Environmental Aspects and Impacts of Corporate Sustainability - Assignment Example

Corporate Sustainability (Name) (University) Unilever Environmental Policy On the basis of our vision to improve growth in our business while at the same time reducing our environment imprint (Bhattacharya, 2016), we intend to engage in research and development to come up with techniques that are environmentally conscious and engage in sustainable practices in order to ensure Sustainability in the consumer goods industry. To achieve this policy, we will; i. Implement realistic environmental practices in all the operations that take place in the company ii. Set a yearly plan that entails our goals and objectives and evaluates our performance and progress in the sustainability action iii. Dutifully comply with the laws and rules that have been set forth by the legislative council to help in reducing carbon imprint iv. Reduce the carbon imprint caused by our transport activities v. Reduce that waste that is produced by the company be reevaluating all production processes and seeking ways to reuse or recycle vi. Using environmentally friendly products in our operations and producing goods that are environmentally friendly as well vii. Researching on other forms of resources for the development of our product to prevent exploiting and depleting the current ones viii. Encourage our customers,employee and stakeholders to practice sustainability through messages on our brands and periodical activities ix. Ensure sustainable practices in the organization through training of our employees on the respective practices and evaluation of the performances with regards to the objectives put in place. (Print name) ……………………. (Signature) ……………………. (Position) ……………………. (Date) ……………………. Environmental Aspects and Impacts The table below shows the activities that our organization practices currently and their aspects and impacts to the environment. The major activity discussed is transportation. Activity Environmental aspect Environmental impact Transport Shipping of products Aviation- import and export of products Employee transport for marketing and other business activities Road and rail – marketing and transport of products to warehouses Transport by employees Emission of CO2 and SO2 from maritime activities Oil spillage Dumping of non-biodegradable solid waste into the ocean Discharge of ballast of water Accidents Emission of CO2 from airplanes Noise from airplanes Noise from vehicles and trains (De Gouw et al, 2014) Increased acidification Water pollution Health impact on living organisms thus destruction of the ecosystem Sound pollution Air pollution Overall depletion of resources Cutting of trees for raw materials (Opheim et al. 2015) Exploitation of the natural habitat Depletion of minerals and the biodiversity Excessive agricultural activities for raw materials Tillage Erosion Loading of sediments Depletion of minerals and exhaustion of land Manufacturing of the company products Waste of water Use of chemical compounds Depletion of natural resources Global warming Human exposure to hazardous gasses Construction Exploitation of land Noise Depletion of natural resources Depletion of the biodiversity Sound pollution Heating Energy consumption Emission of greenhouse gasses Depletion of natural resources Pollution of the air Global warming Packaging Waste of natural material Depletion of naturals resources Drainage Waste of water Water pollution Spray painting Greenhouse gas emissions Degradation of air quality Use of electricity Use of energy Depletion of natural resources Significance Criteria to Aspects and Impacts Impact Criteria Threshold Depletion of minerals and the biodiversity Environmental Legal Cost High Erosion Environmental Medium Global warming Environmental Legal High Degradation of air quality Environmental Legal High Depletion of the biodiversity Environmental Legal High Sound pollution Environmental Legal Cost High Water pollution Environmental Legal Cost High Degradation of air quality Environmental Legal Cost High Human exposure to hazardous gasses Environmental Legal Cost Health High Action Plan Impact threshold Action plan High Stop activity or implement measures to reduce the risk associated with the activity Medium Monitor the activity and recommend possible changes Low Monitor the activity Objectives and Targets for Improvement Energy We intend to use 100% renewable energy in our processes Water We will decrease the use of water by half in the by the year 2020 We will recycle and reuse water where possible in our processes We will ensure that we drain water that is 100% contamination free to the environment and may use it in other activities such as agriculture Air We will reduce our use of phosphates in the products for making items such as soap so that the amount of greenhouse gas that is produced from these products is lowered. We will also carry out extensive research on raw materials and chemicals that do not contribute to the emissions of greenhouse gasses so that we can be 100 % green. Waste We will recycle the waste from our products to create new products such as plastic and cans Packaging We will reduce the consumer footprint by using packaging material that has less plastic We will encourage our consumers to use our reusable packaging bags developed by our research and development team to discourage the use of many shopping bags Sourcing We will get our materials from resources that