Corporate Environmental Issues

• Environmental Policy development
• Environmental and integrated management systems
• Corporate social responsibility reports
• Identification and review of key performance indicators
• Operational procedures and codes of practice
• Baseline environmental assessments
• Monitoring of impacts, performance and targets
• Environmental audits
• Waste, water and energy audits
• Due diligence and insurance
• Technical advice on legal matters
• Environmental training

All organisations, from multinationals to single operations, need a well planned strategic approach to environmental issues. To complement our extensive technical environmental protection advice services we also provide advice on environmental policies and systems.

A comprehensive Environmental Policy is essential to define the environmental objectives of the company for employees, clients, shareholders and the public. We advise on and prepare policy statements designed specifically to meet these organisational needs.

A well structured environmental management system, including operational procedures and codes of practice, is an integral part of the implementation of any Environmental Policy. We develop close working relationships with all levels of management and operational staff to assist in the development of environmental management systems. Our objective is to deliver optimum environmental benefits while minimising the bureaucratic burden.  We combine environmental management systems with quality and health and safety systems to generate an integrated management system where this brings practical and cost benefits.

We work closely with clients to develop meaningful measures of environmental performance that can be included as key performance indicators in corporate environmental reports or in corporate and social responsibility reports.  We assist clients in the collection and auditing of performance data and in the preparation of their reports.

If required, we provide concise written procedures, monitoring schemes and training to ensure that environmental indicators are managed and monitored appropriately.

Environmental auditing, which involves the appraisal of operating facilities, is a key tool in environmental management. Single operations or the entire company EMS can be audited. We undertake regular environmental audits to assess compliance with legislation and corporate policy, waste minimisation, resource utilisation and potential liabilities.  These audits can be broadened to include other issues such as Quality Assurance, but in all circumstances they are specifically designed to meet the needs of the company, to provide evidence of performance, to support financial arrangements or to assist with the negotiation of insurance policies.

As part of an overall environmental audit or as a targeted auditing procedure we carry out audits of waste, water and energy use and management as well as carbon budgets and footprints.  Improvements in the management of these fundamental aspects of most businesses routinely result in direct savings as well as improved environmental performance.

For due diligence audits, our understanding of environmental issues combined with our commercial awareness facilitates sound assessment of risk and a realistic quantification of liabilities.

Members of our corporate environmental issues team are familiar with current and emerging UK and EU environmental legislation and offer practical advice on complying with and the consequences of new legislation. We provide advice on the technical and practical consequences of the conditions of legal agreements, whether with a local authority or for acquisitions, sales, lending or borrowing.

Our extensive practical experience in advising organisations on achieving certification to ISO 14001 and EMAS means that we can guide companies through the process and liaise with the certification bodies.