How to make a commitment to being a sustainable business

In this guide:

  • Advantages of sustainable business practices

    How taking a sustainable approach for your business can help to reduce costs and risks while improving your reputation.

    Taking a sustainable approach to business means that your business has no negative impact on the environment or society, while remaining financially sound. It encourages you to focus on long-term goals and strategy, and offers a wide range of benefits.

    A sustainable approach will help your business comply with regulations and avoid any non-compliance costs. It can also help you qualify for reductions in environmental taxes such as the climate change levy.

    There are significant savings to be made by using resources such as raw materials, energy and water more efficiently.

    You should aim to take responsibility for your business as a whole, not just what happens under your roof. This means looking at the behaviour of your suppliers and your customers. Your supply chain could be a source of major inefficiencies, especially if you source materials from overseas. Do you know how your supplies reached you and how they were manufactured? Equally, are your products simple to recycle?

    Improved reputation through sustainability

    A sustainable approach can improve the reputation of your business and the products and services you offer. Many individual consumers prefer to buy from responsible businesses, while business customers may choose sustainable suppliers as part of their own commitment to sustainable development.

    A good reputation can help you attract and retain employees, and improves your standing with the local community. By reducing the risks in your business and showing that it is well managed, a sustainable approach can also make it easier to attract investors and to work with regulators.

    How to manage your environmental impacts

    To help you manage, measure, monitor and report on your sustainability performance and to gain from the benefits, you could use an environmental management systems (EMS).

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  • How to make a commitment to being a sustainable business

    A credible strategy for sustainable development reflects your business values and can attract top-level support.

    To be effective, your sustainable development strategy requires top-level commitment, as well as support throughout your business.

    Understanding how the strategy benefits your business makes this easier. Management need to recognise that sustainable development shouldn't be a cost, or just a way of complying with legislation, but a method of improving your business, boosting profits and reducing your environmental and social impacts.

    A credible strategy should reflect the requirements of stakeholders in your business - such as employees, customers, investors, regulators and the local community.

    A genuine commitment also needs to tie in with the values of your business and your overall business mission. A strategy that does not do this is unlikely to achieve its desired outcomes. You should incorporate your commitment in your policies and business strategy.

    Once this commitment has been established, you need to ensure finance and other resources are available to make things happen. You also need to ensure that sustainability is taken into account in your decision-making processes at every level. For example, decisions made during the design of new products can have a major effect on your overall impact on the environment and society.

    You may find it useful to appoint one or more sustainability champions - this can help to maintain your commitment to sustainable development and continuous improvement.

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  • Involve stakeholders in your sustainable business

    How you can work with employees, customers and other stakeholders to create a more sustainable business.

    Taking into account the requirements of key stakeholders will help you develop a sustainability strategy that delivers the greatest business benefits.

    For example, individual consumers may prefer to purchase 'green' products from 'green' suppliers. Business customers may also prefer to source from more sustainable suppliers, as part of their own commitment to sustainable development.

    Other key stakeholders include suppliers, employees, investors and regulators. In each case, understanding and reflecting their concerns can help you develop a more effective business strategy.

    You should ensure that stakeholders understand your commitment to sustainable development, and what you are doing about it. For example, you might publicise your policy and specific objectives through developing and implementing sustainability plans.

    Environmental regulators and other organisations are also good sources of ideas and advice.

    Engaging employees in sustainability

    Your employees can be a very useful source of ideas. They often have a good understanding of the impact of different activities, and how customers and other stakeholders feel about your business as they are more likely to interact with them on a daily basis.

    Employees can also be an important part of executing your plans, and may in any case want to help make the business more sustainable. It's worth considering training and incentives to encourage employees to support your strategy.

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  • Assess your environmental and social impacts

    How to identify the full impact of your business, products and services as part of your sustainability strategy.

    A strategic approach to sustainability should look at the full impact your business has on the environment and society. This includes:

    • your use of raw materials, water and other resources
    • your energy use and its impact on climate change
    • the waste and pollution your business produces
    • the impact your business has on your employees and the local, wider and international community

    There are a number of techniques that you could use to assess your impacts - eg by carrying out an environmental review of your business.

    You should take into account the impact your business has throughout the full life cycle of your goods or services, and across the whole supply chain. For example:

    • Do you source sustainable materials from suppliers who are committed to sustainable development?
    • Do your suppliers treat their employees fairly and ethically?
    • How much energy is used producing and delivering materials to you - and delivering products to your customers?
    • How are your products used and disposed of? Can your products and packaging be easily recycled or reused?

    Think about life cycle opportunities offered by good ecodesign for goods and services.

    You should look forward to anticipate how changing legislation and stakeholder requirements will affect you. Your suppliers and advisers can also help you keep up to date by identifying new, more sustainable technologies you can use. You may find that there are business growth opportunities by considering sustainable innovation.

    Assessing the impact of your business in this way helps you identify the best opportunities to make improvements. For example, the best option for a manufacturer might be through making more energy-efficient products - see how to develop and implement sustainability plans.

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  • How to develop and implement sustainability plans

    Ways to identify opportunities for your business to be more sustainable and how to use objectives to drive improvement.

    Once you've assessed the environmental and social impacts of your business, you should develop a sustainability action plan that describes the changes you will make and how you are going to implement them.

    Your plan should focus on the highest priority changes for your business which you can achieve with the least effort. Your priorities may depend on a number of factors such as the cost and availability of resources used by your business, the likelihood of future regulatory requirements and opportunities to grow your business through sustainable innovation.

    You should set long-term objectives and shorter-term targets and use your action plan to detail how you will work towards them.

    A management system can help you do this in a systematic way, building a process of continual improvement.

    You can also refer to a standard that has been produced to provide guidance on managing sustainable development in a business, the BS8900 standard on sustainable development.

    Monitoring and reporting sustainability performance

    Monitoring is a key element of the feedback loop you need to control your sustainability performance. Checking progress towards objectives lets you know whether your action plans are working. It also lets you know when you have achieved your targets and objectives and need to set new ones.

    You should carry out monitoring and auditing on a regular basis to take account of how your business has changed. Auditing is a key ingredient of an effective management system, ensuring that the system itself is working and helping you identify ways to improve it.

    You can help to ensure that sustainability remains a priority for your business by reporting regularly on progress. You can use your reports to keep employees and other stakeholders informed.

    Public reporting helps to maximise the benefits of sustainable development for your business. For example, investors and regulators can see that your business has a sound approach, helping to reduce risks. Employees can see that you are committed, helping to motivate them to play their part in making your business more sustainable - see how to produce environmental reports for your business.

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  • Improve the social impact of your business

    How becoming a more sustainable business can improve your reputation as an employer, neighbour, supplier and customer.

    As part of your efforts to become more sustainable, you should look to improve the social impacts of your business. Locally, your business can have a significant social impact, both as an employer and as a neighbour.

    Employing local people can be a substantial benefit for the community as well as your business. A fair approach to recruiting and developing staff can help integrate your business into the community and improve your reputation. Purchasing from local suppliers can have similar benefits.

    Many businesses also get involved in community initiatives - for example, by supporting a local charity or giving staff time off to work on local initiatives. Adopting a corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy can deliver business benefits as well as helping the community.

    As a neighbour, the emissions and traffic your business generates need to be managed carefully to ensure that their impact on the local environment is acceptable. For example, a noisy bar or restaurant might face growing local opposition.

    To become more sustainable you should also consider the impact of the goods and services you offer. These may face growing customer resistance or regulation if they have an adverse social impact.

    You also need to consider the effects you have through your supply chain. The suppliers you use, and the deals you negotiate with them, have a knock-on effect on their communities both in the UK and overseas. For example, you might choose to import only from suppliers who can demonstrate that they treat their employees fairly.

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Noise and vibration nuisances

In this guide:

  • Types of nuisance

    Examples of nuisances and when your business may be responsible for the common or statutory nuisances you cause.

    There are two main types of nuisance that your business can cause:

    • statutory nuisance
    • common law nuisance

    What is a statutory nuisance?

    Nuisances caused by certain activities set out in legislation are called statutory nuisances. A statutory nuisance can be caused by:

    • noise and vibration
    • smoke, fumes or gases
    • dust
    • steam
    • odours
    • kept animals
    • waste deposits, for example with the risk of vermin
    • poor state of premises
    • foul, stagnant or obstructed water
    • insects coming from your business premises
    • artificial lighting

    Your local council can serve you with an abatement notice if your local environmental health officer finds that a statutory nuisance exists or is likely to occur or recur.

    An abatement notice can require you to:

    • stop causing a nuisance or impose restrictions on your operations to prevent any further occurrence
    • carry out works or take other steps to restrict or remove the nuisance

    An abatement notice is a legal document and if you do not comply with it you could be prosecuted.

    Individuals can also bring a statutory nuisance case to court.

    What is a common law nuisance?

    If you cause a nuisance that causes harm to people or damages property you may be causing a private nuisance and could be sued by individuals or organisations. You may have to attend a court hearing and pay compensation or damages.

    If the nuisance is affecting a public space or a large number of people, you may be causing a public nuisance. You may have to pay compensation or damages. Your local council may also take action against you to restrict your activities or prosecute you.

    If the nuisance occurs because of a structural defect on your premises, action may be taken against you as the owner of the premises, even if you're not the person responsible for causing the nuisance. Action may be taken against you if the person responsible for causing the nuisance cannot be found. You can also be found liable if the nuisance has not yet occurred but is likely to occur.

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  • Good practice to avoid causing nuisance

    How your business can avoid nuisance disputes and how to successfully deal with complaints about nuisance.

    You may have to pay compensation for any damage caused if you create a public or private nuisance. If you cause a statutory nuisance your local council may make you carry out, or pay for, work to stop or reduce the nuisance.

    How to avoid causing a nuisance

    Make sure that your business activities are not:

    • damaging, or likely to damage, people's health
    • preventing or interfering with people's rightful use and enjoyment of land
    • interfering with public space and public land

    If you identify any nuisance you should take all reasonable steps to prevent or minimise it. To avoid causing a nuisance, you should:

    • check your site for waste or evidence of vermin regularly
    • check noise, odours and other emissions at the boundary, and in the locality, of your site - do this during different operating conditions and at different times of the day
    • ensure operations are managed in a controlled and consistent manner, and in accordance with all relevant permits, licences and registered waste exemptions
    • keep your site clean
    • tell your staff why they need to avoid creating a nuisance, and how they can do this

    You should ensure that nuisance events do not become persistent and regular as this is more likely to result in legal action.

    Try to maintain good relations with your neighbours. Give neighbours early warning of any particular activities that you plan to carry out, such as building work or installing new plant.

    Notify your local council's environmental health department and your local Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) office in advance of any event that is likely to generate a nuisance that may cause complaints.

    Display details of a contact person for your site so that local residents know who to contact with any concerns and you can deal with them quickly.

    How to deal with complaints about nuisances

    If you receive a complaint make sure you:

    • keep a record of the complaint
    • investigate the complaint, for example check the activity operation and the boundary of the site
    • deal with it promptly and appropriately, and tell the complainer what actions you have taken
    • record the results of investigations and any resulting actions
    • use the information to improve your procedures and prevent further complaints

    You may want to inform your local council environmental health department and your local NIEA office of any complaints, depending on the nature of the complaint and what your permits, licences or registered waste exemptions require.

