a rising concern for
sustainable practice began to emerge. In the 21st century an active push has begun towards sustainability in all aspects of life, including business contexts. This has come to
affect numerous situations such as personal lifestyle choice, living arrangements, the provision of services, the manner and way in which we work, the manufacturing of goods, and the renewal and saving of energy resources.
A general definition of sustainability or sustainable development was put forward in a 1987 United Nations report by the World Commission on Environment and Development.
The report stated that sustainability is defined as ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Sustainability, by definition, is the ability to continue indefinitely. The social construct of sustainability has become increasingly more integrated into commercial, industrial, and technological sectors during the last several decades. Businesses are finding that in addition to regulatory practices, sustainability processes are becoming increasingly important to the general public.   Joel Makower, editor of Greenbiz.com, found that in 2008 and 2009 that 64% of worldwide consumers claimed a willingness to pay higher prices for products and services producing lower greenhouse gas emissions, and 53% prefer to purchase products and services from companies maintaining strong environmental reputations. Developing or changing business practices to become aligned with sustainability constructs is critical for company longevity.

2. Introduction
This section is about reviewing current policy and procedures within an organisational structure, in particular applying best practice models for sustainability.
sustainability in a business context
legislative and regulatory requirements
identify best practice models and initiatives
identify need for new policy and procedures
develop Key Performance Indicators.

3. What is Sustainability in a business context?
Sustainability means different things to different people in different contexts. Sustainability is defined as:
‘forms of progress that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.’
Sustainability is about cherishing biodiversity and human wellness, equity and freedom. It means maintaining economic security without contaminating the world we live in, it requires us to create an economic and social structure and systems that will meet our human physical needs. This will happen when we understand all our actions have a consequence and that we make a conscious decision we must do so knowing that it will affect everything and everyone.
United Nations report by the World Commission on Environment and Development.

4. Sustainable Development
Environmental
Socio-political
Economic
In a business context, sustainable development often translates to minding the “triple bottom line”

5. Scope of Sustainability Policy
Developing sustainability policy requires an understanding of your business, and how the various aspects of your business affect the environment. It is only then that new strategies and policies can be developed to decrease a company’s environmental impact.
As you begin the task of creating a workplace sustainability policy, it is important to begin by determining the scope of your project. It is easy to decide that you are going to change the whole world, or at least change your whole company, but much harder to actually accomplish it. Therefore, your scope must be something that is achievable.
A key role of sustainability champions is the development of company policy. Overseeing the implementation, review and evaluation of that policy is also essential. The whole process may be termed 'strategic planning'.
Remember, your policy is a living document. You can start out by developing a plan and policy for changing one division of location of your company, then after seeing how successful that plan is, expand it to include other divisions and location. Or, you can develop a plan that starts with making changes in your manufacturing operations, then expands out to include other parts of your company’s operations.
The first step in the strategic planning process for sustainability or environmental improvement is the development of policy. Your sustainability policy may be an over-riding statement dealing with all aspects of environmental sustainability: waste reduction, water and energy conservation and related greenhouse gas reduction, working with your suppliers and customers in more sustainable ways. On the other hand, it may deal with just one of these aspects to begin with. The scope of the policy will be determined by criteria such as costs, time, business constraints and opportunities, all of which should be weighed up by key stakeholders.   
The diagram illustrates how the different aspects of the triple bottom line intersect.
There are several reasons why a company benefits from the adoption of a formal, written sustainability policy:
It establishes an overall sense of direction, enhancing your chances of success.
It allows you to judge the performance of its strategy against an agreed set of targets.
Sustainability matters are more likely to be understood and accepted throughout a company if they have the support of senior management through policy processes. Formal policy ensures adequate resources are allocated to implementing sustainability.
It documents the responsibilities and accountabilities for implementing sustainable practice throughout the company.
It ensures sustainability measures are continued within the business regardless of whether sustainability 'champions' are involved or not.
It provides a marketing tool to demonstrate your company's commitment to sustainable development.
These parts may be interpreted in the following way:
Policy statement
The type of business we want to be: the values we strive for.
Key objectives
Implementation plan: how we will achieve our policy goals.
Actions
Action plan: activities that will lead to the accomplishment of key objectives.
Standard operating procedures
The expected way of doing things: actions integrated into the culture and routines of the workplace.
Text and figure adapted from the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water, 'Standards for Sustainability: Manufacturing Knowledge and Skills for Sustainability Resource Manual'. Used with permission.

