Benchmarking environmental audit programs: Best practices and biggest challenges

As Total Quality Management (TQM) has become an important concept in learning how to manage environmental, health, and safety audit programs more effectively, an especially useful. TQM tool has been competitive benchmarking. Companies are using benchmarking studies to identify “best practices” that could be incorporated into their programs. In conducting benchmarking studies, evaluators often also identify the biggest common challenges facing audit program managers. This article discusses these best practices and biggest challenges associated with environmental audit programs. The conclusions are based on a number of benchmarking studies and third-party evaluations of corporate audit programs. As the sources are necessarily limited to the author's own experiences, there are no doubt many other specific best practices that are not discussed in this article. These will surface over time.     

Questions and answers. TQEM performance indicators—how do you measure up?

I have seen a number of corporations accept the philosophy of TQEM and start the process of total quality environmental management with great enthusiasm. I believe that many organizations are attracted because TQM principles demand measurements of success and results that are definable for the environment. It reduces the emotionalism that frequently tends to surround environmental issues. Emotionalism has perhaps been the bane and boon of efforts by corporations and advocacy groups to incorporate environmental issues into the day-to-day functions of organizations. Abt Associates, a well-known research-based consulting firm, recently completed a study of U.S. Fortune 250 firms' environmental management programs. Abt found evidence that environmental performance is a competitive issue. Benchmarking is hotly pursued to develop firm-wide indices of performance. One third of the benchmarking is against competition, another third is against worldwide firms. There is a race to develop “Best in Class” standards now. E2M and Abt Associates have combined resources to study corporate Canada's environmental management programs and compare these with those of the United States. This research will help companies benchmark activities and will build a strong North American data base. Unfortunately it will not be ready in time to answer TQEM's question for this issue. (The study results will be released to participating companies in Fall 1992.)     

Environmental Performance Evaluation in the Water Industry of England and Wales

The appropriate means of benchmarking environmental performance within and between companies is a matter of considerable debate and raises issues such as what information to compare and the reliability and consistency of data. Comparing environmental performance through company environment reports is an approach which has been widely used but, as this paper shows, is difficult and has severe limitations. This paper presents a unique analysis, based on the UK water industry, which compares data reported in company environmental reports and data on the same companies reported through the industry regulators. In turn, this is compared with the environmental performance indicators proposed by two other systems, one advanced by the UK water industry itself. The results demonstrate the difficulty of specifying environmental indicators that enable meaningful comparison. The difficulty of comparing environmental performance in a sector with a comprehensive approach to, and long history of, environmental performance reporting presents some hard lessons for other sectors.     

Training for benchmarking: The alliedsignal experience

Integration of TQM principles and tools into environmental management decisions is essential to the ultimate success of businesses. Benchmarking is one of the most powerful TQM tools for quickly and effectively improving processes. To realize the maximum benefit from benchmarking, it—like any other TQM tool—must be used appropriately and properly. In this article training techniques are presented that will help companies realize the full potential of their benchmarking efforts.     

Benchmarking for continuous performance improvement: Tactics for success

Benchmarking is a powerful management technique that can help improve an organization's environmental performance on a number of dimensions. Benchmarking is not a cookbook solution but a systematic process of searching for the organization that is the best at a given process (“best-in-class”) and continually adopting or adapting new processes to accelerate improvement. As a continual process including planning, analysis, integration, action, and maturity phases, benchmarking should be integrated into the planning stage of the management system. Once processes are strategically identified, they can be improved within the company's Total Quality Management program. Many benefits, such as teamwork and job satisfaction, accompany benchmarking, but the greatest companywide advantage is becoming more competitive. Finding a suitable partner is crucial to the success of the benchmarking process. This article shows the traditional one-on-one approach is the most effective because it saves time and money that allows organizations to learn from each other. In addition, examples of where benchmarking partners may be found, as well as several success indicators in the benchmarking process, are presented. Since the ultimate intent of benchmarking is positive change, the difference between reengineering and continuous performance improvement and the role benchmarking plays in each is also discussed.     

Measuring environmental performance at niagara mohawk power

A system for measuring environmental performance is important to the success of a company's environmental excellence program. In 1991, Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation (NMPC) unveiled a new corporate policy on protection of the environment. To measure and communicate progress in achieving the goals and objectives embodied in the new policy, an environmental performance index (EPI) was developed. In this article the author shows how the EPI utilizes a weight and rating scheme to reflect environmental performance in three categories: emissions/wastes, regulatory compliance, and environmental enhancements. Performance goals have been established for the period 1992–1995, and actual performance data has been compiled for 1992 and 1993. While the EPI is designed to measure changes in NMPC's environmental performance over time, it does not provide information on how the company's performance compares to that of other electric utilities. Accordingly, NMPC is developing an environmental benchmarking program with a group of Northeast electric utilities that will allow comparisons of environmental performance between utilities.     