    If a complaint is made to your local council, an environmental health officer will assess if you have caused a statutory nuisance. If a complaint is made to NIEA, officers will assess if you have breached your permit conditions.

    Ask your local council's environmental health officer and NIEA to inform you of any concerns or complaints they receive. You may be able to deal with these complaints before formal action is taken.

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  • Noise and vibration nuisances

    How your business can avoid causing noise and vibration nuisances and how to avoid facing enforcement action.

    Noise and vibration caused by your business activities could be considered a nuisance. If you fail to deal with a nuisance problem you could face legal action and a fine. Your local council could restrict or stop your business activities. You should find ways to limit noise and vibration to avoid causing a nuisance.

    Permit and exemption noise conditions

    If you have a pollution prevention and control permit, a waste management licence or a waste exemption, it may contain conditions that control emissions, such as noise and vibration. You must comply with all of the conditions in your permit, licence or exemption. If you don't comply, your regulator (either the Northern Ireland Environment Agency or your local council) can take enforcement action against you, such as issuing you with an enforcement notice or a suspension notice for breach of a condition - see environmental permits and licences - an overview.

    Prevent your burglar alarm from causing a nuisance

    If your business is in a designated alarm notification area you must:

    • register your burglar alarm with your local council
    • provide details of a person who holds the site's keys
    • make sure the key holder knows how to use the alarm system

    You could be fined if you don't register. Contact your local council to find out if your business is in an alarm notification area.

    Prevent your burglar alarms from causing a nuisance by making sure that:

    • you have a maintenance contract and a callout agreement
    • the alarm automatically shuts down after no longer than 20 minutes

    Good practice to limit noise and vibration

    You should avoid or minimise noisy activities, particularly at night. Pay particular attention to noise and vibration created by your traffic movements, reversing alarms and deliveries. If you operate a night shift, move materials into the work area during the day or early evening.

    Switch off radios and loudspeakers unless necessary.

    Keep noisy activities and equipment away from areas where noise may cause a nuisance, such as your site boundary. You can use existing buildings to shield the noise source.

    Use solid panelled fencing around your site instead of wire fencing. This can help to screen the source and reduce the level of noise from your site.

    If possible, landscape your site boundary with mounds or raised borders to further reduce noise nuisance to your neighbours.

    Ensure your buildings have adequate soundproofing and shut your doors and windows to reduce noise.

    Stand outside your site boundary and listen for noise that neighbours may consider to be a nuisance. This is especially important when installing or moving equipment.

    How to stop your vehicles and machinery causing a nuisance

    Service your vehicles and machinery regularly. Correctly maintained equipment will make less noise and will be less likely to break down.

    Fit noise-reducing devices, such as silencers and baffles, to your machinery, or contain machinery within enclosures.

    Use mains-generated electricity instead of diesel generators.

    Reduce noise from your vehicles by:

    • setting up a one-way driving system on your site to minimise the use of vehicle reversing alarms, and consider using broadband reversing alarms that use white noise
    • imposing speed limits on your site
    • turning off engines when they are not in use
    • checking brakes are properly adjusted and tyres correctly inflated
    • not revving engines unnecessarily
    • only using horns in emergencies
    • replacing exhaust systems as soon as they become noisy
    • replacing vehicles with quieter models or electric or gas-powered alternatives

    When you replace vehicles or machinery, consider buying quieter alternatives. New equipment can introduce a noise problem. You should carry out a noise assessment before you install a new piece of equipment.

    Loudspeakers

    You must not use loudspeakers or public address (PA) systems in a public place for any kind of advertising, except from a vehicle selling fresh food, for example ice cream vans. In this case you may use a PA system only between the hours of midday and 7pm.

    If you want to use loudspeakers or a PA system outside of these hours, you must have consent from your local council. You must specify the time, date, location and duration of use in your application and submit it 21 days before it is needed.

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  • Odour, dust and smoke nuisances

    How you can avoid causing odour, dust and smoke nuisances and how to avoid facing enforcement action.

    Odour, dust or smoke from your business activities could be considered a nuisance. If you fail to deal with a nuisance problem you could face legal action and a fine. Your local council could restrict or stop your business activities. You should find ways to limit the amount of odour, dust and smoke you create to avoid causing a nuisance.

    Permit and exemption conditions for smoke, dust or odour

    If you have a pollution prevention and control permit, waste management licence or a waste exemption, it may have conditions that control emissions, such as smoke, dust or odour. You must comply with all of the conditions in your permit, licence or exemption. If you don't comply, your regulator (the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) or your local council) can take enforcement action against you, such as issuing you with an enforcement notice or a suspension notice for breach of a condition - see environmental permits and licences - an overview.

    How to avoid odour nuisances

    Certain odours can be considered a nuisance. To determine whether an odour is a statutory nuisance, or whether it is in breach of permit or licence conditions or your registered waste exemption, a council environmental health officer or NIEA officer will assess:

    • its intensity
    • its character - easily recognised odours are often a greater nuisance
    • its source and the prevailing weather conditions, such as wind direction and speed
    • the time and duration of its release
    • the intensity of its effect - how annoying, intrusive or offensive it is
    • whether the odour would be expected in that location
    • what measures are required to stop the cause of the nuisance

    Assess whether odours are likely to be emitted from your site and the most likely sources, and put appropriate control measures in place. Make this a part of your routine site inspections.

    Control or stop the odour at its source. You should be able to demonstrate that you follow good practice in your operations and that you have used the most effective means to prevent an odour nuisance.

    How to avoid dust and smoke nuisances

    Do not use bonfires to burn waste - you could be committing an offence. Instead find ways to reuse, recover, recycle or correctly dispose of your waste.

    If you must burn waste, follow legal requirements to avoid committing an offence - see burning waste.

    Keep equipment that reduces dust and smoke emissions, such as filters and cyclones, in good working order. Make sure that where dust is collected it is emptied on a frequent basis and disposed of correctly.

    Make sure boilers, especially oil or solid fuel units, are operating efficiently and do not emit excessive smoke - see preventing air pollution.

    You can plant shrubs and trees in belts around the edge of your premises to help screen out dust and smoke pollution, but this should not be used in place of suitable process control or specialised equipment.

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  • Litter nuisances

    How your business can avoid causing a litter nuisance and how to avoid facing enforcement action from regulators.

    You must ensure that any waste produced, stored, transported or disposed of by your business does not harm the environment. This is known as your duty of care, and you must ensure that you:

    • store and transport your waste appropriately and securely to prevent it from escaping
    • check that your waste is transported and handled by people or businesses that are authorised to do so
    • complete waste transfer notes to record all waste you transfer and keep them as a record for at least two years

    See duty of care for business waste.

    If you fail to deal with a litter problem, your local council could issue you with a fine.

    Street litter control notices

    If it can be proved that certain litter problems have been caused by your business, your local council can issue a street litter control notice against you. This notice forces your business to clear the litter and introduces specific measures to prevent the recurrence of littering.

    If you do not comply with your street litter control notice, you can be prosecuted. Alternatively, the council may issue you with a fixed penalty notice.

    Outdoor advertising

    If you want to advertise your business using outdoor signs, you must ensure that you do not cause a litter nuisance. Your outdoor advertisements must:

    • be kept clean and tidy
    • be kept in a safe condition
    • be displayed with the permission of the owner of the site
    • not obscure official road, rail, waterway or aircraft signs or make hazardous the use of these types of transport
    • be removed carefully when required

    Depending on the type of advertising your business wants to use, you may need advertising consent from your local council planning section. You do not need consent to display signs in the following areas:

    • enclosed land - such as bus or train stations and sports stadiums
    • inside your own building

    Some other signs can be displayed without consent, provided they conform to certain conditions and limitations. This includes signs relating to hotels, bed and breakfasts, and houses.

    You may need consent to display the following advertisements:

    • posters
    • illuminated signs
    • gable-end advertising
    • shop-front fascias

    For more information, download planning guidance on outdoor advertisements (PDF, 299K).

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  • Artificial light nuisances

    How your business can avoid causing light pollution and how to avoid facing enforcement action from regulators.

    Artificial lighting from your business could be considered a nuisance. If it is, your local council could serve you with an abatement notice and you could be liable to pay a fixed penalty or prosecuted if you do not comply. You must find ways to avoid causing a nuisance from artificial lighting.

    How to avoid causing an artificial light nuisance

    Plan the lighting for your site to ensure lights only come on when they are needed. A lighting plan can reduce your energy costs as well as reducing the risk of nuisance to your neighbours.

    You should:

    • position lights so you only need to use the minimum number of lights
    • dim or switch off lights when they are not required
    • use baffles, shields and louvres to reduce obtrusive light
    • use lights that switch off automatically when natural light is available or when they are not required, for example using motion detectors

    Angle your lights downwards or use light fittings that reduce light shining upwards. The ideal angle of lighting is less than 70 degrees from the vertical. Lights that shine upwards are more likely to cause a nuisance, waste money and create light pollution.

    Check that security lights do not produce excessive glare which could affect drivers or neighbours. Only use the amount of lighting you need. Lights that are too strong can create dark shadows, which could encourage theft or vandalism on your site. Consider using security lights that are activated by movement. However, check that they are only triggered by humans and not animals.

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  • Construction noise and pollution

    How to avoid causing nuisances on building sites from noise, vibration, pollution and site logistics.

    Construction activates on building sites involve heavy machinery and works which can cause a nuisance. You should find ways to minimise noise, vibration and pollution during construction works.

    Types of building site nuisances

    Some common types of building site nuisances include:

    • vibration
    • dust and smoke
    • light pollution
    • noise pollution
    • large vehicle movements
    • unplanned road and pavement closures

    When can construction machinery be operated?

    Building, demolition and excavation machinery can operate between:

    • 7am and 7pm from Monday to Friday
    • 8am and 1pm on Saturdays

    Local council control of construction nuisances

    If your building site activities cause a nuisance, your local council could serve you with an abatement notice.

    Your construction site could face restrictions on the:

    • type of plant or machinery you use and the activities you can undertake
    • hours when you can work
    • levels of noise, artificial lighting or dust

    If you do not comply with these restrictions the council can stop your construction operations and you could also be fined.

    If you are planning construction work and know that it is likely to cause a nuisance, you can apply for prior consent from your local council.

    Your local council will outline restrictions on possible construction nuisances before the work starts. You can apply for this consent at the same time as seeking approval under building regulations. This may save you time later on.

    Join a construction best practice scheme

    You can apply for best practice accreditation such as the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS). This can help you to put procedures in place in your company or on individual construction sites to limit nuisances.

    You can find out more about the CCS Code of Considerate Practice.

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Recycled plasterboard as a resource

In this guide:

  • Recycled plastics as a resource

    How your business can use recycled plastics, what the benefits are, the quality standards and where to source it.

    As recycling targets rise, recycled plastics are becoming increasingly available.

    How to use recycled plastics in your business

    You can use recycled plastic in just as many ways as prime or virgin plastic, including in:

    • Packaging - recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) can be used in primary packaging by retailers and branded manufacturers for bottles and trays. However, it must be approved for use with food .
    • Construction products - eg damp proof membrane, drainage pipes, ducting and flooring, scaffolding boards and kerbstones.
    • Landscaping - walkways, jetties, pontoons, bridges, fences and signs can be made from recycled plastic due to its durability, low maintenance and resistance to vandalism and rot.
    • Textile fibre and clothing - polyester fleece clothing and polyester filling for duvets can be made from recycled PET bottles (eg soft drink and water bottles).
    • Street equipment - furniture, seating, bins, signs and planters can be made from plastic. These can be cheap to produce and are resistant to vandalism.
    • Bin liners and refuse sacks - plastic film can be made into new film products such as bin liners, carrier bags and refuse sacks.
    • Other uses - eg traffic management products, automotive products, stationery and industrial strapping.

