Posts Tagged ‘Enterprise’

How Can ISO 14001 Benefit My Business?

Environmental Concerns are now of paramount consideration by company directors, owners and employees worldwide.      

Since the 14001 EMS includes everyone in the organization and all areas of the organization that affect the environment, it can improve an organization’s environmental performance in many ways. This improved performance comes at a cost to the organization, a cost which can be recovered by aggressively seeking benefits.

Some of those benefits are as follows:

All environmental policies and procedures are now in the same format

All documents are now easily accessible to employees so compliance has improved

Regularly scheduled EMS reviews are ensuring both legal and ethical obligations are met in a timely fashion.

Increased Profits

The quantity of materials and energy required for manufacturing a product may be reduced, thereby reducing the cost of the product, material handling costs, and waste disposal costs.

An EMS can help reduce incidents of pollution and the associated expense of recovery.

Recycling manufacturing waste and unused inputs could increase revenues. Recycling need not be within the same facility, but with another one that can use the waste as input to their production.

Employee health and safety can be improved, thereby improving productivity, decreasing sick days, and reducing insurable risk.

Insurance claims may be reduced, thus reducing the costs of coverage and settlements.

This is just a sample of the benefits available to business; the list of benefits and potential benefits is considerably larger.

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Computer Retailers & Manufacturers Need To Be More Responsible

Computer Aid International has called for companies involved with IT to be more responsible for the environmental cost of their products.

The organisation has produced a report: Green ICT: what producers must do, blaming original equipment manufacturers for poor practice and pollution in production.

A manufacturer, in terms of The WEEE Directive, is any company who builds computers, ranging from your Joe Bloggs PC retailer in the high street to the Multinationals such as Dell, they are both treated equally!

They say that manufacturers need to take responsibility for the entire life-cycle of their products.

The report argues that most environmental damage of computing happens during manufacturing; for instance, 80% of the energy used over a PC’s lifecycle is used before it is switched on for the first time.

The report cites mining materials and the excessive use of toxic chemicals in production as the source of the enormous carbon footprint made by manufacturing and its global sourcing and distribution chains.

Computer Aid International CEO Tony Roberts said: “In Europe all ICT manufactures including HP, Samsung, Nokia, Apple, and small independants have a legal duty to fund the end of life recycling of equipment that they produced.

“Within Europe manufacturers fulfil this requirement of corporate social responsibility and are justifiably proud of their green credentials.

“However we would argue that they have exactly the same moral obligations where their products are sold in Africa, Asia and elsewhere.

“Most developing countries are entirely without the kind of facilities necessary to re-use and recycle ICTs and to recover the precious metals and other composite materials before they pollute the environment and threaten public health and safety.”

The report calls for producers to be responsible for the end-of-life management of their goods in all countries they operate in, not just in rich developed countries, so that all nations can build the operational capacity to re-use IT equipment and to recycle e-waste.

It says producers need to shift the cost of toxic, wasteful design away from communities and the environment back to themselves.

They call for producers to be forced to include the real costs of their goods through wide-ranging programmes that encourage eco-design

To find out how the WEEE directive affects you, whether you’re an end user, retailer or manufacturer, contact Be Seen Go Geen for advice and help

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WEEE Compliance, there is no option

The purpose of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive  is to reduce the environmental impact of electronic waste. The WEEE directive protects landfills and regulates the disposal of end-of-life electrical or electronic equipment (EEE) also known as e-waste. The related RoHS Directive  strives to limit the use of six hazardous materials in the manufacture of electronic equipment.
The WEEE Directive provides a guide for the collection, treatment, recycling and recovery of waste electrical and electronic equipment. The “polluter pays” principle means collection and recovery is largely at the manufacturer’s expense. Specified products include such things as large and small household appliances, IT and telecommunications equipment, consumer equipment, IT and telecommunications equipment.
Reduction of hazardous material content in products at the manufacturing stage will reduce the content of such pollutants in electronic waste. This will enhance the economic feasibility of recycling. Hence RoHS compliance, which in any case is needed for doing business in the EU, is the first important element for any effective recycling. Increased efforts to design products that facilitate recycling of WEEE components and materials are extremely beneficial.
Recycling is one of several waste disposal options. Its effectiveness depends, to a large extent on the type of material to be recycled and the availability of appropriate technology. E-waste such as a computer can be discarded by the original users, but it may still be perfectly functional equipment. In this case material recovery and reuse is a better alternative than recycling. In fact the reuse of waste electrical and electronic equipment is the preferred economic option.
Recycling is technology and material specific. It is mandatory to collect electronic waste separately from municipal waste. While primary administrative responsibility lies with the state, manufacturers have an important role in educating customers on proper waste disposal. The WEEE directive mandates collection of electronic waste at the manufacturer’s cost. Manufacturers must not only ensure that convenient collection points are set up for consumers but must also make provisions for the transportation of the waste materials to the recycling plant.
The WEEE directive mandates that recycling sites should conform to certain minimum standards to prevent adverse environmental impact when treating waste EEE. In most cases, it will not be feasible for a single manufacturer to operate its own recycling center.
Throughout the WEEE recovery chain, producers are required to finance the cost of e-waste collection from consumers; transportation to the recycling center; treatment; recovery and disposal. Producers will generally need to collaborate with other manufacturers to collectively bear the cost for the recycling and waste disposal obligations.
The WEEE and the RoHS are here to stay and further strengthening of environmental regulations is inevitable. One such step is the impending Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH), regulations which beacme effective from June 1, 2007  within the European Union. The REACH regulation will control the use of a very wide range of chemicals and is not limited only to the electronics sector.

