BM1902

SUSTAINABLE FACILITIES

Sustainable Development
Atkin and Brooks (2015) stated that sustainable development involves integrating the decision-making
process across the organization, so that every decision is made in accordance with the greatest long-term
benefits. In particular, it means eliminating waste altogether and building on natural processes and energy
flows and cycles, while at the same time recognizing the interrelationship of business actions with the
natural world. It is a core concept that embraces the three (3) broad themes of social, environmental, and
economic accountability, referred to as the triple bottom line.

Beattie (2017) described the pillars or “Triple Bottom Line” (TBL) of sustainability as follows:

• Economic Sustainability. This ensures economic efficiency and income for businesses. A business
must be profitable to become sustainable. This pillar of sustainability includes business activities
such as compliance, proper governance, and risk management.
• Social Sustainability. This ensures the quality of life, safety, and services for citizens. In order to
become sustainable, a business should have the support and approval of its employees,
stakeholders, and the community where it operates in. The approaches in securing and
maintaining this support boil down in treating employees fairly and being a good neighbor and
community member in the local and global arena.
• Environmental Sustainability. This ensures the availability and quality of natural resources. In
order to become sustainable, businesses should focus on reducing their carbon footprints,
packaging waste, water usage, and their overall undesirable impact on the environment.

Environmental Management
According to Atkin and Brooks (2015), environmental management seeks a workable balance between
the operations of a business and its effect on the environment. Environmental Management Systems
(EMS) is a structured and systematic approach which can be used by businesses to meet the increasing
burden of responsibility for the future condition of the environment. EMS is a continual cycle of planning,
implementing, reviewing, and improving the processes and actions undertaken to meet business
objectives and environmental goals simultaneously. According to the Environmental Protection Agency
(n.d.), this model leads to continual improvement based upon the following steps:

1. Planning. It involves identifying environmental aspects and establishing goals. Environmental

aspects are those items, such as air pollutants or hazardous waste, that can have negative impacts
on people and/or the environment. An organization then determines which aspects are significant
by choosing criteria considered most important by the organization. For example, an organization
may choose worker health and safety, environmental compliance, and cost as its criteria. Once
significant environmental aspects are determined, an organization sets objectives and targets. An
objective is an overall environmental goal (e.g., minimize usage of chemical X). A target is a
detailed, quantified requirement that arises from the objectives (e.g., reduce usage of chemical X
by 25% by September 201A). The final part of the planning stage is devising an action plan for

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meeting the targets. This includes designating responsibilities, establishing a schedule, and
outlining clearly defined steps to meet the targets.
2. Implementing. It involves applying operational controls and training personnel. An organization
follows through with the action plan using the necessary resources such as human and financial
capital among others. Other steps in the implementation stage include following operating
procedures and setting up internal and external communication lines.
3. Checking. It involves monitoring, measuring, and correcting action. A company monitors its
operations to evaluate whether targets are being met. If not, the company takes corrective action.
4. Reviewing. It involves reviewing progress and making changes to the EMS. Top management
reviews the results of the evaluation to see if the EMS is working. Management determines
whether the original environmental policy is consistent with the organization's values. The plan is
then revised to optimize the effectiveness of the EMS. The review stage creates a loop of
continuous improvement for a company.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Schooley (2019) stated that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an evolving business practice that
incorporates sustainable development into a company's business model. It has a positive impact on social,
economic, and environmental factors. Atkin and Brooks (2015) concluded that CSR is a concept whereby
the organization considers the interests of society by taking responsibility for the impact of its actions on
stakeholders including shareholders, personnel, customers, suppliers, communities, and the
environment. Schooley (2019) summarized the categories of CSR as follows:

• Environmental efforts. Businesses can practice social responsibility by practicing efficient water
and energy usage. In addition, companies may reduce their impact on climate change by using
alternative resources thathave lesser carbon footprint.
• Philanthropy. Businesses can practice social responsibility by donating money, products, or
services to social causes and nonprofit organizations. Larger companies tend to have a lot of
resources that can benefit charities and local community programs. It is best to consult with these
organizations about their specific needs prior to donating.
• Ethical labor practices. Businesses can practice social responsibility by treating employees fairly
and ethically. This is especially important for businesses that operate in international locations
with labor laws that differ from those in the home country.
• Volunteering. Businesses can practice social responsibility by participating in events that aim to
alleviate the depressing condition of some society. By doing good deeds without expecting
anything in return, companies can express their concern to specific issues and commitment to
certain organizations.

Other sustainable development programs are as follows:

• Zero carbon. This involves building the facility based on management responsibility to limit or
zero out gas emissions to reduce climate change and global warming impact.
• Environmental performance and energy efficiency. This involves installation of energy
management system, waste management system, and water and electricity control and renewal.

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• Management and end-user responsibilities. These involve proper leadership intervention and
people orientation to ensure full organizational adherence to sustainable development goals of a
company.

References

Atkin, B. & Brooks, A. (2015). Total facilities management (4th ed.). United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons,
Ltd.

Beattie, A. (2017). The 3 pillars of corporate sustainability. Retrieved June 14, 2019, from
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/100515/three-pillars-corporate-
sustainability.asp.

Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). Learn about environmental management systems. Retrieved
June 14, 2019, from https://www.epa.gov/ems/learn-about-environmental-management-
systems.

Schooley, S. (2019). What is corporate social responsibility? Retrieved June 17, 2019, from
https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/4679-corporate-social-responsibility.html.

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