    Advantages of using recycled plastics

    There are many benefits of using recycled plastics, both for your business and the environment. These include:

    • lowering the cost of materials
    • marketing and PR opportunities associated with reducing your environmental impact
    • making your business ready to comply with future legal measures, such as packaging taxation
    • reducing your dependency on commodity plastic pricing

    The environmental benefits of using recycled plastic include reducing the:

    • volume of waste going to landfill
    • amount of oil used for plastic production
    • amount of energy consumed
    • CO2 emissions associated with the product

    Standards and quality protocols for recycled plastics

    You should look for recycled plastics that have been produced to the requirements of recognised standards and quality protocols. These will help you to ensure you are buying good quality materials.

    The non-packaging plastics quality protocol gives guidance on how to recover waste and transform it into a valuable resource.

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  • Recycled glass as a resource

    How your business can use recycled glass, what the benefits are, the quality standards and where to source it.

    Glass can be recycled repeatedly, so it offers good opportunities for use as a recycled material.

    How to use recycled glass in your business

    • container manufacturing - remelting glass to make new glass products (for clear, green or amber glass) is highly efficient with no loss of quality or physical properties - remelting the glass offers the best environmental benefits for recycling glass
    • insulation - recycled glass can be used in fibreglass insulation in buildings, and mixed colour container glass or flat glass cullet can be used - again there are significant environmental benefits
    • brick manufacturing - powdered glass can be used as a 'fluxing agent' in brick and tile manufacturing
    • water filtration - recycled glass filter methods can be used to filter drinking water, waste water and swimming pool water outperforming traditional sand filters
    • grit blasting - glass grit (recycled glass particles) can be used as a non-toxic alternative to traditional grit blast abrasives, which are used to prepare surfaces before they are painted or repaired
    • concrete and cement - recycled glass can be used as a natural sand replacement in cement and concrete-based products
    • sports turfs - processed sand (recycled glass) can be used in golf bunkers and top dressing for sports fields as an alternative to sand
    • unbound aggregate - crushed glass is suitable for use in applications requiring volumes of unbound aggregate, such as road construction

    Advantages of using recycled glass

    There are many benefits of using recycled glass, both for your business and the environment. Recycling glass can benefit your business by:

    • reducing the cost of materials
    • improving the reputation of your business and increasing brand loyalty - demonstrating to your customers, consumers and investors that you have a real commitment to corporate social responsibility and the environment

    Using recycled glass instead of newly produced glass does not reduce the performance, physical properties, storage stability or visual appeal of the product.

    Environmental benefits of using recycled glass include reducing:

    • the volume of waste sent to landfill
    • CO2 emissions
    • the energy and natural resources required to make new glass

    Standards and quality protocols for recycled glass

    If you intend to use recycled glass products in your business, it should conform to certain standards. These standards can also help you identify good quality recycled products.

    Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 101 provides guidance for businesses collecting and delivering recovered container glass or 'cullet'. PAS 101 contains a four-tier grading system.

    PAS 102 provides guidance for businesses producing processed glass as a granular media for manufacturing, sports and water filtration applications.

    WRAP and the Environment Agency have produced a quality protocol for flat glass to set out approved standards for recycled flat glass - download the quality protocol for flat glass (PDF, 204K).

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  • Recycled and secondary aggregates as a resource

    How your business can use recycled and secondary aggregates, the quality standards and where to source them.

    Recycled aggregates come from reprocessing materials that have previously been used in construction including recycled concrete from construction and demolition waste material. Secondary aggregates are by-products of other industrial processes that have not previously been used in construction.

    How to use recycled aggregates in your business

    You can use recycled and secondary aggregates (RSA) in many different applications including in:

    • bituminous (asphalt) road construction
    • ground improvements
    • earthworks - cuttings and embankments
    • utilities reinstatement
    • shallow and deep foundations
    • buildings - residential and industrial
    • geosystems - composite systems that work in the ground, such as for retaining walls and landfill applications

    Construction materials which use RSA include:

    • concrete - coarse and fine aggregates mixed with cement and water
    • bituminous - coarse aggregate mixed with fine aggregate filler
    • hydraulically bound - aggregates which set and harden when added to a binder material and water
    • unbound materials - materials ranging in size from fine grains to stony material

    Advantages of using recycled and secondary aggregates

    There are many benefits of using RSA, for your business, the environment and the local community. Business benefits of using RSA include:

    • cost savings over new (virgin) aggregates
    • reducing the costs of transporting aggregates if recovered materials are available locally
    • lowering your costs and shortening the timescales associated with some construction techniques, eg 'crack and seat' in road maintenance

    Using locally sourced RSA can also have environmental and social benefits, including:

    • conserving natural resources by reducing (or eliminating altogether) the demand for virgin materials
    • reducing energy consumption, transport emissions and disposal of waste to landfill
    • creating educational opportunities

    Quality protocols for recycled and secondary aggregates

    The quality protocol for the production of aggregates from inert waste sets out quality standards for when aggregates have been fully recovered, ceased to be a waste and become a product.

    Download the end of waste criteria for the production of aggregates from inert waste (PDF, 297K).

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  • Recycled paper as a resource

    How your business can use recycled paper, what the benefits are, the quality standards and where to source it.

    The market for recycled paper is increasing as businesses come to realise the benefits.

    How to use recycled paper in your business

    There are many potential applications for paper with high recycled content, including:

    • magazine publishing and printing industries - only a small fraction of the 1 million tonnes of paper used each year for magazine publishing contains recycled content
    • newsprint
    • tissue
    • corrugated flutings
    • packaging

    Advantages of using recycled paper

    Using recycled paper has several benefits both for your business and the environment because it:

    • reduces the need for raw virgin pulp
    • is equal in quality to paper from virgin forest sources
    • is readily available
    • demonstrates your business is committed to sustainable procurement
    • reduces the volume of biodegradable waste sent to landfill
    • reduces energy use and CO2 emissions
    • increases your business' environmental credentials and supports a corporate social responsibility agenda
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  • Recycled organics as a resource

    How your business can use recycled organic materials such as compost and biofertiliser, and the quality standards.

    Organic waste - eg 'green' and food waste - can be turned into products such as compost and biofertiliser by processes including composting and anaerobic digestion.

    How to use recycled organic material in your business

    You can use recycled organic material that has been composted in various applications, including:

    • mulch
    • soil conditioner
    • topsoil constituent
    • turf dressing

    Anaerobic digestion produces biogas, a source of renewable energy. You can use biogas:

    • to generate electricity
    • to generate heat to power on-site equipment
    • as excess electricity exported to the national grid
    • as an injection to the gas grid
    • as a vehicle fuel

    Another by-product of anaerobic digestion is biofertiliser. This is rich in the nutrients required for healthy plant growth and fertile soil.

    Advantages of using recycled organic materials

    Using recycled organic materials can benefit your business in a number of ways, including:

    • reducing your overall material costs
    • improving your reputation as a user of recycled materials
    • ensuring that you comply with existing and future legal requirements

    The use of compost can also:

    • help farmers meet soil management standards required for the Single Payment Scheme - see our guide on the Single Payment Scheme
    • provide valuable nutrients to soil by improving yield
    • increase soil organic matter and water holding capacity

    Standards and quality protocols for recycling organic material

    Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 100 on producing quality compost describes the recommended composting process including:

    • how compost is made
    • the materials which can be used
    • quality controls
    • how compost should be labelled

    PAS 110 performs the same function for fertilisers and other products produced by anaerobic digestion.

    The quality protocol for compost sets out the standards for using biodegradable wastes to produce quality compost, and when it is no longer classed as waste.

    The use of compost can also:

    • help farmers meet soil management standards required for the Single Payment Scheme - see our guide on the Single Payment Scheme (SPS)
    • provide valuable nutrients to soil by improving yield
    • increase soil organic matter and water holding capacity
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  • Recycled wood as a resource

    How your business can use recycled wood, what the benefits are, the quality standards and where to source it.

    Using recycled wood conserves natural resources by decreasing the demand for new (virgin) materials. Products can be made entirely from waste wood or contain a proportion of new (virgin) material such as wood chip or wood shavings.

    How to use recycled wood in your business

    You can use recycled wood to manufacture a range of quality products for different markets, including:

    • landscaping products - mulches, surfacing material for pathways and play surfaces
    • equestrian products - equestrian surfaces such as indoor and outdoor arenas, and paddocks
    • animal products - wood fibre bedding surfacing for horses, poultry and cattle, and cat litter
    • energy - fuel chips and pellets
    • sports surfaces
    • soil remediation
    • plant beds and walkways
    • wood panelboards

    Standards for recycling wood

    You should ensure recycled wood products have been assessed to identify contamination from substances such as arsenic and copper based preservatives. There are currently no quality protocols for the treatment of wood waste. You should therefore ensure you use a reputable supplier.

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  • Recycled plasterboard as a resource

    How your business can use recycled plasterboard, the benefits, the quality standards and where to source it.

    Plasterboard waste from construction offcuts can be recycled and the gypsum and paper recovered if it is free from contamination.

    How to use recycled plasterboard in your business

    You may be able to use recycled gypsum from waste plasterboard in a variety of applications which currently use gypsum from natural or synthetic sources including:

    • concrete construction products
    • lining for walls and ceilings
    • forming structures such as partitions
    • soil improver

    Advantages of using recycled plasterboard

    Using recycled gypsum from plasterboard is beneficial to your business and the environment because it:

    • reduces the volume of waste sent to landfill
    • reduces your costs
    • increases your business profile and commitment to corporate social responsibility

    UK plasterboard manufacturers and WRAP have signed up to the Ashdown Agreement to:

    • reduce plasterboard waste to landfill
    • increase plasterboard recycling

    The voluntary agreement is reviewed annually to evaluate progress against its targets.

    Standards and quality protocols for recycling plasterboard

    If you are sourcing recycled plasterboard to use in your business, it should conform to certain standards. This will help you choose good quality recycled gypsum.

    Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 109 sets out the specification for the production of recycled gypsum from waste plasterboard. PAS 109 covers the:

    • selection, receipt and handling of input materials
    • specifications of product grades
    • storage, labelling, dispatch and traceability of products
    • requirements for quality management systems to ensure it is fit for intended use

    The quality protocol for recycled gypsum sets out the standards that gypsum needs to meet for it not to be classed as waste.

    Where to source recycled plasterboard

    There are a number of businesses that recover gypsum from used plasterboard and manufacture new plasterboard from this recovered material.

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  • Recycled tyres as a resource

    How your business can use recycled tyres, what the benefits are, the quality standards and where to source them.

    Tyres under a certain size and shredded tyre material are banned from landfill, so there is likely to be a regular supply of materials from reprocessed tyres.

