Develop a Sustainability Policy
Overview
This standard is about developing sustainability policy for an organisation in support of sustainable business practice. A sustainability policy is a written statement summarising the organisation’s intentions with regard to sustainability.
The role described by this standard requires the development of a sustainability policy that is capable of supporting the development of sustainable business practice. It requires that current business practice is reviewed and that policy recommendations for improvement are made in respect to the further development of sustainable business practice.
Finally, it requires that the policy is presented to decision makers in a clear and relevant format, to gain the support essential to its implementation.
This standard would be appropriate for:
Those responsible for supporting the development of sustainable business practice. It is likely to apply to senior managers within large organisations and owner/managers within SMEs.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
P1 identify organisational commitments to sustainable business practice
P2 consult with stakeholders to obtain their views on sustainability
P3 use visioning techniques to determine drivers for change and the scope of sustainability policy
P4 identify potential opportunities for developing organisational sustainability
P5 develop a sustainability policy based on realistic and achievable sustainability objectives
P6 confirm that the policy recommendations are valid, recorded in a suitable format and based on recognised drivers for change
P7 confirm that the policy includes a commitment to continuous improvement
P8 confirm that the policy provides a framework capable of delivering measurable sustainability objectives
P9 confirm the policy is clear and appropriate to the nature and scale of the organisation and is in a suitable format for stakeholders
P10 communicate the policy to stakeholders
P11 encourage dialogue with stakeholders on the content of the policy
P12 establish the systems and procedures required to support the implementation of the sustainability policy
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
K1 the legislation, industry standards, circular economy and voluntary codes that support the development of a sustainability policy
K2 the economic, social and environmental principles that underpin sustainable development and sustainable business practice
K3 how to integrate and balance the economic, social and environmental principles of sustainability within business values and policy
K4 how sustainability policy can support human well-being and environmental developments, such as improved bio-diversity
K5 the purpose of a sustainability policy
K6 how to determine organisational commitment to sustainability and sustainable business practice
K7 visioning techniques
K8 drivers for change and their role in determining sustainability policy
K9 guidelines and good practice relating to the content of a sustainability policy
K10 the techniques and processes used to identify opportunities for improving sustainability
K11 the role of continuous improvement in sustainable business practice
K12 the global impact of organisational sustainability
K13 how to engage the different stakeholders in the development of sustainable business practice
Scope/range
Commitments include:
1 economic
2 social and ethical
3 environmental
Stakeholders include:
1 decision makers
2 organisational colleagues
3 customers
4 suppliers
Drivers for change include:
1 legislation
2 compliance
3 government policy
4 organisational sustainability strategy
5. international policies and practices
5 customer perception
6 economic
7 social and ethical
8 global citizenship
9 environmental
10 innovation
Sustainability objectives include:
1 economic
2 social and ethical
3 environmental