can be renewed in totality by the year 2035 Improvement Plan Our improvement plan will be focused on transportation to reduce the environmental impact that our transportation activities cause. Scope Indication Logic flow Aspect Transportation Shipping Aviation Road and rail Transport Shipping of products Aviation- import and export of products Employee transport for marketing and other business activities Road and rail – marketing and transport of products to warehouses Transport by employees Parking Reduce the carbon imprint caused by travel Source products locally to reduce impact of importing raw materials Construct companies in as many regions as possible to long transportation of goods Build employee residence near the company where possible to reduce commuting imprint Encourage electronic marketing to save on fuel used in moving the vehicles that market the company products Use of vehicles that are environmentally friendly and encouraging employees to use the same Sustainable Procurement Policy Our sustainable procurement policy at Unilever will aim to reduce the environmental, social and economic impact that purchased goods and services produce throughout their processes. Sustainable Procurement Objectives We intend to i. Reduce the impact on the environment caused transport activities required in the procurement process ii. Come up with approaches that ensure unnecessary consumption is avoided that the demand for our products is adequately managed iii. Aim to select products that have a lower imprint on the environment and tailor them to the preferences of the customer to give us a competitive edge iv. Support suppliers and other partner companies that are competent about environmental sustainability to create awareness and conserve for the future generation v. Follow the legislative requirements required for sustainable procurement vi. Procure products that meet the sustainability requirements vii. Monitor our performance using suitable sustainability procurement measurement criteria Key contracts Our contracts will include the price of the product, the quality, and terms of payment, deadline and the sustainable ethical responsibilities required during the process of the transaction. The contracts will also include the targets and which will help in measuring our performance in sustainable procurement. We will require that our suppliers and contractors: i. Acquire most products from the local region ii. Achieve ISO 14001 accreditation and act within the requirements of the certification iii. Increase the sustainability of their goods in a progressive manner iv. Provide updates on progress and performance of activities within the supply chain Procurement Aspects and impacts Activity Environmental/social/economic aspect Environmental/social/economic impact Production Extraction of non-renewable resources Green house emissions Labour Depletion of nonrenewable resources Cost of production Air pollution Exposure to harmful gasses Transport of raw materials Use of fuel energy Carbon imprint Labour conditions Congestion by vehicles Depletion of natural resources Global warming Exposure to greenhouse gasses Legal implications Manufacture of products Use of energy Labour conditions Manufacturing costs Legal costs Depletion of natural resources Exploitation of human resources thus human rights and legal implications License to manufacture Use of products Emissions of green house gasses Waste from used products Depletion of natural resources Global warming Exposure to greenhouse gasses Legal implications Disposal of waste Energy used to dispose of waste Dumping of waste Depletion of resources Landfill Risk assessment Criteria Raw materials Chemical substances Cleaning agents Office requirements Risk of procurement to the environment/society/finance Low Present practice of sustainable sourcing High Use of harmful chemical substances Medium Use of less concentrated cleaning agents Medium Recycling and reuse of some office equipment Influence of public authority over the supply market High Legal requirements High Legal requirements High Legal requirements Low No legal requirement Sustainable procurement capability of the supply market Medium Growing awareness on sustainability Low Technological research requirements Medium Technological research requirements Low Little awareness Procurement compliance to the legislation on sustainable business High Vision for sustainable business High Vision for sustainable business High Vision for sustainable business High Vision for sustainable business Cost and effort required to implement the contract according to sustainability requirements High Cost of change in operations High Cost of change in operations High Cost of change in operations High Cost of change in operations Difficulty of convincing users on change of product Medium Awareness and varied perceptions of sustainability - - Medium Awareness and varied perceptions of sustainability Availability of sustainability expertise High Presence of sustainability information as a business opportunity High Presence of sustainability information as a business opportunity High Presence of sustainability information as a business opportunity High Presence of sustainability information as a business opportunity Score influence over supplier Criteria Factors for consideration Environmental Matches the purpose for the product and provides value for money Minimum use resources that cannot be renewed