Environment
FM companies meet the environmental challenge PDF Print E-mail
Written by Philip Morton, Principal Consultant, White Young Green Environmental, 2008   

Philip Morton reports on a unique initiative that opens the door to improved systems and painless certification - the development of an FM-specific support package that leads to an externally recognised environmental management system (EMS).

  • What environmental issues need to be addressed as part of FM service delivery?
  • What is the business case for the development of an EMS?

Companies of all sizes, working in all areas of the FM industry, are facing a wider range of business pressures then ever before with the modern realities of client relations.

A major new consideration is the requirement, amongst other things, to manage environmental performance - not only internally, but also for, and on behalf of, the client.

This is often uncharted territory for FM companies and guidance in responding to tender questions covering 'environmental policy', 'environmental management systems' or 'ISO 14001' is relatively scarce.

Until now, that is. In 2007, a pilot group of four FM contractors, one FM consultant and one health and safety manager took on the challenge of addressing environmental issues as part of FM service delivery.

The scope of this work included internal considerations such as transport and office activities, as well as service offerings that support the client requirements in environmental management e.g. energy management, waste management and contractor control.  

First movers


The group of companies offered a diverse view of the sector. They included:
  • Rollright Facilities Management, based in Chipping Norton;
  • Platinum Facilities and Maintenance Services, based in London;
  • Faceo FM, based in Coventry;
  • Larch Consulting, based in Leamington Spa;
  • VT Education and Skills, based in Godalming;
  • Intelligent Property Group, based in Farnborough.

The companies participated in a project funded by Defra as part of its Business Resource Efficiency from Waste (BREW) programme.

This programme uses landfill tax receipts to help businesses improve their resource efficiency and competitiveness.  

The FM sector pilot project was managed and run by environmental consultancy White Young Green Environmental (WYGE) working in partnership with the Facilities Management Association (FMA).

The aim of the project was to develop and deliver a package of training, consultancy support and guidance materials that led the participants to an externally recognised environmental management system (EMS).

In this case, the external recognition was to the BS 8555/Acorn standard, which offers a phased approach to environmental management.

One of the most attractive features of BS 8555/Acorn is that its users can gain third-party certification at any one of six phases, which allows earlier demonstration to stakeholders that they are adequately addressing environmental management.

The ultimate aim is that users have the option of graduating to ISO 14001 certification, which is the International Standard for environmental management.

The sector-specific support package was tailored to speak in FM language about the environmental issues relevant to facilities managers and FM service providers.

In essence, we used the experiences and input of six FM sector companies to ensure that the package on offer talks to future users in terms that are relevant to the industry.

EMS has in the past been guilty of focusing too much on manufacturing and industry, but through this project we have broken that mould to offer a slick, user-friendly package for FM.

Management systems are often seen as bureaucratic by those that use them; however, the BS 8555/Acorn system developed for the FMA aimed to avoid this scenario from the outset.

Its approach is very much performance-focused and is definitely not a mere paper-sifting exercise.

In order to achieve certification, these companies had to demonstrate tangible changes in how they performed environmentally. This performance also needs to be improved year-on-year in order to keep the certificate.

Business case


While the moral aspects of environmental improvements cannot be denied, there is also a very strong business case for the development of an EMS.

There is now a very significant body of environmental legislation and while fines may have been relatively small in the past, within the last two years jail sentences have been handed down to business owners for environmental crimes.

Commenting on this, Paul Burr, overall BREW Project Manager for WYGE says: "An effective performance-focused EMS is important for any company looking to reduce its environmental impact.

“A good EMS provides a clear structured approach that is backed up by third-party endorsement in the form of certification to recognised standards such as ISO 14001 and BS 8555/Acorn.”

“Through the programme, we spend a lot of time helping participants to identify applicable legislation and checking whether they are compliant. The volume of environmental legislation is growing, and being able to demonstrate awareness and compliance is becoming increasingly important."

Environmental improvements can also yield significant cost savings. Many costly elements of business performance are also linked to the environment.

For example, in reducing the amount of energy that a company consumes, or the amount of fuel that its drivers burn on company business, we are not only contributing to reducing the causes of climate change, but also reducing significant business costs.

Environmental taxes and duties are levied on fuel, energy and waste, so reducing these also helps to reduce the tax burden.

Participants will also experience the benefits of environmental management in their relationships with clients.

Not only will they be able to stand out from the crowd in the tender process - to tick the box marked 'ISO 14001' and move onto the next stage - but they are also finding that relationships with existing clients can be enhanced.

FM contractors in particular spend most of their time working directly on client premises and often need to bring in third-party sub-contractors.

Clients with their own EMS in place will look at all elements of their business, including contractors, as a potential environmental risk.

A certified EMS can give a client the assurance they need to allow any particular contractor to work on their behalf.

Additionally, precedents have now been set (e.g. in government departments) where clients have required the implementation and maintenance of an EMS by the FM contractor on their behalf.

These market drivers and business benefits were recognised by the group of companies that took part in the EMS pilot project - and while they have reaped the benefits, they have also played a key role on developing a tool for their peers in the industry.

These companies have brought a range of sizes, specialisms and perspectives to the project.

Without their input, we would not have been able to produce the effective tailored environmental management support package that the FMA is now going to take forward and offer to the wider FM sector.

They have all worked very hard and have taken on the principles of environmental management with speed and enthusiasm.

Counting the benefits


Caroline Plane of Larch Consulting offered the consultant's eye-view: "Implementing an Environmental Management System has created opportunities for us to not only reduce negative impacts on the environment but also to promote ourselves as an organisation committed to sustainability issues.”

“The programme devised by White Young Green to achieve BS 8555, whilst demanding in terms of timescales and commitment, was thorough and has given Larch a great basis on which to further develop our EMS," she added.

Peter Excell from Platinum Facilities and Maintenance Services was also enthusiastic: "Our staff have responded very positively to the project and we are now working towards a number of improvements in the environmental performance of the business.”

“The main benefits are already being felt in  a better understanding of environmental issues, improved working practices and greater control of our key environmental risks," said Excell.

Louise Rance from Rollright Facilities Management added: "This process will prove invaluable to us in freeing up the vast amounts of management time that we have to spend answering environmental questions on PQQs and in tenders.”

“To be able to tick a box saying that we have a certificated management system will make life much easier in the future - and hopefully help us to secure further contracts," she commented.

From the trade association perspective, Mary Taffler, Executive Secretary of the FMA, reports that FMA members have been delighted with the free support from White Young Green Environmental in guiding the six members of the pilot scheme towards certification.

"The project has been very worthwhile and much appreciated. FMA has found that most of its members have this standard but hopes that some of the smaller firms in the FM industry will benefit from the documentation that will be available after completion of this project," said Taffler.

The FMA now has a commercial EMS package to roll out to members within the industry and is looking for the next set of companies to take on the challenge of improving their environmental performance and gaining external certification.  

The package available to FMA members includes a CD-ROM containing extensive guidance notes on the implementation of an EMS using the BS 8555 standard - leading to ISO 14001.

This guidance is supplemented by a series of template documents, also on the CD. Properly completed, these templates form the framework of the EMS - taking away the need to start writing procedures from scratch.

Additionally, a series of group workshops are available. These provide further assistance with the process, fully supporting the guidance materials, and give the opportunity for direct contact with environmental consultants on any technical issues.

Consultants can also be used on a flexible basis to provide on-site support, particularly useful at the start of the process and leading up to any external audit.

Philip Morton is a Principal Consultant with White Young Green Environmental. Please visit www.wyg.com
 
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