SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES

Sustainable Practices in Facility Management



Executive Summary

The hazards of carbon emissions are now being given significant importance in the corporate world, globally. The organizations are becoming more aware about the dangers that their carbon footprints are causing to the environment. Therefore the businesses around the world, are considering it necessary to reduce the level of their carbon footprints to a secure level.

Now there are various measures and set of procedures that businesses undertake to reduce the carbon count from their assets, products, services and overall activities to fulfill their corporate social responsibility. To ensure sustainable practices, the socially aware businesses are opting various technologies such as wind energy, solar energy, biomass and geothermal energy.

This paper is divided into two sections. The first section would introduce the audience to the hazards of carbon footprint, and ways to minimize the carbon emission of a business. The second part gives a business plan for an imaginary company, BetaTech. It is assumed that their current practices do not account for sustainability or CSR. Therefore the suggested plan contains the practices and considerations to ensure socially responsible as well as economically stable business operations.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary2

PART 15

Introduction5

Carbon Footprint5

What is carbon footprint?5

Evaluation of Business's Total Carbon Footprint Emission6

Manufacturing6

Improper Material Use6

Toxic Substances7

Supply Chain7

Fuel and Power Generation7

Products Recyclability8

Services and Facilities8

Assets8

Supply Chain and Transportation9

Need for Businesses to Manage the Reduction of Carbon Footprint9

Government Regulations9

Operational Efficiency Enhancement10

Pressures by Consumers10

Communication of Business Metrics10

Brand Differentiation and Equity11

Demand of the Workforce11

Evaluation of Renewable Energy Technologies11

Suitability to Different Locations and Styles as per Organizational Needs12

Biomass13

Wind Energy13

Solar Photovoltaic13

Solar Thermal14

Geothermal Technology14

Conclusion15

References16

Appendix19

PART 219

Introduction19

BetaTech Business19

The Environmental Impact of the Current Practices20

Corporate Social Responsibility and Facility Management20

Alignment of CSR Goals with the Overall Facility Management Goals21

Transparency and Accountability in CSR Activities21

The Need for Change21

The Sustainable Development Initiatives22

Vision22

The Sustainable Development Policies23

The Strategies to Sustainable Development24

The Wind Power Project24

Product Captainship25

Process and Materials25

Supply Chain26

Employee Commute Options26

Reducing PFC Emissions27

Recycling27

Strategy Implementation28

Developing a Supportive Corporate Culture28

The Waste Management Plan29

The Cost Benefit Analysis30

Benefits30

Costs31

Conclusion31

Part 1: Sustainable Practices in Facility Management

Introduction

Carbon Footprint

Perhaps climate change is the greatest challenge for humanity in the XXI century. Current studies indicate that the production of greenhouse gases is the major factor in climate change. The management services greenhouse gases can help identify opportunities for savings in energy consumption and process improvement. Climate change is today a serious threat to the world that needs to be addressed by the businesses, governments and society in order to ensure the sustainability of the planet.

What is carbon footprint?

The carbon footprint is a measure of the amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) produced by the activities in relation to carbon dioxide (CO2) or carbon. All activities caused by humankind from building the homes, using the cars to flying on holiday can be the subject of carbon foot printing. The carbon footprint on food is an estimate of all the emissions caused by the production (e.g. farming), manufacture and delivery to the consumer and disposal of packaging. To put the crisps example into context, a 1.4L petrol car emits about 160g CO2 per ...