Promoting Resource Efficiency in Small & Medium size ... - UNEP

3.4 Check
In the ‘Check’ phase, performance indicators are established and monitored
and data is evaluated. It is good practise to document the old and
the new situation for evaluation and learning. An example from a South
Korean paint shop for TV frames is shown in Table 8.
Specific water consumption =
Water input in 2009
kg of product produced
in 2009
Project name: Install automatic paint gun
Problem
• Quality differs according to the painter
• Paint is sprayed on walls and wasted
Before
Methodology
• Install automatic paint gun
• Spray in an up and down movement
After
Benefits
• Resource Efficiency: 20% reduction of paint input (about 4000 litres), less manual operator involvement
• Economical: 82,000 USD = Paint (32,000 USD) + reduced salary (50,000 USD)
• Efforts: 130,000 USD
Table 8: Before and after photos documenting action taken for resource- efficient
painting in a paint shop painting TV frames.
Indicators help to condense relevant data to provide exact and useful
information about the efforts of management, the environmental impact
of a company’s activities or the state of the environment. Benchmarks
are chosen as a means to present quantity or quality data or information
in an understandable and useful form. This information can be provided
in the form of absolute or relative, normalised or indicated information.
In most companies, indicators are already part of the planning process.
Indicators can also be used in a similar way for an environmental
information system to compile company data in a clearly structured way
so that it is easy to interpret.
The following types of indicators can be used for controlling Resource
Efficiency:
Specific consumption
Material input, raw material
A in kg in 2009
Specific consumption, material A, 2009 =
kg of product produced
in 2009
Waste B produced
in kg in 2009
Specific water generation, 2009 =
kg of product produced
in 2009
Proportional values for presenting a part in
relation to the whole
An example of a proportional value:
Drinking water proportion 2009 =
Drinking water input
in kg in 2009
Water input in kg in 2008
Index figures comparing identical figures over a
course of time
An example of an index figure:
Water index 2009 =
Water input in 2009
Water input in the base year
2007
The international standard ISO 14031 includes suggestions for how to
select and formulate a benchmarking study for your company.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) describes two
general indicator categories:
• Indicators for describing the environmental impact of an
organisation
– Indicators concerning management systems
– Process indicators
• Indicators for describing the condition of the environment
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