    How to use recycled tyres in your business

    You can use tyres or derived materials for a number of different applications including:

    • construction - eg roof tiling, acoustic barriers and waterproof membranes
    • landscaping - eg paving, walkways and porous piping
    • horticulture - eg mulches, composting and drainage infill
    • civil engineering - eg sea defences
    • retreading or reuse as part-worns
    • playground facilities
    • sports industry - artificial sports tracks and sports barriers
    • flooring - eg carpet underlay and matting
    • equestrian - eg surfacing
    • landfill engineering
    • fuel in cement kilns
    • footwear
    • coasters
    • transport - eg traffic management, automotive parts and rubberised asphalt

    Retread tyres are made from similar compounds and are legally required to be manufactured to the same strict performance criteria.

    Advantages of using recycled tyres

    Using recycled tyres is beneficial to your business and the environment because it can:

    • reduce costs
    • provide a sustainable, safe and durable alternative to new tyres
    • reduce the numbers of new tyres needed which minimises waste

    Standards and quality protocols for recycling tyres

    If you are sourcing materials from recycled tyres to use in your business, you should look for those that conform to certain standards. This will help you buy good quality materials.

    Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 107 sets out standards for producing size-reduced tyre rubber from end-of-life tyres.

    PAS 108 was developed in collaboration with the tyres reprocessing industry and provides a specification for producing compact tyre bales for use in construction.

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How to cut carbon emissions from energy use

In this guide:

  • How to cut carbon emissions from energy use

    How you can cut your greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the amount of energy used in your business.

    Reducing energy use is one of the simplest ways to reduce the carbon footprint of your business and help reduce the effects of climate change.

    All businesses can reduce their energy use, benefitting the environment and their bottom line. Saving energy can also have other benefits, including boosting employees' morale and an improved business reputation.

    There are many changes your business can make to cut carbon emissions from energy use - find ways to reduce energy use in your business on the Carbon Trust website.

    The changes you make can be as small as turning electrical equipment off overnight or changing your light bulbs to energy-efficient ones. Traditional light bulbs can waste up to 95 per cent of the energy they use as heat. Energy-efficient bulbs are much more efficient than traditional bulbs and each bulb could save you up to £15 per year, as well as reducing your carbon emissions - find out more about buying energy efficient lighting.

    You may want to consider larger measures where the financial benefits are more long term, such as investing in new energy-saving plant or machinery.

    You may also be eligible for tax breaks, if you invest in certain energy-saving equipment - see tax breaks to encourage energy efficiency.

    Buildings can be a major contributor to carbon emissions, often through inefficient energy use - see how to cut carbon emissions from business buildings.

    For information on reducing energy use in your business, read our guide on how to save money by using energy more efficiently.

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  • How to cut carbon emissions from business travel

    Cut your carbon emissions from business travel by reducing journeys and making better travel decisions.

    Transport is a significant - and growing - cause of greenhouse gas emissions. Some businesses, such as those in the transport sector, will be able to cut carbon emissions to a larger extent than others, but there are actions that all businesses can take.

    The first step in cutting your emissions is to evaluate the impact of your business travel on the environment. This includes:

    • travel to and from meetings and other out-of-office appointments - whether this is by car, plane or train
    • journeys that employees make to and from work
    • the way your business makes and receives deliveries

    You can work out the carbon footprint of your business, including the impact of business travel.

    Once you have examined your business travel, the next step is to look at ways to reduce or minimise the impact of these journeys. You might consider encouraging your employees to:

    • book several appointments in the same area on the same day
    • work from home
    • use methods of transport with less environmental impact, such as walking, cycling and trains
    • use low-emission vehicles and alternatively powered vehicles
    • drive vehicles more efficiently

    If you transport goods as part of your business, you should ensure that you do this in the most efficient way.

    For further information on reducing the environmental impact of your business travel, see workplace travel planning and zero emission vehicles and alternative fuels.

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  • How to cut carbon emissions from business buildings

    Some of the measures you can take to cut the greenhouse gas emissions from your business premises and buildings.

    Buildings are responsible for around 40 per cent of the United Kingdom's carbon emissions, with business properties accounting for around half of that.

    There are plenty of simple, low-cost measures you can take to cut energy use within your buildings and lower greenhouse gas emissions. These include installing movement-sensitive light sensors in toilets and other little-used areas and turning down the thermostat by a couple of degrees - see how to save money by using energy more efficiently.

    There may be additional things you can do - such as installing double-glazing and improving roof insulation - to help make buildings more airtight - see energy performance of buildings.

    Energy efficient building regulations

    If you are having new premises built, or you are making structural changes to your existing premises, you must make sure they meet the requirements of Part F of the Building Regulations - see conservation of fuel and power under building regulations.

    All commercial buildings require an energy performance certificate (EPC) when they are bought, let or sold. An EPC indicates how energy efficient a building and its services are. An EPC also contains recommendations for cost-effective changes that can be made to improve the building's energy efficiency and cut carbon emissions. See our guide on energy performance of buildings duties: an overview.

    You must make sure you comply with the requirements of the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. These include getting your air-conditioning systems regularly inspected and obtaining an energy performance certificate when you construct, sell or rent buildings.

    You may be eligible for a number of tax breaks if you introduce energy efficiency measures - see tax breaks to encourage energy efficiency.

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  • How to source and design low-carbon products

    How to design or find suppliers of low-carbon goods and materials to benefit the environment and attract new customers.

    Designing your products and services so that they produce less carbon is not only good for the environment, it will also make them more appealing to more environmentally-aware customers.

    It can also help your business to win contracts, such as government tenders, where the use of environmentally-aware suppliers is encouraged.

    Low carbon goods and the product life-cycle

    To make low carbon goods, you need to consider environmental impact at every stage of your product's life-cycle.

    The stages to consider include:

    Consider the total impact your products or services have on the environment with a life cycle assessment and find out more about low carbon development with ecodesign for goods and services.

    You can calculate the carbon footprint of your products - and identify areas for improvement - using the environmental standard PAS 2050. There can be a real commercial advantage to adopting the standard, as it can help your customers to make more informed purchasing decisions.

    Sourcing low carbon supplies and materials

    Using suppliers of low-carbon products can have more benefits than just helping your business become more environmentally responsible. It can also show stakeholders - such as investors, employees and customers - that you are taking your environmental responsibilities seriously.

    Even a simple step of buying products from local suppliers can cut down on the distance they are transported. Your local enterprise agency or trade association may also be able to help you find local suppliers of low carbon products.

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  • Tax breaks to encourage energy efficiency

    Understand the tax breaks available for using cleaner energy and energy-efficient vehicles, plant and machinery.

    Tax breaks are on offer as an incentive to encourage you to adopt certain environmentally-responsible practices. For example:

    • Using sources of energy that have less environmental impact can make your business eligible for a reduction in the climate change levy.
    • Encouraging staff and business travel by sustainable methods can attract certain tax benefits - see workplace travel planning.

    If your business is in an energy-intensive sector, you may need to have an emissions trading permit.

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  • Purchasing carbon offsets

    Offsetting the carbon emissions that you can't help producing and checking the quality of carbon offset products.

    Your business should measure and, where possible, avoid and reduce emissions. This can also help your business save energy and money in the longer term. However, there are emissions that cannot be avoided, and you may wish to balance the impact of such emissions through the purchase of carbon offsets.

    Offsetting involves paying someone, somewhere else, to save emissions equivalent to those you have produced. These emissions savings - or 'carbon credits' - come from a variety of projects in a number of different countries. However, you should remember that offsetting alone will not necessarily make your company carbon neutral.

    How can you check the quality of offset products?

    To help you choose good quality offsets make sure you use an offset provider that can:

    • calculate your emissions accurately
    • deliver credits within a year of your buying them
    • declare clearly how much the credits cost per tonne
    • provide you with information about the role of offsetting in tackling climate change and advice on how to reduce your carbon footprint

    If you intend to purchase carbon offsets, you should take the time to check that you are confident that the offsets represent real, independently verified emission reductions or offer other benefits - such as environmental or social - that you would like to support.

    Becoming carbon neutral

    Many businesses want to become carbon neutral - ie to reduce or offset their emissions so that their total net emissions are zero. The business benefits of this include:

    • demonstrating a clear commitment to tackle climate change
    • engaging employees and consumers on environmental issues

    Under the government's definition, becoming carbon neutral involves three stages:

    • calculating emissions - determining which emissions you're going to calculate, and collecting activity data on these
    • reducing emissions - assessing what reductions you can make and deciding how to achieve this
    • offsetting residual emissions - acquiring carbon credits to offset any emissions you can't reduce

    The British Standards Institute (BSI) has also developed a Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 2060 on carbon neutrality. You can find PAS 2060 to buy online on the BSI website.

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  • Avoiding carbon credit scams

    How to protect your business from fraudsters who may use carbon markets to prey on unsuspecting organisations.

    Carbon credits are financial instruments which permit the holder to emit one tonne of carbon dioxide. These can be traded if the emission allowance is not used.

    Carbon markets are not intended for personal investors - if you buy carbon credits for money, you can fall prey to rogue traders and be unable to recoup your investment. Scammers can also use uncertainty around carbon markets to deceive businesses into handing over money.

    What is a carbon credit scam?

    Your business may be contacted by someone offering:

    • carbon credit certificates
    • voluntary emission reductions (VERs)
    • certified emission reductions (CERs)
    • a 'green' scheme or project that generates carbon credits as a return on investment

    Such scheme do operate legitimately, however certification is voluntary and involves a wide range of bodies and different quality standards that are not recognised by any United Kingdom compensation scheme. 

    Projects generating carbon credits are usually based overseas so UK authorities have no way of controlling the quality or validity of the schemes.

    You should be wary of any scheme which offer green products and services as financial investments. Many businesses have reported they can't sell or trade their carbon credits, and have lost any money they've invested.

    Fraudsters can also attempt to pressure businesses into buying non-existent 'green' products through deception. Some contact businesses using the name "Carbon Registry" as part of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). They will attempt to convince you to buy carbon credits, VERs or CERs at high prices under the threat of government enforcement or legal action.

    How to protect your business from carbon credit scams

    Always be wary if you're contacted out of the blue, pressured to invest quickly or promised returns that sound too good to be true.

    It is important to know that carbon credits, emissions trading and such "green investment schemes" are not currently regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Even if an FCA-authorised firm is involved in the sale of carbon credits you have no right to redress or compensation if something goes wrong. You should always get independent professional advice before making any investment.

    If you are contacted by someone claiming to work in a government department and applying pressure, take their details and contact the department through their main telephone number or contact form. You can find UK government department contact details on GOV.UK and contact details for Northern Ireland government departments on nidirect.

    How to report carbon credit scams

    If you have any concerns about a suspected investment scam, contact the FCA on Tel 0800 111 6768 or by using their scam reporting form.

    If the scam involves someone claiming to represent a government body such as DESNZ, you should contact the PSNI directly on Tel 101 (the non-emergency number) or online through Action Fraud.

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How to generate income from renewable energy

In this guide:

  • Benefits of using renewable energy

    The business benefits of using renewable energy such as government incentives and saving on energy costs.

    Generating and using renewable energy can help you to reduce your business' contribution to climate change and avoid using carbon intensive resources such as fossil fuels.

    Advantages of renewable energy

    Renewable energy offers a wide range of benefits to businesses, including:

    • Improving your environmental credentials and strengthening your brand - customers, investors and other stakeholders increasingly want to deal with businesses which show that they are environmentally responsible.
    • A more secure energy supply - fossil fuels won't last forever and supply is increasingly dependent on imports from overseas. Renewable energy sources are naturally occurring and won't run out.
    • Exemption from paying duty under the climate change levy - this duty is a tax on the energy used by businesses.
    • Building relationships with businesses that have similar values - for example, you may be able to work with other local organisations on a renewable energy project.
    • Stable energy costs - gas and oil price rises are reflected in customers' energy bills. Renewable energy sources are not subject to the same price rises as fossil fuels.
    • Future proofing - renewable energy use will become more widespread, with legislation already placing targets for its use in certain new developments. Switching sooner rather than later will give your business early experience of renewable energy.

