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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
The guidance outlines seven key principles for accounting and reporting your organisation’s environmental impacts. Alongside these principles, the guidance outlines the steps and actions required when identifying your environmental impacts and KPIs to report on (see Table 2 below).
REPORTING GREENHOUSE GASES
Organisations are required to quantify and report on emissions of the following greenhouse gases:
• Carbon dioxide (CO2)
• Methane (CH4)
• Nitrous oxide (N2O)
• Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
• Perfluorocarbons (PFCs)
• Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6)
• Nitrogen trifluoride (NF3)
Organisations must state in their directors’ report the annual quantity of GHG emissions in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), including from the following emission sources: (a) the combustion of fuel, (b) the operation of any facility, and (c) a separate figure giving the annual quantity of emissions in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent resulting from the purchase of electricity, heat, steam or cooling by the company for its own use.
FM REPORTING DUTIES
The guidance sits at 147 pages and requires facilities managers to undertake more energy and environmental reporting for their organisation. Should your organisation be required to participate, it is advisable that you read and understand the guidance and, where required, seek external support to ensure you comply with the full standard of this new reporting framework.
David Stevens, Vice Chair of the CIBSE FM Group, says: “FMs will need to support their organisations by providing the board with reliable and accurate energy use data – including any renewable electricity generation. This may need changes in metering strategies and remote monitoring in older stock, especially for those FMs with a diverse or global portfolio.
“In addition, FGas registers and TM44 inspections need to be up to date and actions delivered. Reporting will need to follow an approved independent standard, such as GHG Protocol Corporate Standard – so operational managers will need to become aware of these standards.”
Table 2: Reporting environmental impacts
|
Principles |
Steps |
Actions |
|
• Relevant • Quantitative • Accuracy • Completeness • Consistent • Comparable • Transparent |
1. Determine the boundaries of your organisation 2. Determine the period for which you should collect data 3. Determine the key environmental impacts for your organisation 4. Measure 5. Report |
I. Intensity ratios II. Setting a base year III. Setting a target IV. Verification and assurance V. Your upstream supply chains VI. Downstream impacts VII. Business continuity and environmental risks |
|
Principles should be applied when collecting and reporting on environmental impacts. |
Working through the steps is recommended, along with developing at least three KPIs linked to your organisation’s environmental impacts. |
The above actions should provide information on developing your environmental strategy. |