6. Is there a benefit?
Many sustainability initiatives resulting from adopting a sustainability policy have direct financial benefits known as eco-efficiency.
Eco-efficiency is defined as ‘a management philosophy that aims at minimising ecological damage while maximising efficiency of the firm's production processes.
One of the best ways to evaluate and review the effectiveness of a policy implementation against organisational and stakeholder requirements is to identify a set of metrics that
can be measured over time that demonstrates whether the sustainability policy or related initiatives have had an impact on organisational success. What the most appropriate
metrics are for your organisation will depend largely on what the organisation’s strategic directions, mission, vision and values are.
Types of metrics could include:
● Financial – Has the implemented sustainability policy resulted in financial gains for the organisation, for example gross profit, annual expenditure, tax liability?
● Process or productivity – Has the policy increased productivity, efficiency or return on investment?
● Customer – Is the policy delivering improvements that are having a positive impact on the customer experience? Has the policy effectively positioned the organisation
as a strong competitor within the market?
● Employee performance – Has the policy improved individual employee performance to meet market requirements? Has the policy improved the culture, industrial
relations climate, pride in the environmental credentials of the organisation or increased desire to stay and develop green skills within the organisation

7. Environmental
Social
Economic
Costs and Benefits
Costs are sometimes offset by one or more of the following:
employee satisfaction and retention
reduction of lost time or absenteeism
higher productivity
influencing customer purchasing policies
reduction of environmental license fees
reduction of waste management costs
recovery or more efficient use of raw materials

8. Legislative and Regulatory Requirements
Legislation is a written law made by Parliament
Regulations are the rules around how to implement the legislation and the penalties of non-compliance
Standards refer to particular sectors of industry
Codes of Practice are developed by industries and are voluntary
Sustainable Planning Act 2009.
Food Safety Standards , Interpretation and Application, Standard Food Safety Practices and General Requirements and Standard Food Premises and Equipment.
Local Government Law and standards – e.g. Trade Waste Disposal, footpath usage/obstruction permit,
Workers Compensation Insurance
Code of Practice for Plant
Food Standard Code
Industrial relations Act
Work Health Safety Act
Employer Requirements – Superannuation Guarantee
Australian E-Marketing Code of Practice
Anti-Discrimination Act
Privacy Laws
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act External link,

10. Stakeholders Stakeholders can include: Employees Internal departments
Suppliers
Customers
Government
Non-government organisations (NGOs) with an interest in environmental and social responsibility
Regulators, such as your state’s EPA
Experts can include:
Sustainability consultants
Employees with relevant knowledge
Regulators such as your states EPA

11. Environmental Acts and Regulations
Environmental Protection Act 1994
Environmental Protection Act (QLD)
EP Regulation (waste) 2000
National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007 (NGER Act)
The signs that sustainability has been successfully embedded into the organization’s day to day operation
Improving the organisation’s process for identifying applicable legal requirements so that new compliance requirements are identified quicker
Improving employee training on materials and handling to reduce the generation of waste
Introducing wastewater treatment processes to allow water reuse

12. ACCC
The ACCC has identified five main areas of concern when it comes to ‘green’ marketing campaigns and may be in breach of the Trade Practices Act. These are:
Effectiveness of the ‘offset’
Accuracy of the carbon footprint calculation
False claims of carbon neutrality
Claims as to future carbon neutrality
Claims of ‘low carbon’

13. The Department of the Environment was established on 18 September 2013
The Department of the Environment was established on 18 September Some of the matters dealt with by the Dpt Environment
Environment protection and conservation of biodiversity
Air quality
Natural, built and cultural heritage
Renewable energy target policy, regulation and co-ordination
Greenhouse emissions and energy consumption reporting
Renewable energy
Water policy and resources

14. Economic Sustainability
Within a business context, economic sustainability involves using the assorted assets of the company efficiently to allow it to continue functioning profitability over time.
Economic Sustainability is about ensuring organisations are "built to last" and are able to function efficiently over a long period of time

15. Did you know?
In a large organisation, turning off lights for just one hour per day saves $17.50 per week and can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 250,000kg every year - the same as produced by 31 households
A dripping tap left unfixed for a year can produce enough water to fill an average household swimming pool

16. Economic Sustainability Concerns
Scarcity of resources - sustainable allocation of resources over time and the need to improve the efficiency of resource use
Uncertainty - the information required for decision making does not exist or is inconclusive.
Assessing costs and benefits over time
Resistance to change can often lead to a less than efficient use of available resources

17. Best practice models and initiatives
The best sustainability models for the business sector are industry specific systems that are promoted and supported by industry associations.
Examples:
ISO family of standards
ecoBiz program in Queensland

18. Best Practice Models and Initiatives
Sustainability policies and procedures should be integrated with Quality Assurance (QA) and Occupational Health and Safety Systems (WHS).
These systems should include management procedures, registers and other documents and should be customised to suit a business’s activities

19. Socio-Political Sustainability
Socio-political sustainability concerns itself with factors that affect the well being of people and their governments.
It takes into account the impact that a business has on people within the business (employees) and people outside of the business (the community)

