Appendix E: Sample Company Self-Assessment

The following self-assessment form is used by the UK s Sustainability Northwest in their Evolve Notebook approach to sustainability.

Environment

Please describe what your organization does, referring to the guidance and highlighting examples of good practice.

Policy

Guidance

How the organization s leadership supports improvement and involvement by providing appropriate resources and assistance; how environmental policy and strategy are integrated into corporate systems, business planning, etc.

Source: With permission from Sustainability Northwest at www.snw.org.uk/pdffiles/Questionnaire.doc.

Please give examples, such as action taken to:

• Reduce energy and water consumption.

• Minimize the use of primary materials.

• Introduce green transport planning.

1. Our organization has a written environmental policy which is signed off by a senior manager and is publicly available.

   Yes _ No _ Under development _

2. In what way does our policy commit the organization to adopting long- term strategic and operational environmental goals?

   Score for response (max. 10)

Objectives and Targets

Guidance

How the environmental objectives and targets relate to the environmental policy and are used at all levels to review performance.

Please give examples, such as action taken to:

• Establish a baseline to measure change.

• Identify and remedy specific areas for improvement.

• Reduce overall emissions of gases which contribute to poor air quality.

3. Our organization has established objectives and SMART ( specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timebound) targets covering the organization s environmental performance.

   Yes _ No _ Under development _

4. How does our organization ensure that the environmental objectives and targets set contribute to continual improvement?

   Score for response (max. 10)

People

Guidance

How the skills, knowledge, and competencies of the workforce have been harnessed to enable the organization to enhance its environmental performance.

Please give examples, such as action taken to:

• Train workforce to undertake environmental audits .

• Involve stakeholders in setting environmental targets.

5. Our workforce is aware of the policy and key staff understand their role and responsibility in helping our organization improve its environmental performance.

   Yes _ No _ Under development _

6. How does our organization involve the workforce in improving its environmental performance?

   Score for response (max. 10)

Results

Guidance

How the organization verifies and validates results, this may include internal or external auditing or external verification and certification.

Please give examples, such as action taken to:

• Reduce the potential impacts of climate change.

• Highlight and make best use of the results obtained.

7. Our organization has established a monitoring and review process to evaluate its environmental performance.

   Yes _ No _ Under development _

8. How does our organization use this review process to reduce its environmental impacts ?

   Score for response (max. 10)

Communications (Internal and External)

Guidance

How the organization informs and involves all its stakeholders on action taken to identify and then reduce its key environmental impacts and highlights the progress achieved.

Please give examples, such as action taken to:

• Ensure the use of best practice in the management of waste.

• Move our organization toward best practice for our sector.

9. Our organization regularly communicates key areas of environmental performance to stakeholders.

   Yes _ No _ Under development _

10. How does our organization use feedback from stakeholders to manage and improve its environmental performance?

    Score for response (max. 10)