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

The appendix to the ISO 14031 lists some examples of useful
indicators for benchmarking management systems such as:
• Number of targets achieved
• Number of organisational units that have achieved their
Resource Efficiency targets
• Number of Resource Efficiency options put into practice
• Number of employees with relevant responsibilities
• Number of employees participating in Resource Efficiency
programmes
• Number of employees trained in Resource Efficiency matters
• Results of employees who attended training
• Number of environmentally relevant suggestions for
improvement tabled by employees
• Results of employee survey about their knowledge/status of
information about Resource Efficiency matters
• Number of suppliers with eco-management systems
• Number of products designed in a recycling-oriented way
• Degree of compliance with laws, ordinances and notices
• Time required to resolve relevant accidents
• Amount of corrective action taken
• Penalties, fines
• Number of audits carried out
• Number of emergency drills
• Time needed to recoup costs of relevant investments
• Savings engendered by relevant investments
• Number of neighbours’ complaints
• Number of relevant newspaper articles
• Number of programmes for the community
• Number of production sites with an eco-management system
• Number of production sites with an eco-programme
• Number of local initiatives supported by the organisation
Examples of process indicators:
• Material consumption per product
• Input of recycling material
• Reuse of packaging material per product
• Process material input
• Cleaning agent input
• Water input
• Water recycling
• Production of hazardous waste
• Energy input
• Energy input according to types of energy
• In-house energy generation from waste
• Energy saved through energy-saving programmes
• Fuel consumption
• Freight kilometres according to means of transport
• Land use
• Business trips
• Number of recyclable products
• Rejects
Examples of product life cycle indicators:
• Energy consumption through product life cycle
• Waste generated
• Amount of hazardous waste produced
• Amount of recyclable waste produced
• Emission amounts (per year, per product)
• Ozone destruction potential of gaseous emissions
• Greenhouse effect caused by gaseous emissions
• Emissions in waste water
• Noise
• Radiation
Examples of environmental health indicators:
• Information about the condition of bodies of water
• Local air quality
• Endangered species
• Resource consumption
• Water temperatures
• Climate-relevant figures
More specific environmental health indicators may include:
• Output indicators (for solid waste, hazardous waste, waste
water, gaseous emissions; these indicators show the observance
of legal framework conditions)
• Input-oriented corporate indicators (have an earlywarning
function and facilitate the use of foresight and
promptness in making statements on corporate material and
energy use per household; they should at the same time be
formulated as efficiency indicators)
• Management indicators (observance of laws, achievement
of targets, neighbour and staff involvement, describe the
efficiency of the corporate organisation)
• Process indicators (structured according to plants or
procedures to make the material or energy flows of Resource
Efficiency goals measurable)
If developing your own indicators, the following questions may help you
to define them:
• What figures best reflect the targets?
• Which figures would best indicate that the target was not met?
• How critical deviations are best measured?
• What is the best way to show who is responsible for a critical
deviation?
• For which indicators is information easy and inexpensive to get?
It is possible to learn from the indicator system by comparing in-house
benchmarks with those of other enterprises. It is, of course, essential
that the parameters of the companies to be compared are similar. It is
also important that the benchmarks of the reference company have been
determined in the same way as those in the company under analysis.
Lessons can also be learnt from the in-house comparison of indicators by:
• Finding out if and how the status quo deviates from predicted
results
• Analysing variations in time
• Assessing the frequency of deviations
• Examining statistical correlations between indicators and variables
Spreadsheet analysis programs, such as MS-Excel, can be helpful in
creating graphs and charts to illustrate the data.
Use the benchmarking data to identify measures. Suitable measures
may include both organisational or technical approaches; feasibility
is examined and, investment, costs and savings are determined. The
schedule of implementation is planned.
Statistical analysis can help to identify the improvement potential of a
process. In Figure 20, the dotted lines show the targets, the solid lines
are the monthly average and the dots are the calculated daily specific
water consumptions (m 3 water consumed per hl beer produced). From
the deviation from the target and the variation of daily consumption we
can conclude the potential for savings (difference of daily consumption to
the respective average). If consumption can be low on some days, why
should it be high on others in the same production environment?
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