20. Employee Responsibilities
Employees need a working knowledge of company policies and procedures such as:
familiarity with environmental documents (policies and procedures
familiarity with company procedures for responding to reports
and also participate in training or information sessions at least every six months, to keep abreast of changes to environmental legislation

21. The need for new policies and procedures
A review process of the policy documents must compare existing policy and procedural documents to current legislative and industry requirements.
Gaps in policy can be identified, as well as the need for new policy documents.
Sustainability policies and procedures should be integrated with Quality Assurance (QA) and Occupational Health and Safety systems (WHS).
A formal organisational environmental policy, developed equally by the organisations managers and staff, is a public declaration of the commitments, responsibilities and obligations of everyone in the organisation to working in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.
This policy will communicate the organisations commitment to:
Increased resource efficiency
Reducing its environmental impact
Continuous improvement
Compliance with environmental regulations
Policies might:
Address sustainability initiatives through reference to standards, guidelines and approaches such as:
Ecological foot-printing
Global reporting initiative
Green office program
Green purchasing
Greenhouse challenge Plus
ISO 14001:1996
Life cycle analyses
Triple bottom line reporting
Take an integrated approach to sustainability which includes environmental, economic and social aspects, or a specific approach that focusses on each aspect individually
Investigate particular business and market context of the industry/organisation
Meet relevant laws, by-laws and regulations or best practice to support compliance in environmental performance and sustainability at each level required
Identify parts of the organisation to which it is to apply, including whether it is fro the whole organisation, one site, one work area or a combination of these

22. Develop Key Performance Indicators
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) form the basis for evaluating a sustainability system and also become the basis for marketing claims when differentiating one’s company from one’s competitors.
KPIs are usually indexed against a business goals and used as a basis for performance assessment

23. Examples of KPIs

24. Assign Responsibilities

25. Introduction
This section is about developing and implementing sustainable policies, based on a review of organisational policies already completed.
Review existing policy documents
Develop new policy documents
Develop an implementation plan.

26. Process of Review 1. Select a Policy for review 2.
Audit for Compliance 3.
Update or create a Policy 4.
Develop the implementation plan

27. 1. Review Select some policies and procedures. E.g.:
Waste management policy
Integrated marketing communication policies (internal and external) that capture and communicate a business’s sustainability objectives
Human Resource management policies that link appraisals, remuneration and rewards to sustainability objectives.

28. 2. Audit for Compliance Does it have a clear statement of purpose?
Does it identify the internal and external communication lines?
Who is the responsible person/s?
Does it make reference to business sustainability?
Does it identify resource consumption, outputs and waste?
Does it identify external impacts e.g. emissions?
Does it identify relevant legislation, regulation and standards?

29. 3. Develop new policy documents
The new policy should contain:
A purpose statement – the context of the policy, why it is required
A scope – the application of the policy (particular location, workgroup, etc.)
The roles and responsibilities – who is responsible for the implementation of the policy
The legislation – reference any legislation that the policy specifically complies with.
A commitment to continuous improvement

30. What is an Implementation Plan?
The implementation plan details the activities and overall timeline for meeting objectives.
It specifies who is accountable for each of:
the activities
the resources required
the methodologies needed to ensure quality and management of risks
The plan is a management tool and must be revisited regularly to determine the progress essential to achieve the outcomes set out in the strategy.

31. 4. Develop an implementation plan.
Once you have reviewed and updated your Policy and Procedure it has to be implemented. Information must be made accessible to all staff and communicated clearly and on a regular basis. Inform those involved in implementing the policy as to outcomes expected, activities to be undertaken and responsibilities assigned.

32. Elements of an Implementation Plan
An Implementation plan is a description of the new Policies and Procedures and why they have been updated/written, and the expected results
Timelines and milestones
Responsibilities
Resource requirements
Stakeholder communication
Monitoring
Continuous improvement

33. Communicating
Methods of communicating information about the new policy could include:
Meetings/workshops
Newsletters containing advice and hints s
Information sheets and notices
Implementation plans

34. Barriers to changing policy
Many of the changes required have cost implications including:
Changes to electronic and/or hard copy documentation
Additional staff or reallocation of existing staff
Staff attitudes and possible reluctance to adopt changes
Training staff on the new policies
Purchasing policies calling for different raw materials, replacement or upgrades to plant and equipment
Third party auditors and/or consultants fees

36. Section Summary Explored sustainability in a business context
Identified legislative and regulatory requirements
Identified best practice models and initiatives
Identified need for new policy and procedures
Developed Key Performance Indicators
Reviewed existing policy documents
Developed new policies documents
Developed an implementation plan.

37. BSBSUS501 Develop workplace policy and procedure for sustainability
Using both the eBooks and this PowerPoint answer Short Answer Questions 1 to 00