Core sustainability commitments; required by all

Environmental policy statement in place

• Documented environmental policy statement publicly available

• To include a commitment to ongoing environmental performance improvement

• Signed by senior management

• Single page environmental policy statement based upon the requirements of ISO 14001

• Should include a mention of specific issues of relevance

• Might include targets and objectives

• Include a commitment to sustainability.

• Presence of a policy

• (Compliance with the policy statements verified by external body)

• Presence of an environmental champion

• Suitable resource to progress the policy

• Number of companies with an environmental policy

• Proportion which have been externally verified

Legal compliance systems implemented for environment, health and safety

• Implementation of systems to work towards legal compliance (rather than an absolute requirement to be fully compliant)

• Applicable to the management of environmental, health and safety legislation

• Register of relevant EHS legislation held on site and regularly updated. E.g. Club Green Register

• At least one individual given responsibility to identify current and proposed legislation of relevance to the company

• Presence of system to identify and address compliance issues

• (Effectiveness of the system verified by external body)

• Presence of a mechanism to keep abreast of legal changes and best practice

• Number of improvement notices / prosecutions / official warnings from regulators

• - H&S specific:

• No of reportable accidents

• Average lost days per employee

Environment: Optional commitments; choice of 5 from 9. (6 from 9 on second audit)

Environmental management system implementation

• The company has started on the process of EMS implementation

• Certification to ISO 14001, EMAS or at least stage 3 of BS 8555 has been achieved.

• Company may aim to achieve a specific stage of BS8555 (either certified or uncertified) by a specified time. For example the attainment of one stage in each of the following 6 years

• Presence of an EMS

• Gradual progression through EMS implementation stages (e.g. equivalent of stages 1-6 of BS8555) with certification being optional

• Number of companies achieving the equivalent of a specific stage of BS8555 or a certified EMS

Waste management

• Presence of mechanisms to generate data on waste production

• Evaluation of the potential to move waste streams up the waste management hierarchy

• Implementation of a waste minimisation programme

• Reduction of amount of waste sent to landfill with increased rates of reuse, recycling and combustion with heat recovery

• Measurement of waste generation relative to production – e.g. kg of waste per ‘000 products

• Measure of hazardous waste production

• No of companies with a waste reduction action plan

• No of companies able to report on waste production by 2007

Energy management

• Presence of mechanisms to generate data on energy consumption

• Evaluation of the potential to reduce energy consumption by site processes

• Implementation of an energy minimisation programme

• Installation of a building energy management system

• Measurement of energy use relative to production – e.g. kWh or carbon tonnes per ‘000 products

• No of companies with an energy reduction action plan

• No of companies able to report on energy use by 2007

Packaging management

• Presence of mechanisms to generate data on packaging consumption

• Optimisation of packaging specification (also important to avoid the environmental cost of under packaging a product)

• Analysis of packaging labour and raw material spend per item

• Analysis of return rates including damage

• Rates of packaging reuse and recycling

• Measurement of packaging use relative to production – e.g. kg of cardboard per ‘000 products

• Measurement of packaging spend

• Measurement of damage return rates

• Average packaging spend per item in specific sub-sectors

• Average damage return rate by sub-sector

Transport management

• Presence of mechanisms to generate data on transport

• Optimisation of transport patterns

• Optimisation of the consumption of fuel by delivery fleet, company cars and employees travelling to work

• Number of delivery miles per product

• Number of total company miles per product

• Types of fuel used

• Number of delivery miles per annum

• Number of total company miles per annum

• CO₂ emissions per annum

Procurement policy in place where relevant

• Documented purchasing policy

• Inclusion of key environmental and social issues relevant to the countries of origin, e.g. ethical procurement policy

• Presence of a purchasing policy

• (Compliance with the policy statements verified by external body)

• Number of companies with a purchasing policy

• Proportion which have been externally verified

• No of companies with procurement policies

Sustainable timber purchasing

• Implementation of chain of custody systems either formal or informal

• Implementation of system meeting the requirements of the Forest Stewardship Council/PEFC or similar

