Develop an environment policy
An environment policy states your agency's commitment to the environment and to reducing your environmental impacts.
An environment policy will help you to:
- create a healthier, safer workplace
- improve your financial bottom line
- enhance your image in the community.
Cover the minimum requirements
As a minimum, the policy should:
- state the organisation's missions and core values
- commit to:
- protecting the environment
- complying with relevant legislation and/or regulation
- complying with relevant government policy commitments
- continual improvement in environmental performance
- set a timeline for periodically reviewing environmental goals
- get sign off from your CEO, board or executive
- be made publicly available
- be included in staff and contractor inductions
- update other relevant documents (e.g. contract and business planning documents)
Include other commitments where they are appropriate
Other commitments may be part of the policy. For example, you may want to:
- influence key stakeholders to improve their environmental performance
- make sustainability a driving principle or value for your agency
- set targets to reduce specific environmental impacts such as energy or water consumption, waste production or impacts on natural systems
- be leaders in the field of environmental management.
Shape the policy to fit your organisation
Match the policy to the nature and scale of your agency's activities and its environmental impacts. For example, think about:
- how the policy fits with your mission, vision, core values and beliefs
- coordination with other organisational policies (such as quality or occupational health and safety)
- specific local or regional conditions
- policy commitments with which a government agency needs to comply.
Depending on the size and complexity of your operations, the policy can range from a simple statement with one or two paragraphs to a longer document with multiple pages.
Involve staff and senior management
Seek out staff input from all levels and areas within the organisation when you're developing the policy. The final policy should be signed off by senior management, preferably the head of the agency.
Write clearly and confidently
The policy needs to be written in plain language so everyone can understand it, including all types of employees and stakeholders. Use language that motivates and inspires people to change.
Communicate the policy
Everyone in your organisation needs to be aware of the policy for it to work. After it has been developed, communicate the policy to:
- all employees
- customers and clients
- key stakeholders.
Present and display the policy
The policy should be on public display and on your website. Make it available to the public in hard copy if requested. Present the policy at staff meetings.
Hang the policy in:
- your front office or reception
- behind a sales counter
- your boardroom
- places where people regularly have meetings.
Post the policy on your website and include it in:
- corporate communications
- staff and contractor induction packages.
Review and continual improvement
An environment policy is not a static document. Review and update the policy periodically to ensure it remains relevant as your organisation grows and changes.
Avoid 'greenwash' - back up the policy with action
An environment policy must be backed up by actions which actually reduce the environmental impacts of your organisation.
There's increasing community scepticism towards organisations that make public commitments to environmental sustainability without concrete action. Often called 'greenwashing', this approach damages the reputation of an organisation, particularly government agencies.
Sustainability as an organisational value
Make sure that environmental sustainability is included as a core value for your agency. This will integrate sustainability into the normal culture of the organisation, or 'the way things are done around here'.
Values are principles that underpin the culture and approach of the organisation. They're critical to an organisation achieving its strategic goals. Performance management processes for employees often look at an individual's workplace behaviour and how this aligns with organisational values.
Sample policies
A growing number of international, national and local organisations have guiding principles to help develop their environment policy.
Sample policies are available from:
- Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE)
- Sustainability Victoria
- Environment Protection Authority (EPA)
- other government agencies (for example, VicRoads).
Also consider relevant professional or industry associations. Contact them directly or look at their websites to see if they have an environment policy that you can use as a starting point.