With these legislations it is important to adopt a proactive approach, ensuring compliance by producers, distributors and end users alike,  of the WEEE electronic recycling directive.

This will surely provide the producers and distributors with increased competitiveness, within a competitive market, differentiating themselves from those who continue to break the law.

At Be Seen Go Green, we offer solutions for a variety of Environmental issues. Please click on the following link to contact us.

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Enterprise Social Network – Giving a Whole New View to Collaborative Work

Big ideas can come from anywhere, which is why companies always try to involve everyone concerned whenever they are looking for the freshest ideas. They hold brainstorming sessions that includes everyone who is connected to a certain project. However, there is still the need to be physically present in such meetings. With the introduction of the Internet, such a need is made obsolete. All you need to do is log in at the appointed time and you can join the session via conferencing. Taking it one step further is the enterprise social network. Now, you don’t need to be physically present nor do you need to be online at a certain period of time. You can still collaborate with different projects without the time and place constraints.

Enterprise social network is made up of a social software that is used by enterprises to speed up and streamline communications. To be called an enterprise social network, it must have certain functionalities built-in such as a search function, linking, authoring, tagging function, as well as signaling function. One such software tool that is used commonly by companies and falls under enterprise social network is the wiki.

A wiki is a software that is made for enterprise social networking. It is a collection of web pages that is designed to be accessible to anyone. It can be configured in such a way that anyone who has the privilege can modify, add, or even remove content. Enterprises make use of wikis for collaborative work. Instead of having to meet in the board room every week, they instead make use of wikis to track down progress in any given project. Members of a certain project can then change specific web pages in the wiki just to keep the others informed of what has been done and what else needs to be done. There are several available wiki software on the web. Some would require you to pay, while some are open source. One such open source wiki is the DokuWiki.

DokuWiki is a small and simple to use Wiki software. It targets small companies that need collaborative work. This could include documentation or implementation of a project. If you don’t like setting up complex databases, then you would love DokuWiki. It works with simple text files foregoing the need to setup a database for it. Setting it up is as simple as downloading the compressed file, extracting the contents, and creating space for it in your server. Included is the install.php which will guide you throughout the installation.

If you are setting up an enterprise social network for your company, you might want to check out wikis. And if you want the simplest way to get started on one without having to shell out money, try the DokuWiki.

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WEEE: Questions to ask yourself if you sell EEE

I sell  directly to household users. Am I a distributor?

  • Yes.

I sell Electrical & Electronic Equipment only to Organisations users. Am I a distributor?

  • Yes, but some distributor obligations do not apply in relation to sales of non-household EEE.
    However your customers may ask you for information about the registered producer of
    the EEE, and that producer may ask you for information about non-household
    customers and sales so that they can report their sales correctly. Please note sole traders and partnerships are classed as consumers.

I only sell second-hand equipment. Am I a distributor?

  • Distributor obligations only apply in relation to the provision of EEE that has not been
    previously placed on the UK market. However you will still require {permits, licences] to operate

I sell only ex-demonstration, mail-order returns, open-box or surplus EEE. Am I distributor?

  • Yes, ex-demonstration, “open box” EEE and mail-order returns are regarded as new
    EEE and therefore normal distributor obligations apply.

I provide Electrical & Electronic Equipment incidentally to my main business (credit card rewards, loyalty bonus, and advertising). Am I a distributor?