Biodegradable Minimum packaging Can be recycled, reused, repaired or upgraded Maximizes the use of items that have been used by consumers Zero or minimum pollution with chemicals that are not harmful Resource efficient The product should meet the requirements of the potential users in the market including those with particular needs (Walker et al., 2012) The products should have the ability to be recycled and reused if they cannot be renewed The products should breakdown easily if they cannot be reused Consumers should have products that can be used for a significant period The organization should be able to use waste to recycle products such as bottles Chemicals with less harmful substances reduce the impact on the environment The products procured should be able to minimize the use of unnecessary energy Social Observes the health standards that have been put across Production is done locally Sources and process of sourcing observe environmental ethics Procured products should meet the requirement of the bodies that ascertain health standards Local production reduces carbon imprint especially one caused by transportation(Kaye an Worrel, 2012) There should be no exploitation of resources or human beings in the acquisition of the products Economic Procurement of goods that minimize the cost of operation Ensuring supply chain efficiency to minimize waste Evaluating requirements to ascertain needs Reducing the cost of disposal for items that have expired The goods acquired from the supplier should be at an acceptable budget for the operations of the organization Effective management of the supply chain will minimize possible waste in the process (Crespin-Mazet & Dontenwill 2012) Procurement should be done for products that are practical and necessary for the organization Items that have reached their end of life need to use less costly mechanisms of disposal. Of particular importance is that the disposal does not cost the company in any legal way Action plan Procurement category Transport activities involved Risk assessment Alternative solution Extraction of raw materials Manufacture of vehicles for transport to the extraction and production sites Transport of extraction machinery Transport from extraction place Shipping of raw materials Congestion caused by freight High risk associated with emission of gasses from fuel to the environment Use of fuel depletes energy resources thus a risk to the ecosystem Risk to health such as chronic respiratory illnesses and cancer Sourcing of raw products from local regions where possible to minimize transportation Use of environmentally friendly vehicles Use of low carbon fuel Reduce the idling done by ships and trucks that transport raw materials Packaging and distribution Marketing activities that require employees to use transport Distribution of product uses fuel Parking of distributing trucks uses up space thus contributing to land depletion Vehicle maintenance High risk associated with use of fuel as from employee travel and movement of trucks that distribute the products Health risks due to inhalation of harmful gasses released from the engine causing respiratory illnesses Risk caused by the chemicals used to service and clean the vehicles Risk caused by disposal of the agents used to service and clean the vehicles Use of environmentally friendly vehicles Use of low carbon fuel Sourcing of products locally also reduces the carbon imprint caused by transportation over long distances for distribution Use of new technology vehicles that do not largely impact on the environment negatively Reduce number of vehicle trips through maximum use of truck space Product usage/consumption Transport used by users to go to retail stops to buy products Congestion of vehicles in shopping centers Risk caused by emission of gasses from the vehicles of consumers Encourage consumers to conserve energy through walking or using bicycles when going to stores to buy goods for consumption End-of-life disposal. Disposal of vehicles previously used for transportation Disposal of vehicle parts Disposal of motor oil High risk of land filling Emission of green house gasses Recycling Use of environmentally friendly vehicles Research into use of biodegradable products References Bhattacharya, C. B. (2016). Responsible Marketing: Doing Well by Doing Good. GfK Marketing Intelligence Review, 8(1), 8-17. Crespin-Mazet, F., & Dontenwill, E. (2012). Sustainable procurement: Building legitimacy in the supply network. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 18(4), 207-217. De Gouw, J. A., Parrish, D. D., Frost, G. J., & Trainer, M. (2014). Reduced emissions of CO2, NOx, and SO2 from US power plants owing to switch from coal to natural gas with combined cycle technology. Earth's Future, 2(2), 75-82. Kaye Nijaki, L., & Worrel, G. (2012). Procurement for sustainable local economic development. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 25(2), 133-153. Opheim, M., Šližytė, R., Sterten, H., Provan, F., Larssen, E., & Kjos, N. P. (2015). Hydrolysis of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) rest raw materials—Effect of raw material and processing on composition, nutritional value, and potential bioactive peptides in the hydrolysates. Process Biochemistry, 50(8), 1247-1257. Walker, H., Miemczyk, J., Johnsen, T., & Spencer, R. (2012). Sustainable procurement: Past, present and future. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 18(4), 201-206. Read More