    Even if your organisation's core business is not in the renewable energy sector, switching to renewable energy could still provide you with an additional revenue stream.

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  • How to generate income from renewable energy

    How to generate income from renewable energy, including export and feed-in tariffs and green energy certificates.

    Generating your own renewable electricity can provide a stable energy supply for your own business' needs. It also presents an opportunity to profit from energy which you produce above your own needs. There are two potential sources of income from small-scale renewable energy generation in Northern Ireland:

    • Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs)
    • export payments

    Renewable Obligation Certificates

    ROCs provide financial support for renewable electricity generation. ROCs are part of the Northern Ireland Renewable Obligation (NIRO), the main way government encourages renewable electricity generation in Northern Ireland.

    One ROC is issued for each megawatt hour (MWh) of eligible output generated by renewables, including electricity you generate and use yourself.

    In order to be eligible to receive ROCs you must:

    • be registered with Ofgem
    • have an Ofgem-approved generation meter installed

    The number of ROCs you receive per kilowatt hour depends on the technology you use and the amount of energy you produce. Generators can sell their ROCs either directly to electricity suppliers or to ROC traders who sell on to electricity suppliers.

    The NIRO closed to new generation in March 2017 but all accredited generators before that date will receive ROCs for 20 years (to 2037).

    Find more information on NIRO and ROCs.

    Export payments for renewable energy

    If you generate more electricity than you use you may be able to sell the extra electricity back into the grid. Power NI offers an export system for small-scale generators in Northern Ireland.

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  • Is renewable energy right for my business?

    How to assess the energy use in your business and consider your options for switching to renewable energy.

    Before switching to renewable energy, make sure that you have done all you can to reduce your need for energy in the first place. This will ensure that the energy you do use has the lowest environmental impact.

    Which type of renewable energy is right for my business?

    Once you have reduced your need for energy you can consider which renewable energy options are appropriate to meet your requirements.

    If you choose to generate your own renewable energy, you will first need to select the best technology to meet your needs. You should consider factors such as:

    • your business' current energy use, including energy type, overall consumption and fluctuations in demand
    • the energy mix that you will require - some renewable energy technologies can only produce either electricity or heat, while others can generate both
    • the practical limitations of different types of renewable energy

    Once you have identified the appropriate technology, you will need to carry out a feasibility study. This will assess the practical aspects of installation, such as technical, economic and environmental performance. Feasibility studies are usually undertaken by a specialist renewable energy consultant.

    You may also find it useful to speak to:

    • other businesses that use renewable energy
    • your local council planning department
    • installers and suppliers of renewable energy technologies

    You could become involved in a large off-site project such as a wind farm or discuss joint renewable energy projects with other local organisations.

    Buying renewable energy

    You could get your energy supply on a green tariff from a supply company that takes extra steps to reduce emissions from the gas or electricity it sells and gets a higher percentage of energy from renewable sources. Green tariffs may cost slightly more than a traditional tariff and the additional carbon benefit of green tariffs is not wholly clear.

    Planning permission for renewable generation

    Planning in Northern Ireland falls within the remit of local councils. Although permitted development rights for non-domestic microgeneration have not yet been introduced, legislative proposals for the installation of a range of small-scale renewable energy technologies associated with non-domestic land uses are being refined.

    Whilst permitted development rights are not yet available, your development may still go ahead provided you obtain planning permission from your local council. You should discuss your ideas with your local council planning office and obtain planning permission before undertaking any project.

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  • Advantages and disadvantages of wind energy

    Advantages and disadvantages of wind energy, how it works and how to install a wind power development.

    In Northern Ireland wind energy is the most common renewable energy technology and it's also one of the most financially viable options.

    Wind energy is generated using turbines which capture the natural power of the wind to drive a generator. The large wind farms seen around the countryside generally supply electricity to the national grid. However, the availability of a variety of turbine types and sizes means that you can generate your own electricity supply for use onsite.

    Types of wind turbine

    The two main turbine types available are:

    • Free-standing turbines, which are available in a range of sizes and can be used singularly or in groups. Small free-standing turbines are already in use at businesses throughout Northern Ireland.
    • Building-mounted turbines, which are usually installed on roofs. These are not currently widely used, although new designs are beginning to appear.

    Advantages of wind energy

    • Wind turbines will work well across most of NI. Turbines will operate from low wind speeds of about four metres per second (m/s) but the most successful projects are in areas with an average wind speed of seven m/s or above.
    • It is one of the most financially viable renewable energy options and this is improving as the technology develops. The payback period for large, free-standing turbines is typically four to eight years.
    • Wind energy could generate a significant proportion of your electricity needs.

    Disadvantages of wind energy

    • Wind turbine developments often meet significant local opposition at the planning stage due to their visual impact.
    • If there is no wind, the turbines don't generate any electricity. This is known as an intermittent technology. You would need a national grid connection for back-up.

    Installing a wind power development

    You must apply for planning permission from your local divisional planning office if you want to build a wind power development.

    To get planning permission you must complete an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) if:

    • you plan to construct three or more turbines
    • the hub height of any of your turbines, or any other associated structure, exceeds 15 metres

    Find information about EIAs.

    Generating wind energy in conservation areas

    If the site you want to develop is in a conservation or protected area, you must inform NIEA.

    Protected areas can include:

    • Areas of Special Scientific Interest
    • areas of outstanding natural beauty
    • special areas of conservation
    • special protection areas

    Find out if your proposed site is in or near a protected area.

    If your site has archaeological or architectural interest you must inform NIEA.

    Good practice for wind energy generation

    Wind turbines can generate noise. To limit and control noise you should:

    • use a low noise turbine design
    • monitor your turbine to make sure you are not causing a nuisance
    • locate your turbines away from the boundaries of your site

    See how to avoid causing noise pollution, odour and other nuisances.

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  • Generating biomass energy and anaerobic digestion

    How biomass energy and anaerobic digestion work, and their advantages and disadvantages for your business.

    Biomass energy accounts for around two thirds of the UK's renewable energy supply. Biomass refers to organic materials, such as wood, straw and energy crops, which can be used to generate electricity, heat and motive power. The energy is released by burning and fermentation.

    The payback period for biomass systems is generally five to 12 years, though this can be significantly shorter if free waste wood is available.

    Anaerobic digestion is another method of converting biomass into energy. In this process, organic material is broken down by bacteria, in the absence of oxygen, to create methane-rich biogas. This can then be burned to generate heat and electricity. The solid waste from the process is called digestate and can be used in a similar way to compost.

    The payback periods for anaerobic digestion plants vary widely, but could be between five and ten years.

    Advantages of biomass energy and anaerobic digestion

    • You can use waste by-products to generate energy and reduce your waste disposal costs.
    • It can be used in combination with a combined heat and power plant to generate both electricity and heat.
    • Burning biomass fuels releases lower net carbon dioxide emissions than burning coal and gas.

    Disadvantages of biomass energy and anaerobic digestion

    • You need to control emissions from burning biomass materials to prevent local air pollution. Any system you install must comply with legislation such as the Clean Air (Northern Ireland) Order.
    • Storing biomass fuels can require a large amount of space.
    • It can be difficult to find a secure supply of fuel. If you intend to use by-products from your business you must ensure that suitable quantities will be available.
    • If you're having fuel delivered, you'll need to consider the environmental impact of fuel transportation.

    Complying with waste controls for anaerobic digestion

    If you anaerobically digest waste to generate gas for heat or electricity you must have a pollution prevention and control permit or waste management licence.

    You must comply with waste regulations including the duty of care. If you are collecting and transporting other people's waste you will need a waste carriers licence.

    The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) and WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme) have created a quality protocol for anaerobic digestate. If you follow the protocol, you can produce a high quality digestate which can be sold without waste handling controls. For example, if it is not classed as a waste, you do not need to transport it using a waste carrier or with a waste transfer note.

    Download the quality protocol for the production and use of quality compost (PDF, 180K).

    If you use parts of animals, products of animal origin or food and catering waste you must comply with animal by-product controls.

    Prevent odour from your anaerobic digester

    You must prevent your anaerobic digester causing an odour nuisance to your neighbours. You must design your digester, storage areas and delivery areas to minimise the escape of odour and liquids.

    Reduce your digester's operating temperature and use a two-step digestion process by pasteurising your material first, to reduce odour problems.

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  • Advantages and disadvantages of solar energy generation

    The pros and cons of solar power, how it works and how to install a solar energy system in Northern Ireland.

    Solar energy can provide both electricity and heat. It's unlikely that solar energy supply all the energy a business in Northern Ireland needs, but it can provide a significant percentage.

    Photovoltaic (PV) panels convert sunlight into electricity. They are available in a variety of formats including cladding, roof tiles and custom glazing. The panels are generally positioned on an unshaded, pitched roof. This allows them to receive as much sunlight as possible.

    Solar hot water systems absorb energy from the sun and transfer it, using heat exchangers, to heat water. Solar water heating can heat water to temperatures of up to 65°C. There are a variety of solar water heating collectors available, which are commonly mounted on roofs in the same way as PV panels.

    Advantages of solar energy

    • Solar water heating can be a very economical system for businesses that need large quantities of hot water, such as canteens.
    • Many people find solar panels a relatively attractive addition to a building. They also make it clear you run a sustainable business.
    • Planning permission is not always required, although you should always check with your local planning office.
    • Solar panels require little maintenance.

    Disadvantages of solar energy

    • Solar energy is an intermittent technology as it is dependent on sunlight - panels can generate some energy when conditions are cloudy but not at night.
    • Solar energy can be expensive to implement, usually with long payback periods of more than 25 years, although this is likely to be greatly reduced with incentives.
    • Fitting solar systems on existing buildings can be particularly costly. It is better to install solar energy at the build stage.
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  • Generating geothermal energy and ground source heat pumps

    How geothermal energy and ground source heat pumps work and their advantages and disadvantages for your business.

    Geothermal energy and ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) provide a means to access and use the heat energy that is contained naturally in the ground.

    GSHPs use underground pipes to transfer heat from the ground to the inside of a building to provide heating, hot water or cooling. Water and anti-freeze is pumped around these pipes to absorb underground heat, which is then delivered to the heat pump.

    GSHPs use a renewable heat source, but their heat exchangers must be driven by gas or electricity. They are therefore only classified as a renewable energy technology when the power used to drive them is supplied by a renewable energy source, such as a wind turbine.

    Geothermal energy can be derived from geologically suitable areas where heat from the earth's core rises to the surface as hot springs or steam. The energy can be accessed by drilling boreholes into the ground and can provide heating or hot water. In some cases it is used to drive geothermal power plants.

    Advantages of ground source heat pumps

    • You can also drive GSHPs in reverse to provide cooling.
    • GSHP technology is well established.
    • GSHPs can be used to supplement a traditional boiler system.
    • Planning permission is not always required, although you should always check with your local planning office.