  • Yes. If you provide EEE to household users on a commercial basis, then you are a
    distributor.

If I allow take-back, do I have to allow consumers to bring back any WEEE?

  • Consumers may bring back items of equipment which they are replacing with an
    equivalent new product on a like-for-like basis. If you offer take-back you must do this
    for all types of EEE you sell. So, for example, a consumer buying a new microwave
    oven would be entitled to take-back of one old microwave oven as WEEE. You would
    not be expected to take back a completely different type of equipment, for example a
    washing machine for a DVD player.

What is “equivalent” WEEE?

  • Distributors are expected to adopt a reasonable interpretation of equivalence. For
    example, a customer should be allowed to bring back an old video cassette recorder
    when purchasing a new DVD player/recorder, as even though this is not strictly a like-for-
    like replacement, the new product is intended to fulfil the same function.

How long after a purchase should I give consumers to bring back their WEEE?

  • The WEEE Regulations do not lay down a minimum period for which take-back should
    be offered. However, given that it is unlikely that customers will carry WEEE with them
    while shopping, distributors are should accept WEEE within a reasonable period following a sale (e.g. 28 days). You may wish to endorse the sales receipt to govern
    deferred in-store take-back of WEEE

Are faulty items returned to me classed as WEEE?

  • No. Items intended for repair and return to use are not regarded as waste. However,
    once it becomes clear that items are beyond repair and hence are to be discarded they
    should be regarded as WEEE. From this point they should be dealt with in accordance
    with the WEEE Regulations.

Can I charge customers if I offer collection-on-delivery services?

  • It remains at the discretion of retailers whether to charge or not for any collection on
    delivery services that they provide to consumers, but any such services would not fulfil
    your take-back obligations.

How do I do take-back if I am a mail order distributor?

  • Distance sellers must either join the DTS, offer in-store take-back through one of their
    local stores (where these exist) or provide the customer with an alternative local route
    for free take-back. The distributor must tell customers how they can dispose of WEEE,
    for example via their catalogue, website, sales receipts, or through a leaflet included
    with the purchase.

The producer demands a large product display to show his recycling costs. What should I do?

  • The WEEE Regulations give producers the right to display any costs associated with
    recycling historical WEEE. A distributor of EEE may not obscure or remove a sticker on
    the product, but would not be obliged to erect an in-store display with the costs.
    Producers and distributors may negotiate between themselves the appropriate means
    of display.

At Be Seen Go Green, we offer solutions for a variety of Environmental issues. Please click on the following link to contact us.

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Social Enterprise and Its Benefits

If you thought social enterprises are only focused on social or environmental aims, think again. Besides the good work, such enterprises are also involved in the generation of revenue for further sustainability practices. As far as the management of ‘triple bottom line’ is concerned, social enterprise also face challenges similar to a private firm. However, bringing a positive change in the society remains the main focus for any non-profit organization.

Social enterprises usually hire local people. Whether an individual is disabled, remained unemployed for a long term or belongs to a minority group, such enterprises bring a ray of hope in many lives. There are many people who leave their high profile jobs in multinational companies to join a social enterprise. The fact that it offers a platform where people can make a difference with the help of a flexible work environment has encouraged many people to take this step. These enterprises work on the concept of combining social goals and values with commercial practices.

Companies that follow socially responsible practices cannot be considered a social enterprise. However, these enterprises have benefited with the sudden growth of the CSR movement. Governments all over the world need to realize the benefits of encouraging the growth of social enterprises in the economy. The profit made by social enterprises is invested back into development of the community and environmental sustainability. More awareness should be spread so that the consumers start buying more product and services that contribute to the welfare of the local communities.

Even though traditional non-profit investment firms don’t prefer investing in social enterprises, long term benefits of this sector can’t be avoided. It not only helps in the generation of sustainable income sources and diversifies revenue streams but also helps in cutting down the dependency on donors. More social entrepreneurs are required who can recognize social problems and create successful ventures for bringing social change.

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Help Your Business In Enterprise Carbon And Energy Management

Energy efficiency and reduced energy consumption takes away the limelight of business accounting as initiatives on carbon footprint reduction is becoming the focus of attention. Economies of the future now consider carbon as a commodity, as it is a liability for enterprises in the entire world.

Soon, legislation shall create markets for carbon trading, which could add another column on the balance sheet. As the society is already becoming very much aware of the adverse effects of carbon to the environment, pressure from the society for companies to be responsive to their energy consumption and carbon footprint will continue to increase.

