Benchmarks in the sector

Mr Wyfker, policy secretary for environment and energy at Koninklijke Metaalunie, encourages metal industries to draw up corporate environmental plans. This is what he has to say about the Envirometer:

To my mind the Envirometer can be used for a wide variety of purposes. For the Board it provides a means of identifying where there's still room for improement.

The Envirometer is also a good communication tool: suitable for giving both staff and customers feedback on our environmental performance, but also for giving government agencies the environmental information they require from us.

At the same time the Envirometer can be used as a benchmark for comparing one's performance with others operating in our sector.

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Application

The Envirometer can be used in a variety of ways:

• The charts provide insight into the top priorities for cost savings and environmental action.
• Thanks to the average Envirometer and indicator scores for various sectors you can compare your own results and consider whether this suggests a need for additional measures. 
• The impact of environmental measures on your current score can be assessed in a 'dry run'.
• By filling in the Envirometer each year, you have a visual record of your environmental progress.
• The graphics used to represent your environmental score make communications with staff, customers, citizens and outside environmental departments all the easier.
• A hard copy of the Envirometer can be given to enforcement agencies requesting environmental registry data.
• The Envirometer provides a good basis for a simple environmental care system. (2)

Focus of the Envirometer

The Envirometer is concerned with the environmental aspects of an organisation's in-house activities, covering the themes of energy, water, emissions (of solvents and coolants), (3) waste, travel & transport and mobile machinery. 

The tool provides NO insight into:

• The environmental burden associated with raw material inputs (except for office paper, which is included).
• The environmental burden of the products and services being marketed.
• Local aspects like noise and stench nuisance, soil pollution and external risks.

A comprehensive environmental policy should be concerned with these aspects, too. This can be achieved through Sustainable procurement, environmental product management, ecodesign and attention to local environmental aspects and so on, for which conditions may often already be laid down in permits.