    Disadvantages of ground source heat pumps

    • Installing a GSHP requires significant civil engineering works, so it is easier to install a GSHP at the build stage.
    • The initial installation of GSHPs is relatively expensive with payback periods usually more than 15 years.
    • GSHPs are not in themselves classed as a renewable energy technology. In order to be truly renewable, the power used to run them must be supplied by a renewable energy source.
    • Geothermal energy is extremely site specific.

    Environmental authorisations for closed loop pumps

    Closed loop GSHPs pump water and anti-freeze around a self-contained underground piping system. The mixture contained in the piping system absorbs the heat contained within the ground and transfers it to a building via a heat exchanger.

    You need authorisation from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) to install a closed loop pump if:

    • drilling underground causes groundwater from different underground strata to mix together
    • your pump causes changes in groundwater temperature
    • your pump is at risk of causing groundwater pollution

    Environmental authorisations for open loop pumps

    Open loop GSHPs remove groundwater from an underground source.

    You should contact NIEA before you start to research whether you can install an open loop GSHP on your site.

    If you want to operate an open loop GSHP you may need permissions from NIEA such as:

    • a consent to investigate a groundwater source
    • a water abstraction licence
    • a discharge consent
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  • Generating hydroelectic power

    How hydroelectric energy generation works and the advantages and disadvantages if your business is considering it.

    Hydroelectric power uses water flowing through a turbine to drive a generator which produces electricity. The faster the water is flowing and the bigger the drop, the more electricity will be generated. You can either:

    • use a water wheel or a turbine for run-of-the-river schemes which use the natural flow of the water to generate hydroelectricity
    • store water in a reservoir to be passed though an underwater turbine at pressure

    Hydropower is site-specific and you should choose a scheme that suits your site and needs. The payback period for a small system is likely to be over ten years.

    Advantages of hydroelectric power

    • Hydroelectric power systems are very efficient and convert 70-90 per cent of water energy to electricity.
    • Generating hydroelectric power produces no waste.
    • Once installed, hydroelectric power systems should run for many years.
    • Hydroelectric power is a well-developed technology.

    Disadvantages of hydroelectric power

    • You may need an additional power supply available to compensate for seasonal variations in water flow.
    • Significant development work is required to install small-scale hydroelectric energy equipment.
    • You must get planning permission and may need other authorisations such as a water abstraction and/or impoundment licence.
    • Hydroelectric power is highly site-specific.
    • Hydroelectric power systems require regular maintenance.

    Environmental authorisations for hydropower

    Even a small hydropower plant can cause water pollution, disrupt fish migration and cause ecological damage if badly designed and built.

    If you want to develop a micro-hydro power plant, you will need the correct authorisation from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA). To apply, you must submit supporting information including:

    • a detailed description of the scheme design
    • the scheme location
    • the generating capacity of your scheme
    • the minimum and maximum volume of water you will abstract to generate power
    • river flow where abstraction stops
    • your scheme's impact on wildlife, river beds and river navigation
    • how you will reduce the impact on fish migration, eg providing fish passages and screens

    To develop a hydropower scheme you will need an abstraction or impoundment licence from NIEA if your scheme uses more than 20 cubic metres of water per day.

    If you place structures in any waterway that are likely to affect its drainage you must have consent from DfI Rivers.

    If you abstract water for your hydropower development you need to consult with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) to make sure your scheme does not damage fisheries.

    If your scheme is in the Foyle or Carlingford catchment areas you must notify the Loughs Agency.

    Planning permission for hydropower

    If you want to build a hydropower plant you must apply for planning permission from your local divisional planning office at the same time you apply to NIEA.

    Generating renewable energy in conservation areas

    If you want to develop a site for hydropower that is in a conservation area or protected area, you must inform NIEA.

    Protected areas can include:

    • areas of special scientific interest
    • national parks
    • areas of outstanding natural beauty
    • special areas of conservation
    • special protection areas

    Find out if your proposed site is in or near a protected area by using these online interactive maps.

    If your site has archaeological or architectural interest you must inform NIEA.

    Carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

    If your hydropower generating capacity is above 500 kilowatts or if your development is in a protected area, you will need to carry out a formal EIA for your scheme. You must submit this to NIEA and the your local council planning office.

    Find more information about EIAs.

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  • How to switch to renewable energy

    Generating our own renewable energy - JH Label Solutions (video)

    Keith Hamilton of the James Hamilton Group explains how JH Label Solutions invested in a solar PV energy system.

    James Hamilton Group in Lurgan dates back to the 1920s. JH Label Solutions was established to supply the market with a wide range of both plain and printed labels.

    Keith Hamilton, Managing Director of James Hamilton Group, explains how JH Label Solutions invested in a solar PV (photovoltaic) energy system. With the addition of new state of the art printing equipment, along with a growing turnover, energy costs for the company also increased.

    An energy audit from Invest Northern Ireland identified the potential for a solar PV installation. Keith explains how he worked with Invest NI, how the arrays were installed, the expected payback periods and the overall benefits for JH Label Solutions.

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Pollution incident response planning

In this guide:

  • Pollution incident response planning

    How to create a pollution incident response plan to minimise the effects of pollution incidents and save clean-up costs

    A pollution incident is when any substance is released to land, air or water that could harm people or the environment.

    Accidental spills or leaks from poorly maintained plant, equipment or containers, which can enter your surface water drainage, are common causes of pollution incidents.

    Reduce the risk of incidents by storing and handling polluting substances carefully.

    A pollution incident response plan (PIRP) outlines the actions you should take to reduce the chances that your business causes pollution from an incident or accident at your site. Your plan doesn't have to be complicated. The level of risk should influence the size, complexity and details of your plan.

    Why you should have a pollution incident response plan

    Most businesses aren't legally required to have a PIRP, but it will help you prevent a pollution incident occurring at your site.

    Cleaning up pollution incidents can be expensive, particularly if you contaminate groundwater. You could be committing a criminal offence, may have to pay compensation and your reputation may suffer.

    You must have a PIRP if you have a pollution prevention and control permit or are regulated by the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations.

    What your pollution incident response plan should contain

    Details about your business, including:

    • the name of your business
    • your main business address and all site addresses
    • a description of the surrounding area
    • the number of employees present at different times of the day
    • your site activities and operations

    Emergency and out-of-hours contact details for key people and organisations that may need to be involved during or after a pollution incident. For example:

    • staff responsible for making decisions and taking action in the event of a spill or leak
    • the most senior responsible person
    • the emergency services, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) and the NIEA Water Pollution Hotline on Tel 0800 80 70 60
    • Northern Ireland Water
    • local GP surgeries and hospitals with accident and emergency departments
    • specialist clean up contractors
    • the person responsible for keeping the plan up to date

    A detailed site plan showing your drainage layout and areas where the chances of causing pollution are high, such as storage and delivery facilities, and areas that drain to nearby waterways or culverts.

    Details about the fuel, oils, gases and chemicals you store at your site and how much of these you normally keep. This information will help the emergency services in an incident. Attach product data sheets and control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH) assessments for any substances that pose a risk to people or the environment.

    Once you have identified what you store at your site, you should carry out an environmental risk assessment that will help you decide what action you need to take to prevent a pollution incident.

    Your plan should describe the actions you and your staff will take in the event of an incident. Your plan should contain details of how you will:

    • stop incidents occurring, for example prevent leaks
    • contain incidents, such as how to use spill kits to prevent spilled materials entering drains or waterways - and include a list of all materials and equipment held on site to deal with pollution
    • notify relevant contacts when an incident occurs
    • clean up after any incident, for example how you will store and dispose of contaminated materials

    Keep your pollution incident response plan up to date

    Make sure that your PIRP is up to date, and review it regularly. You should keep a record of the date the plan was last reviewed and when your workforce was last briefed on the plan.

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  • Good practice to prevent pollution

    Prevent pollution and costly environmental damage by using some simple environmental practices in your business

    You should take steps to reduce the risk of pollution from your site. If you follow good environmental practices you can avoid most pollution incidents.

    You should carry out an environmental risk assessment to help you understand what pollution hazards there are on your site. This will help you plan for emergencies and decide what action you need to take to control your activities and prevent a pollution incident.

    Store and handle hazardous substances safely

    You should store hazardous materials, fuel, oil and chemicals safely and in an area where you can contain spills, such as a bund or other suitable secondary containment system.

    Your bund and any bunded pallets should be able to contain at least 110 per cent of the volume of the largest tank or 25 per cent of the total volume you are likely to store, whichever is greater. This may be a legal requirement if you store oil.

    You should review storage areas and check containers regularly. Avoid locating storage areas near waterways, drains and unsurfaced areas.

    Prevent water pollution from site drainage

    Uncontrolled releases or leaks can enter your surface water drainage system and cause water pollution. You should mark areas used to store or deliver hazardous or polluting substances and refuelling areas. Isolate them from the surface water drainage system by using bunds, drainage gullies, raised kerbs or appropriate falls.

    Have procedures to prevent pollution from your drainage system, for example keep an updated drainage plan and colour code your drains.

    Be prepared to deal with spills

    You should ensure accidental spills and leaks can be contained and keep spill kits or other pollution control equipment at your site. Keep portable spill kits in vehicles used to transport hazardous substances and waste.

    Make sure you can access your spill kit easily when you need it. This can include:

    • absorbent materials
    • drain sealing mats
    • gully seals
    • booms
    • sealing putty
    • earth or sand

    Prepare a pollution incident response plan for dealing with spills. Make sure that your staff are familiar with the procedure and know how to implement it.

    If a spill does occur, act immediately and try to prevent it from entering drains or surface waters. For example, use absorbent materials to help contain the spread of oil and soak it up, and drain blockers to protect surface water drains.

    Use the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) Water Pollution Hotline on Tel 0800 80 70 60 to report an incident and ask for help and advice about what to do.

    Store and transport waste to prevent pollution

    You are responsible for storing and transporting your waste safely and legally. You must ensure that your waste does not harm the environment.

    You must:

    • store and transport waste in suitable containers such as skips
    • label containers clearly with their contents
    • separate hazardous waste from other waste types
    • ensure materials cannot leak into the ground, waterways and drains
    • ensure your site and storage facilities are secure and check this regularly

    You should store your waste on impermeable surfaces (such as concrete), ideally with a bund to prevent run-off from your waste causing pollution.

    Avoid causing a nuisance

    Dust, fumes or noise emissions from your site can cause a nuisance to your neighbours. If your local district council receives a complaint, they may request that you reduce or stop the nuisance, or ask you to carry out work to reduce or stop it.

    Use an environmental management system

    Your business can reduce its environmental impact and the risk of harming the environment by using an environmental management system (EMS). An EMS will help you to manage and control your activities, including emissions and discharges, resource use, and waste in a planned way.

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  • Preventing pollution from firefighting

    Good planning for the unwanted event of firefighting on your business premises can help to prevent environmental harm

    Fire is a serious risk to the environment. You should always try to reduce the risk of fire and the damage that fire and firefighting could cause.

    To prevent pollution from firefighting you should:

    Deal with polluting foams safely

    Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) is a chemical used in aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) which is highly polluting if it escapes into the environment. AFFF foams were used to fight fires involving flammable liquids like fuel (Class B fires).

    PFOS has been phased out and is no longer available on the market. Alternative products are available.

    Due to their potential to harm the environment it is good practice to return foams containing PFOS or PFOS related substances to the manufacturer for disposal by incineration.

    When you test fire extinguishers or carry out firefighting exercises you must not allow used foams to enter drains, surface waters or groundwater. You must contain them for disposal off site or you may be able to get approval from Northern Ireland Water to discharge foam into the public foul sewer.