Corporate environmental sustainability may not be handled by a department or administered by the role of a junior vice president. Rather, carbon emissions must be addressed as a critical element of an organization’s existence. To slow down the already felt impacts of climate change, sustainable resource planning should be measurable, visible and real being part of each corporate requirements.

Collaborative approaches in enterprise energy and carbon management are now starting to emerge as the traditional systems are just not that holistic in approaching the problem. Sustainability resource planning software is an example of a software-as-a-service approach and is a way that distributed organizations can address this issue from the ground up as they move toward compliance.

The new-age enterprise energy management and carbon management systems will be heavily software-based that could monitor, report, and manage emissions which are consequences of energy consumption. A variety of IT systems already exist within the typical organization, designed to handle employee, customer, financial, raw material and finished product management. Enterprise carbon and energy management systems will become a critical addition to existing software systems and will be based on the need for greater operational efficiency, enhanced communications, mandated compliance and reputation differentiation.

Traditional methods of accounting are no longer acceptable in addressing problems of enterprise energy management and in reducing consequent greenhouse gas emissions. To create a structured information database and to aide analysis of multiple assets across an array of operational areas, a system must be created and executed in proactive management and performance assessment.

Distributed organizations are able to use carbon and energy management software to gather data from the asset level, calculating the true cost of ownership for all their assets, engage energy supply and demand management products, analyze and process utility bills, manage carbon emissions and other critical resources.

According to a market overview of enterprise carbon and energy management systems, released by Forrester Research in November, 2009, these systems are in the early stage of adoption, but such sustainability software will become a high priority as energy management in general becomes a clear focus of attention.

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The CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme – A Review

We are now well on the road to the end of the first year of the CRC.

We’ve had the scare stories, the organisations failing to register, or less organisations registering than were first thought. First estimates from the Government suggested 5000 plus organisations would be full participants with a further 20,000 as information disclosures.

We’ve had over 3,700 full participants register, what does this tell us?

For me, based on my research, it tells me that a lot of organisations were confused as to what they needed to do. For example, a car dealership, an example Defra used in their literature, if that dealership was a single franchise, SEAT for example, then if a single SEAT dealer anywhere else in the UK had a half hour meter then ALL SEAT dealerships and SEAT companies were in, under the banner of SEAT, who had the responsibility of collating this information. That’s nice and simple, until you then look at if that same dealership had say SEAT and VW at the same premises, they’re out? Add to that the ability to register independently so the SEAT brand did not have to account for everything that traded under its name . . . confused . . . therein lies the problem!

At least the Con/Dem co-alition government has pushed back the full implementation of phase 1 of the CRC by 12 months, the same for Phase 2.They are also looking at making the scheme simpler, firstly by making it a Tax, no payments from the pot for those that reduce emissions the most, Good or Bad?

For me it’s a bit of good and bad, organisations no longer being rewarded for reducing emissions will need to find some other motivation to reduce emissions! The good side is that it is giving these organisation more time to get to grips with the scheme, however, as experience has shown, a lot of organisation left it to the last minute before registering for the CRC, will they do the same again?

Initially Phase 1 reporting is primarily about Scope 1 & 2 emissions, Scope 1 being based on energy you produce, for example if you had a wind turbine and selling electricity back to the grid, Scope 2 is for energy you purchase.

However Phase 2 of the CRC is interesting, as it suggests that Scope 3 emissions will be included in a company’s declaration, a good way of introducing mandatory emissions reporting for all via the back door. Scope 3 covers everything from Travel to Suppliers.

If we look at suppliers for a large organisation, this could easily be in the thousands, a local authority I recently met with, have in excess of 5000 suppliers, under phase 2 they will need to liaise with all 5000, collate the emissions data for those 5000 and submit under the local authorities umbrella.

This will be an administrative nightmare for the unprepared, both the supplier and the large organisation. This will mean that for those who tender for work from larger organisations it will no longer be just a tick box exercise for environmental policy, such as ISO14001, it will be a detailed report on emissions and those not able to submit such a report, will ultimately, not win any business.

At Be Seen Go Green, we offer solutions for a variety of Environmental issues. Please click on the following link to contact us.

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Going Green Is Not Just For Big Business-You Can Grow Profits, Too!

