As an update to the Defra (Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)consultation on the use of Environmental Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) guidance, the IEMA (Institute of Environmental Management And Assessment) have published their response from a series or workshops.
It should be remembered that the guidance was intended to help businesses that want to demonstrate their corporate sustainability credentials. The draft guidance would replace the previous guidance on environmental KPIs published in 2006.
I was privileged to attend a workshop in Central London where a Defra representative described the background to the revised guidance following by focused discussion on the document itself.
There are many benefits that can be derived from the development of environmental performance indicators to monitor and manage business and its interaction with the environment. The direction of discussions at the workshop were focused on pragmatic solutions to the use of KPIs, some inconsistencies in the logic of the proposed process and opportunities to link with other reporting systems, such as ISO 14001:2004 and the EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) Regulation.
A summary of the IEMS response is provided at http://bit.ly/TuYmS8 with a copy of the draft guidance at http://bit.ly/MHwHuI