    How to control firewater

    Firewater is polluting and you may need to deal with it as hazardous waste.

    You must not discharge firewater into the environment. Ensure you have a plan and equipment in place to collect or contain it in the event of an emergency.

    Store firewater correctly and ensure that it is treated and disposed of by a permitted or licensed waste management business. You may also be able to get permission from NI Water to discharge it into the foul sewer.

    To prevent firewater from running into surface drains, polluting nearby waterways (rivers, streams and groundwater), foul drainage systems, and land, you should:

    • construct containment lagoons, tanks or systems on impermeable surfaces to hold firewater
    • isolate containment systems from surface drains, waterways, land or sewers

    Read Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance on the secondary containment of firewater.

    NIFRS may consider a controlled burn to minimise water and air pollution.

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  • What is environmental damage?

    Definitions of environmental damage to land, water and biodiversity and exemptions of environmental damage controls

    Environmental damage is classed as very serious cases of:

    • water pollution
    • land contamination
    • damage to biodiversity

    These incidents are dealt with through the Environmental Liability Regulations.

    Most cases of pollution and damage will be covered by other legislation. For example, if you cause a less serious water pollution incident, you may be issued with a notice to remedy the pollution or be prosecuted.

    Environmental Liability Regulations

    The Environmental Liability Regulations force businesses to take action to prevent environmental damage and to clean up any damage that they cause, known as remediation.

    If you carry out any of the strict liability activities listed in the regulations and you cause environmental damage, you will have to prevent further damage and/or remedy the damage even if you were not at fault or negligent. Strict liability activities include:

    You are liable if your activity has caused or is likely to cause environmental damage. You must prevent or remediate the damage. The regulations do not apply to any environmental damage that occurred before 24 July 2009.

    Environmental damage to water

    Pollution of the water environment is classed as environmental damage if it is serious enough to lower the status of the water body in terms set by the European Union (EU) Water Framework Directive, for example changing the ecological status of surface water from good to moderate or poor - find more information on the EU Water Framework Directive definition of ecological status.

    If you pollute the water environment in a way which isn't serious enough to be classed as environmental damage, you can still be prosecuted if you:

    • cause harm to human health
    • damage natural ecosystems
    • interfere with drinking water, recreational activities and any other use of the water environment

    For more information, see preventing water pollution.

    Environmental damage to land

    Land contamination may be classed as environmental damage if there is a significant risk that it could cause harm to human health - for example contamination by benzene, polychlorinated biphenyls and other toxic chemicals - see contaminated land.

    Environmental damage to biodiversity

    Biodiversity damage is classed as environmental damage if it causes:

    • a significant harmful effect on the conservation status of an EU protected species or natural habitat
    • a harmful effect on the ecological structure and function of an area of special scientific interest, eg manure spreading on protected grassland

    Find out if your business activities take place in or near Special Areas of Conservation in Northern Ireland.

    Exemptions from the Environmental Liability Regulations

    The regulations do not apply to:

    • any environmental damage that occurred before 24 July 2009
    • damage caused by exceptional natural events, such as flooding which causes pollution from your site

    The regulations may not apply to damage caused by modifications or alterations based on a River Basin Management Plan.

    If you cause environmental damage that is exempt from the Environmental Liability Regulations you can still be prosecuted under other legislation.

    Help
    NIEA Helpline
    Actions
    Pollution prevention guidelines for your business sector
    Environmental Liability explained
    Preventing and dealing with environmental pollution legislation
    Also on this site
    Preventing water pollution
    Contaminated land
    Content category
    Efficiency and environment

    Source URL

    /content/what-environmental-damage

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  • Prevent environmental damage from your business activities

    What to do if your business poses an imminent threat of environmental damage to water, land or biodiversity

    If your activities cause an imminent threat of environmental damage under the environmental liability regime you will be committing an offence if you do not:

    • take all practical steps to prevent damage
    • report the details to the enforcing body if the threat remains

    To find out who your enforcing body is, see remediating environmental damage.

    For example, if you become aware of poorly maintained storage equipment that is at risk of leaking, or is already leaking, and could cause environmental damage, you must take action immediately to stop environmental damage. If your action does not succeed in reducing the risk, you must report it immediately to the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA).

    You are committing an offence if you do not report environmental damage or remaining threats of environmental damage. It is also an offence if you do not take action to prevent further damage.

    People who may be affected by possible damage may also report the risk to the enforcing body, and ask them to take action.

    Your enforcing body may require you to take necessary action to prevent environmental damage, or to prevent further damage. If you do not comply you will be committing an offence.

    The enforcing body will issue you with a prevention notice describing the work you need to carry out.

    You may need to ask the permission of any other landowners if you need access to their property to carry out the work. The enforcing body can make other landowners provide access.

    The enforcing body can do the prevention work themselves and charge you for this if:

    • there is an imminent threat of environmental damage that is considered an emergency and you don't take steps to prevent it
    • you don't comply with a prevention notice
    • the site operator cannot be found
    Help
    NIEA Helpline
    Actions
    Pollution prevention guidelines for your business sector
    Preventing and dealing with environmental pollution legislation
    Also on this site
    Preventing water pollution
    Contaminated land
    Control of major accident hazards (COMAH)
    Content category
    Efficiency and environment

    Source URL

    /content/prevent-environmental-damage-your-business-activities

    Links

  • How to clean up environmental damage

    Your responsibilities for cleaning up and remedying environmental damage caused by your business

    If you cause environmental damage under the environmental liability regime you may be responsible for remedying the damage.

    If environmental damage is caused by your business activities, you must:

    • take all practical steps to prevent further damage
    • report details of the damage to the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA)
    • remediate or clean up the environmental damage

    People who may be affected by possible damage can also report damage to NIEA.

    Steps to resolving environmental damage

    Remediation of environmental damage means returning the environment as a whole to the condition it would have been in if the damage had not occurred.

    There are three main steps to cleaning up environmental damage:

    1. Primary remediation - work to repair the damaged site itself. If this does not fully restore the damaged site then you may also need to carry out compensatory and complementary remediation.
    2. Compensatory remediation - work to offset the loss of natural resources from the time you caused the damage to the time you fully remediate the damaged site.
    3. Complementary remediation - additional work, possibly at another site, if the site you damaged cannot be completely restored. It is carried out to compensate for when primary remediation does not fully restore the damaged site.

    Notices for remediation of environmental damage

    If NIEA decides you have caused environmental damage, you must draw up remediation proposals and submit them for approval. If you don't do this NIEA can issue a remediation notice requiring you to submit remediation proposals. Once NIEA has decided which remediation proposals should be implemented you must implement them.

    Appeals against liability for environmental damage

    You can appeal against a notice requiring you to submit remediation proposals within 28 days of it being served to you.

    You can appeal if, for example:

    • the damage occurred when you were complying with an instruction from an authority, unless the instruction was in response to an incident you caused
    • you were complying with a permit or authorisation that allowed you to take the action that led to the damage - this appeal does not apply to damage caused by genetically modified organisms
    • you can demonstrate that the damage was caused by an activity or product not known to be damaging
    • the damage was caused by someone else and you had taken all appropriate safety measures to prevent it eg someone damaged your equipment after you had taken all possible measures to secure it

    You can also appeal against a remediation notice, but only if the contents of the notice are unreasonable.

    Environmental damage enforcing bodies

    The Environmental Liability Regulations can be enforced by a number of organisations:

    • Your local district council is the enforcing body for damage, or risk of damage, to land. It is also the enforcing body for damage you cause carrying out activities covered by a pollution prevention and control permit it issued.
    • NIEA is the enforcing body for damage, or risk of damage, to land, water and biodiversity.
    Help
    NIEA Helpline
    Actions
    Pollution prevention guidelines for your business sector
    Preventing and dealing with environmental pollution legislation
    Also on this site
    Preventing water pollution
    Contaminated land
    Control of major accident hazards (COMAH)
    Content category
    Efficiency and environment

    Source URL

    /content/how-clean-environmental-damage

    Links

What is an environmental risk assessment?

In this guide:

  • What is an environmental review?

    An environmental review is a three-stage process of assessing environmental performance and making improvements.

    An environmental review is a way of assessing your business' environmental performance and establishing priorities for action. It is a three-stage process:

    As a minimum, the review should cover what legal requirements apply to your business and whether these are being complied with. Your review should also cover areas of good practice such as using resources efficiently and how environmental performance is already managed in your business.

    There are a number of other techniques you can use to gather information about your environmental performance - see life cycle assessment, environmental risk assessment and corporate ecosystem services assessment.

    Environmental management systems (EMSs)

    An EMS has the same three elements as an environmental review. However, it also has a number of other requirements including an environmental policy and comprehensive documentation. This is particularly the case if you are looking to achieve ISO 14001 certification or Eco-management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) verification - see environmental management systems (EMS) - the basics.

    Actions
    Environmental guidance for your type of business
    Also on this site
    How to set environmental performance targets
    How to become a net zero business
    Content category
    Efficiency and environment

    Source URL

    /content/what-environmental-review

    Links

  • Establishing the baseline for an environmental review

    How to assess the current environmental performance situation in your business to establish a baseline

    Before you begin your environmental review you should decide who is going to carry it out, the exact scope of the review and what information is going to be gathered.

    The review should cover key environmental information including:

    • What legislation applies to your business and how well you are complying with it.
    • Future legal requirements that pose risks and opportunities to your business.
    • Past and present pollution incidents and potential pollution risks.
    • Raw materials - including materials used in production processes and those used in the day-to-day running of the business, such as paper and plastic cups for vending machines. Consider the cost, type and quantity of materials you use.
    • Packaging - including whether packaging is needed at all, how it is used, how it is made, how much it costs and how much disposal costs.
    • Waste - including how much your business produces of different types of waste, size and number of containers, costs of waste removal and frequency of waste collections.
    • Energy - types of energy used, how much is being used and at what cost.
    • Water - look at where and how water is used, the cost involved (including effluent disposal), waste and potential for savings.
    • Transport - including number of each type of vehicle, mileage per vehicle, type and amount of fuel used as well as the CO2 and other polluting emissions produced by your vehicles.

    You should also record basic information about the site - size, type (office, factory, etc), number of staff and sales figures.

    The information sources you need will depend on the type of your business and the scope of the review, but could include:

    • documentation such as waste transfer notes and utility bills
    • licences and permits
    • monitoring information and data, such as meter readings
    • policies, procedures and strategy documents
    • walk-round surveys and site inspections
    • interviews with key staff

    You should record your information in a report or spreadsheet and include at least two years of data if possible. Make sure the information is considered by relevant people in the business because it will provide the benchmark for future performance.

    Download a sample environmental review record form (XLS, 31K).

    Actions
    Future Northern Ireland environmental legislation
    Also on this site
    Waste reviews, policies and action plans
    Water reviews, policies and action plans
    How to set energy saving targets
    How to become a net zero business
    Content category
    Efficiency and environment

    Source URL

    /content/establishing-baseline-environmental-review

    Links

  • Environmental review staff interviews

    How to talk to key people in order to understand the environmental performance of your business

    Raw data should only be the starting point of your environmental review. You may find that you get a much better understanding of your business' environmental performance by talking to key staff, such as senior management and those responsible for environmental management, finance, marketing, operations, facilities, etc. Their perceptions and thoughts about the operations and environmental impacts of the business can help make your review more effective.