The world of big business is making daily headlines by “going green” after discovering that what’s good for the planet is also proving good for business.
IBM recently announced “Project Big Green,” a $1 billion initiative to reduce energy consumption by offering new lines of energy-efficient IT products.
Wal-Mart is adding solar power to more than 20 stores.
PepsiCo is buying renewable energy certificates to offset its carbon footprint. Even major banks and energy firms are being asked by shareholders to prove that they, too, are going green.
It’s not just the biggest businesses that are attracting new customers and shareholders and reaping huge profits by “going green.” Small businesses also are growing eco-profits by embracing surprisingly inexpensive strategies to add value to their products, services and brand.
Consider these innovative examples:
- Bob Smith of Mad River Brewing Company in Blue Lake, California, has attracted positive publicity (and new customers) by promoting his efforts to reduce his small firm’s waste output and take other environmentally conscious steps. In turn, he has received welcome positive publicity from the press. “What PR budget? That is our PR budget,” he told the Albuquerque Tribune about “going green” to market his business.
- In Florida, Natalie Kelly formed Home Therapy Cleaning Services, which uses only nontoxic, all-natural cleaning products for her home cleaning business. She used to sell aromatherapy candles from her home, she told the St. Petersburg Times, but today uses an aromatherapy baking soda blend to freshen carpets.
Here’s what you can do:
- Two inexpensive ways any small business or solo entrepreneur can go green are to change light bulbs to energy-efficient bulbs and use biodegradable cleaning products.
- With that done, tell your customers and the media about these simple ways to go green. You will have just earned instant credibility as a green business, and also as a media resource for simple, effective ways to “go green.”
- Many communities online and offline are forming networks to exchange energy-saving ideas for home and business. Form your own energy network, enlisting neighborhood businesses that will welcome another opportunity to show they’re going green, too. The plus for you is that you will have just positioned yourself and your business as a community environmental leader.

-Write a “green” article on simple ways you are going green and submit it to one of the dozens of “green” Web sites and blogs that invite reader contributions. It’s a great way to market your smart ideas and your business!

 

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Mandatory Emissions Reporting: A step closer following Defra report

Mandatory Emissions Reporting: A step nearer following Defra report

The case for legislation to force businesses to report

emissions has been boosted by new research which found more than half of

companies voluntarily measuring greenhouse gases claimed it led to a net

benefit for business.

Cost savings, improved green credentials and better relationships with

investors and customers were among the additional bonuses experienced by

companies that actively tried to reduce greenhouses gases.

Research carried out on behalf of the UK’s Department for Environment,

Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) found firms were using emission

measurements to set future targets for reduction and to influence wider

business plans.

A majority of companies, 53 per cent, admitted that regular emission

reports had been instrumental in triggering a change in behaviour within

their own organisation and raised interest in environmental matters to

boardroom level.

Businesses reported that being seen to be green by actively reporting

their own emissions and setting targets to reduce them had strengthened

their brand in the eye of investors and customers ,as well as creating

estimated energy savings ranging from £200,000 to £60 million over five

years.

“I am pleased to see that the many companies already voluntarily

involved in reporting GHG emissions are finding the process beneficial

to their business and investors. I am also delighted to see that the act

of reporting is encouraging attempts to reduce emissions,” said Lord

Henley, UK Environment Minister.

“The next steps for Government will be to consider the findings of the

report. We’ll be announcing a way forward in early 2011.”

The positive results from this latest research will help inform the

Government’s decision on whether to make GHG reporting mandatory and an

announcement is due to be made early next year. The Climate Change Act 2008

requires government to introduce legislation for mandatory reporting by 6 April

2012, or explain why this hasn’t happened.

“It is encouraging to find that many companies see GHG reporting as

beneficial to their business. The emission figures seem to act as a

catalyst for other changes within the company resulting in wide ranging

benefits for both the environment and the business,” said Bob Watson,

Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK government.

“Tackling climate change is something we need to do together so it’s

great to see the positive contribution being made by many British

companies.”

However, before the government introduces mandatory emissions reporting

experts have called for a unified approach to how reporting is done.

“There are already a number of existing schemes, such as the EU

Emissions Trading Scheme, the Carbon Reduction Commitment and Climate

Change Agreements, which are used by firms to report their emissions and

plan for reductions,” said William Dick, Director of Be Seen Go Green

Environmental Consultants.

“There needs to be a simple and unified approach which will make life

easier for businesses and encourage more to measure their emissions and

make behavioural changes within organisations.

“When you consider that the cost of instigating a measurement procedure

is around £50,000 for most big companies and the average savings are a

minimum of £200,000 then it should be a fairly easy decision to make yet

many companies still need to be convinced to make the first move. This

research will help.”

At Be Seen Go Green, we offer solutions for a variety of Environmental issues. Please click on the following link to contact us.

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