基于CBW方法的美丽中国建设学习路径选择研究

坚持因地制宜、分区分类探索并打造各美其美的美丽中国建设样本是美丽中国建设实践的内涵。目前各地在美丽中国先行区等试点建设活动中已进行了大量评价,在筛选典范、分区分类等方面做了充分探索。虽然评价体系日趋成熟,但仍存在榜样的学习路径不够明确,表彰充分但分类指导力度不足等问题。为了解决此类问题,本文充分融合大数据技术与生态文明建设实践,提出基于大数据的CBW(Category-Better-Way)方法体系,依据标杆管理“分类、标杆、学习路径”三要素建立了具有通用性的美丽中国建设辅助绩效评价体系和学习路径选择机制,不仅可以帮助辅助评比的机构确定生态案例分类类别、树立分类标杆、提取标杆的学习路径,还可帮助各地区定位美丽中国建设新案例的学习标杆并找到学习路径。该方法具有通用性,适用于各地实践美丽中国建设。     

Environmental performance benchmarking for electric utilities

Electric utility companies in the United States and Canada are participating in a unique environmental benchmarking program (EBP) designed to comparatively assess environmental performance. Each company annually provides data on emissionslwastes, compliance, and other environmental aspects to an independent consultant, Research Triangle Institute (RTI), whose staff compiles the data and computes approximately 80 discrete environmental performance metrics for each company. RTI provides a confidential report for each participant presenting the results of the assessment. In addition, RTI conducts a follow-up assessment to determine “best-practices” of each of the top performers for each metric. The EBP provides each participant with useful information on its strengths and weaknesses relative to the other companies in the program as well as ideas on how to improve its environmental performance. Annual participation in the program allows a company to measure improvement in performance on an annual basis. This article summarizes the evolution of the EBP and describes the study methods and reporting approach. Our goal in sharing this information is to demonstrate the usefulness of the program and encourage further participation by all major North American electric utilities.     

Why—and how to—benchmark for environmental excellence

Benchmarking your company'S environmental program against that of another company or organization is one of the more effective means of assuring it is on track toward environmental excellence. If used properly and objectively, it provides a means of gauging the progress of your environmental program while allowing both companies to benefit from new and innovative ideas for improvement. Benchmarking is capable of measuring program efficiency, program design, and program outputs. Benchmarking also provides environmental managers the unique opportunity of sharing successes and failures with respect to program integration into operations. This article describes the steps involved in designing and implementing benchmarking to assess the design of an overall environmental management program.     

The use of the ecological footprint in local politics and administration: results and implications from Norway

Our experiences calculating a local ecological footprint of Oslo form the basis for a discussion of key methodological aspects supporting the use of local sustainability indicators. The footprint's strength is its ability to communicate simply the complexity of global environmental challenges. Initially developed for measuring per capita consumption at the national level, the footprint has been adopted at local and regional levels. We argue for adjustments in the footprint methodology when shifting from a national to a local policy context, to ensure the indicator's applicability in local politics and administration. First, the analysis should be limited to consumption aspects relevant to the local environmental policy agenda. Second, the analysis should integrate as much genuine local data as possible. We argue also that a standardised methodology based on the national footprint approach, with the main purpose of international benchmarking of cities, cannot but reduce the indicator's usefulness for administrative/political guidance, due to the methodology's lack of transparency and inability to identify local variations.     

The use of the ecological footprint in local politics and administration: results and implications from Norway

Our experiences calculating a local ecological footprint of Oslo form the basis for a discussion of key methodological aspects supporting the use of local sustainability indicators. The footprint's strength is its ability to communicate simply the complexity of global environmental challenges. Initially developed for measuring per capita consumption at the national level, the footprint has been adopted at local and regional levels. We argue for adjustments in the footprint methodology when shifting from a national to a local policy context, to ensure the indicator's applicability in local politics and administration. First, the analysis should be limited to consumption aspects relevant to the local environmental policy agenda. Second, the analysis should integrate as much genuine local data as possible. We argue also that a standardised methodology based on the national footprint approach, with the main purpose of international benchmarking of cities, cannot but reduce the indicator's usefulness for administrative/political guidance, due to the methodology's lack of transparency and inability to identify local variations.     

Getting organizational buy-in for benchmarking: Environmental management at weyerhaeuser

Benchmarking is a process companies use to identify and evaluate the best practices, both inside and outside their industry, in their field of interest. The goal is to identify gaps between their performance and the benchmarks so that they can find ways to improve their performance. This article describes an early benchmarking effort in the environmental management area of the Weyerhaeuser Company.     

The Power of Innovation and Strategic Sustainability Positioning: A Survey of the Mining Sector in Brazil

This study investigates the relationship between the power of innovation and the sustainability strategies of companies involved in the minerals extraction sector in Brazil. The study included companies associated with the Brazilian Mining Institute, and it used research surveys to gather data. Analysis of the survey data revealed that companies with highly intensive characteristics in regard to innovation and environmental activities (environmental management activities) also display offensive, or proactive, strategies for pursuing sustainability.     