• Compliance with CITES

• Compliance with Govt. timber procurement policy

• Presence of a system

• Achievement of certification for chain of custody

• No of companies complying to Government timber procurement policy

• Number of FSC / PEFC certified companies

Air and water emission management

• Presence of mechanisms to identify and evaluate air pollutants

• Programmes to reduce the emission of the most significant pollutants

• Annual inventory of volatile organic compounds coupled with a reduction plan

• Calculation of site CO₂ emissions and taking practical measures to reduce

• Ratio of solvent to solids use per company (mass balance ratio)

• Annual CO₂ emissions

• Sectoral VOC emissions

• Sectoral CO₂ emissions

End-of-life management

• Presence of mechanisms to identify EOL furniture arisings from company production

• Consideration of the potential to increase the reuse, remanufacture and recycling of product after its first user has finished with it

• Working with customers on take-back and leasing

• Identification of disposal routes for EOL product

• Percentage of product which is taken back

• No of companies which offer take-back services

• No of companies which offer seconds and returns for charitable purposes

Social and Economic: Optional commitments; choice of 3 from 6

Nuisance management

• Presence of mechanisms to control the impact of the site upon the neighbourhood such as noise, odour, dust and vehicle disturbance

• Nuisance register

• Procedure for responding to complaints

• Procedures for limiting nuisance traffic noise and congestion.

• No of complaints received

• No of improvement notices

• No of prosecutions

• Sectoral complaints

• Sectoral prosecutions

Community relations/Charity

• Improvement of local environment and relationships with local community

• The use of local goods and services where possible to create local employment

• Work with local institutions or charities

• Site landscaping

• Site tours for local schools and residents/open days

• Visual impact

• Housekeeping

• Use of contractors from within a specific radius of the site, e.g. <50 miles away

• Raw material being utilised by local schools or charities

• Sponsorship of local teams

• Furniture donations

• No of positive contacts made with local community and support for community ventures

• No of positive efforts made to improve visual impact of site

• Improvement of local wildlife and biodiversity

• Number of local suppliers and contractors used (%)

• Amount of charity work undertaken by staff or the company

• Number of charities supported

• Amount of money donated or raised.

• No of companies participating in specific types of project

• % of local services used.

• Number of companies involved with charity work

• Number of charities benefiting from donations or furniture

Education and training

• Development of the skills and knowledge of the workforce

• Level of investment in training

• Running awareness raising sessions

• IIP approved

• Improvement of skill levels for all employees

• No of training days per employee

• Ratio of training budget to operating costs

• No of companies undertaking training on sustainability issues

• Number of companies with IIP

• % of training budget to turnover

Employment

• Preservation and growth of employment within the company

• Equal opportunities (race, disability, age, gender)

• Retention of employees

• Conditions of work

• No of employees with career enhancement within the company.

• Improved working environment

• Equal opportunities policy

• Workers representation on in house committees etc

• Number of employees

• Turnover of staff

• Workforce diversity. % figure of women, disabled, ethnic minorities etc in workplace and management

• Total number employed by scheme members

• % figure of women, ethnic minorities etc. in industry and at management level

Competitiveness

• Presence of mechanisms to identify and evaluate the impact of environmental improvement upon site economic performance

• The amount of money re-invested into the company over the last 5 years

• Cost savings through waste and energy minimisation, solvent reduction and packaging optimisation

• % of investment in new plant and machinery

• Savings as % of turnover or reduction in direct manufacturing costs per item

• Capital investment to encourage growth and efficiency as % of turnover

• Savings as % of turnover

• Level of investment in new plant

Ethical issues

• Ethical values and ethical purchasing

• Global supply chain issues

• Asssurance of ethical values

• Working with suppliers to improve the quality of life of workers of overseas suppliers

• Ethical procurement and trading policies

• Supplier visits and audits. Support and advice on sustainable issues

• No of companies with ethical policies.

• No of companies with good working relations with overseas suppliers.