Measuring an Organization's Performance: The Road to Defining Sustainability Indicators

This article proposes an integrated procedure to assess sustainability indicators that organizations can use to satisfy international requirements for sustainability. The indicators are related to key aspects of organizations, and their development includes comparing them to the results and policies of various other organizations that are seeking to achieve sustainability. The methodology we used is based on a bibliographic review, and it is intended to:

• Diagnose the state of the art of organizational sustainability,
• Provide organizations with tools to perform benchmarking based on the results, and
• Provide processes to identify best sustainability practices.

After benchmarking, organization managers will be able to adjust the methodology to quantify the sustainability indicators that are most suited to their organization's profile in regard to the activities, products, and services that it offers. Critical factors for organizational sustainability are identified and integrated into the systematic approach proposed in this article to assess indicators, communicate results, and make recommendations for corrective action and continual improvement considering the organization's baseline condition (the starting condition of the organization).     

Pollution prevention benchmarking: AT&T and intel work together with the best

AT&T and Intel teamed together in 1991 to benchmark best-in-class corporate pollution prevention programs. In simple terms, benchmarking is a process whereby you identify an area in which you want to improve or maintain superiority, find others in industry who do it best, compare yourself to their processes and achievements, and take steps to reduce the gap between yourself and the best-in-class. This article is not a tutorial on benchmarking, but a case study of the pollution prevention benchmarking embarked on by two companies. It will describe the team dynamics, the benchmarking process followed, and the conditions that were key to the team'S success in each phase. In addition, it will try to capture the enthusiasm and excitement experienced by the members of the benchmarking team.     

An Integrated Benchmarking and Energy Savings Tool for the Iron and Steel Industry

Benchmarking can be a useful tool for understanding energy consumption patterns in an industrial facility and for designing policies to improve energy efficiency. Energy benchmarking for industry is a process in which the energy performance of an individual plant is compared against a common metric that represents ‘standard’ or ‘optimal’ performance. While benchmarking provides insights into the relative energy performance of the plant, it is also a good starting point for analysis of further improvement opportunities. In this paper, the development of an integrated benchmarking and energy efficiency evaluation tool, named BEST (Benchmarking and Energy Savings Tool), is described. The tool is based on a process-step benchmarking approach that allows for a wide variety of differences in feedstocks and products to be included in a fair comparison. BEST has been developed to support two Chinese integrated iron and steel plants in designing a strategic energy management program. BEST has been successfully applied to develop strategic energy-efficiency improvement targets. We describe the tool and report on its use.     

Selecting measures for corporate environmental quality: Examples from TQEM companies

Companies undertaking TQEM programs must decide how to measure continuous improvement in the environmental field at the outset of their implementation activities. In the past three years, the leading TQEM companies have made these tough choices and have begun to share their findings with the larger professional community. The author proposes a model for classifying environmental measurement data and presents examples of approaches adopted by TQEM companies.     

Survey on environmental monitoring requirements of European ports

A group of 26 European ports was interviewed to understand their requirements for environmental information and to establish how widespread the use of Earth Observation (EO) data was amongst them. Aspects covered by the research included port profile characterisation, environmental management activities, environmental needs and current monitoring practices. The study reflected the diversity amongst European ports and their environmental performances. Most of the ports were publicly owned and located in estuaries and rivers. General cargo was the most popular commodity handled. Practically all the ports had an environmental policy in place and half of them had been accredited by an external body. The main environmental parameters that ports required to be monitored were marine related issues (currents, waves and tide), water quality, meteorological parameters, turbidity and sediment processes. The principal driver for monitoring was maintaining key port operations, followed by legislation, and local responsibilities. Ports in general collected their own data in situ and only one-third had used remotely sensed data (data from Earth Observation satellites or from airplane mounted sensors) for environmental purposes. Half of them used computer modelling. This study was conducted within the framework of the European funded port environmental information collector project (PEARL).     

2035年美丽中国建设目标及路径机制研究

建设美丽中国,建设人与自然和谐共生的现代化,是中国特色社会主义现代化建设的重要基础与主要内容。本文通过文献分析、对标分析、模型预测等方法,识别了美丽中国建设的科学内涵及特征要求,分析美丽中国建设中长期面临的形势,基于到2035年达到中等发达国家水平、人均GDP翻一番的目标,对标发达国家以及浙江、广东等国内先进地区,构建了美丽中国建设的目标指标体系框架,并从绿色发展、气候变化、生态环境质量、环境治理体系与治理能力等方面,设计美丽中国建设生态环境保护的总体框架与主要路径,提出美丽中国建设的规划建议。     

Benchmarking of power cycles with CO2 capture—The impact of the selected framework

The paper puts focus on the selection of an appropriate framework for benchmarking studies of power cycles with CO₂ capture. The need for a reference power plant without CO₂ capture in a benchmarking study is emphasized. The impact of the use of site-specific plant boundary conditions is discussed as well as the selection of computational assumptions to reflect future technology development. A significant part of the paper is dedicated to a study of how changes in the benchmarking framework to reflect technology development can give additional knowledge about the potential for different CO₂ capture technologies. A major conclusion, based on the findings, is that it should be highly relevant for technology providers to investigate the future development potential for a CO₂ capture technology before launching a product development program.