    Subjects covered by the interviews may include:

    • Site information - the size, type, use, number of employees, layout, etc of the premises, and details of maintenance and refurbishment carried out. This should help you to compare your environmental performance against similar organisations.
    • Corporate policy and strategy - the main drivers behind environmental improvement, stakeholder pressures, future growth plans, key environmental targets and indicators, and strategy for complying with legislation. This should help you to understand how environmental issues fit into your business' overall strategy.
    • Environmental initiatives - current environmental policies, environmental and quality management systems, environmental reporting, stakeholder expectations, environmental aspirations of senior management and regulations affecting your business. This enables you to understand the key drivers behind improving environmental performance.
    • Pollution control - measures put into place to prevent and control pollution, such as secondary containment systems, abatement equipment and staff training. This is essential to reduce the risk of pollution incidents and prosecution.
    • Resource efficiency - main uses of energy, materials, water and transport, contracts for utilities and waste, and data analysis. This should help you to identify who is responsible for each resource and to set targets to cut their use.
    • Communication - current staff engagement techniques, responsibilities for environmental matters, staff feedback and requirements, and any bonus schemes and incentives. Staff engagement is key to improving environmental performance.
    • Marketing - strategy in relation to environmental issues, brand image, competitive advantage and external communication issues. This should help you to consider how your business can market its environmental credentials to external stakeholders.
    • Investment and procurement - current procurement standards and their effectiveness, and investment criteria for internal projects. This should help you to understand what criteria and standards apply when making environmental improvements.

    In all cases, you should have clear objectives for the interviews which are understood by both parties.

    Also on this site
    Making the case for environmental improvements
    Market your environmental credentials
    How to become a net zero business
    Content category
    Efficiency and environment

    Source URL

    /content/environmental-review-staff-interviews

    Links

  • Life cycle assessment

    How to assess the life cycle of your products and services to calculate the possible impact on the environment

    You can improve the environmental performance of your business by considering the impact your products or services have on the environment throughout their lifetime. You can use life cycle assessment (LCA) to assess the overall impact of your products or services.

    What is a life cycle assessment?

    An LCA is an environmental management tool that allows you to calculate the total environmental impact of a product or process, by collecting and evaluating data on the inputs and outputs of materials, energy and waste of a product over its entire life cycle.

    For example, if your business manufactures washing machines, you should evaluate:

    • the raw materials you need to make the machine - eg metal, plastic
    • its design - eg whether it is energy and water efficient
    • the resources you need and what waste is created during manufacturing and assembling
    • how it is marketed - eg packaging
    • how it is transported and sold - eg energy, fuel and vehicle emissions
    • what resources are needed to use and maintain it - eg energy and materials
    • what happens at the end of its life - eg reuse, recover, recycle or disposal

    LCA allows you to consider these flows of energy and materials to and from the environment and so see what production stages have the most environmental impact. You can then identify ways to reduce the overall environmental impact of your product. For example, you may be able to:

    • reduce the amount of raw materials needed
    • use locally sourced, recyclable materials
    • avoid using toxic materials
    • use clean manufacturing technology to minimise emissions during manufacture
    • improve the energy efficiency of the product
    • use durable materials to increase product life
    • reduce packaging
    • reduce transportation

    Benefits of a life cycle assessment

    Assessing the impact of your products or services could help you to:

    • increase your efficiency and productivity
    • reduce your operating costs
    • obtain business from government bodies and large businesses that require their business partners to manage their environmental impacts effectively
    • enhance your reputation among staff, customers and the public
    • increase the chance of securing funding to expand your business by demonstrating that your environmental impacts are well managed

    It is not a legal requirement to use LCA in your business. However, the European Commission is encouraging the approach through its Integrated Product Policy (IPP). It is likely that LCA will be regulated in the future. Tax incentives could also be introduced to encourage you to apply LCA to your business activities.

    How to assess the life cycle of products and services

    You will need to collect, analyse and evaluate data on each phase of your product's life cycle.

    You can choose to implement your own in-house assessment or you may prefer an externally certified assessment through ISO 14040 - which may be better recognised by other businesses and your customers. Find information about LCA tools based on ISO 14040 on the Europa website.

    EcoSMEs provides information and tools to help you carry out a simplified LCA for your products and services. The website is a pilot project developed specifically for small businesses.

    The pilot project includes the following business areas:

    • electronic and electrical equipment
    • metalworking
    • urban furniture such as lampposts or letter boxes
    • office use
    • hotels
    • wood products
    • textiles
    Actions
    Life cycle information hub on the Europa website
    IPP information on the Europa website
    Also on this site
    Ecodesign and energy labelling in manufacturing
    Ecodesign in product and service development
    Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)
    RoHS: Restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment
    How to become a net zero business
    Content category
    Efficiency and environment

    Source URL

    /content/life-cycle-assessment

    Links

  • What is an environmental risk assessment?

    How an environmental risk assessment helps you to control the threat of your business causing harm to the environment

    An environmental risk assessment allows you to assess the likelihood of your business causing harm to the environment. This includes describing potential hazards and impacts before taking precautions to reduce the risks.

    It uses similar techniques to the health and safety risk assessment your business already has to perform.

    How to carry out an environmental risk assessment

    There are five key steps to carrying out an environmental risk assessment. You need to:

    1. identify any hazards, ie possible sources of harm
    2. describe the harm they might cause
    3. evaluate the risk of occurance and identify precautions
    4. record the results of the assessment and implement precautions
    5. review the assessment at regular intervals

    Things to include in your environmental risk assessment

    When looking for environmental hazards in your business, you should consider:

    • waste storage and disposal, eg making sure that proper containers are used, and are located away from drains and watercourses
    • emissions, eg dust and other substances to the air
    • hazardous substance storage, use and disposal
    • liquid waste drainage and disposal
    • environmental impact of raw materials, eg potentially toxic metals or other materials
    • environmental impact of packaging

    There are statutory minimum standards to maintain in some of these areas.

    Environmental impact assessments

    If your business is planning a development that's likely to have a significant effect on the environment, you will first have to carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment.

    Get a free sustainability report

    All Northern Ireland businesses with an annual energy and resource spend of more than £30k can get a free assessment of their environmental performance across areas such as raw materials, energy, carbon, packaging, biodiversity and waste - find out more about Invest NI Sustainability Reports.

    Actions
    Workplace risk assessment leaflet (PDF, 132K)
    Also on this site
    Health and safety risk assessment
    How to become a net zero business
    Content category
    Efficiency and environment

    Source URL

    /content/what-environmental-risk-assessment

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  • Corporate ecosystem services assessment

    How to assess how your business depends and impacts on natural resources and services

    All businesses both depend on and impact on natural resources and services. As legislation and investment mandates change and environmental expectations on businesses increase, you may need to actively manage your interactions with environmental systems (ecosystems) and the services they provide.

    How to assess your dependence on ecosystem services

    Your environmental processes may already account for ecosystem services - eg as part of an environmental management system (EMS). Quickly analysing how effective those processes are in capturing ecosystem-related risks and opportunities is a good starting point. It could also highlight gaps in existing processes and expertise and help you decide on next steps.

    An ecosystem services review (ESR) provides a structured way to assess your business' dependence on ecosystems, if existing processes don't do so. An ESR is a framework for assessing the impacts and reliance of your business on ecosystem services and identifying associated opportunities and risks and actions needed to account for them in decision-making. It consists of five steps:

    • selecting the scope of your assessment
    • identifying priority ecosystem services
    • analysing trends in priority services
    • identifying business risks and opportunities
    • developing strategies

    You can find ESR guidance and tools on the World Resources Institute (WRI) website.

    Assign a value on business costs and benefits

    A qualitative valuation of ecosystem-related risks and opportunities that are more important to your business might be enough to inform your business decisions if:

    • interaction between your business activities and ecosystem health is not significant
    • risks and opportunities that your business' dependence on ecosystems creates are low

    If this isn't the case, you may need a quantitative valuation. This can link costs and benefits of ecosystem services more directly to your bottom line and make it easier to compare the outcomes of alternative business scenarios.

    You can also find out about valuing ecosystems on the GOV.UK website.

    Act on your findings

    Once you have identified the key issues for your business and changes that might be needed, you should decide how to implement those actions or business improvements.

    Consider whether you will act as an individual business or take a more co-ordinated approach to address certain environmental challenges. For example, you could reduce the pressure your business puts on water supplies on your own but you may need to work with other businesses to address challenges such as deforestation caused by rising demand for agricultural land. Co-ordinated action might also provide the most cost-effective way to implement the changes.

    The steps you should follow in order to incorporate new actions into your business plan and monitor your business performance are very similar to putting an EMS into practice. You can read about how to use internal and external communication, training, indicators, and other approaches in our guide on how to operate your environmental management system (EMS).

    Actions
    ESR guidance and tools on the WRI website
    Biodiversity case studies on the Business and Biodiversity Resource Centre webs…
    Also on this site
    How to become a net zero business
    Content category
    Efficiency and environment

    Source URL

    /content/corporate-ecosystem-services-assessment

    Links

  • Setting environmental targets

    Setting targets so that you can measure your business' improvements from the environmental baseline

    Once you have established and verified the environmental baseline, you should develop a series of broad objectives and more specific targets to improve the environmental performance of your business.

    Your choice of objectives and targets should depend on the most significant issues you identified in the baseline review. You can assess the significance of environmental issues using criteria such as the:

    • amount and type of regulatory controls that apply, and how well the business is performing in relation to these
    • potential to comply with future legislation before it comes into force
    • social acceptability - the perception of your business' environmental standards among stakeholders such as customers, employees, local communities and the press
    • potential for cost savings from improved performance
    • importance of environmental performance in relation to the business' strategic objectives

    However the targets are defined, they should include key environmental performance indicators (KEPIs). You can use these to measure the achievement of the objectives. The precise KEPIs will depend on the baseline data, but could include:

    • water use
    • material use
    • waste generation
    • carbon emissions
    • energy use

    You should make sure that KEPIs are finite and measurable, so that you can make definitive assessments of how far the targets have been met. For more information on KEPIs, see how to set environmental performance targets.

    Also on this site
    How to set environmental performance targets
    How to become a net zero business
    Content category
    Efficiency and environment

    Source URL

    /content/setting-environmental-targets

    Links

  • Acting on your environmental review

    An action plan provides the method through which environmental improvements are achieved

    Having completed the environmental review and established targets for improvements, you need an action plan which will address the issues and enable you to meet the targets.

    Your action plan should highlight:

    • specific tasks
    • the person responsible for each task
    • the deadline for completing each task

    The plan should be signed off by senior managers, so that the decision-makers in the business buy into the objectives, and accept both the possible costs and benefits.

    However, the action plan will probably affect everyone in your business. As environmental initiatives often involve changes in behaviour, it is important you engage with all areas of the business and at all levels. As well as having buy-in from senior managers, the involvement and support of all employees is crucial to the success of the plan.

    It can be easier to actively engage employees in your action plan by demonstrating the benefits of implementing environmental measures. One way of doing this is by providing them with advice that can help them reduce their waste, water and energy consumption at home.

    You may also want to appoint an environmental champion to make sure that the action plan is being put into practice effectively. Larger businesses may want to appoint an environmental champion for each site or department and an environmental working group of these champions under a senior manager. This group should meet to update on progress, discuss problems and new ideas and support the environmental champions.

    In smaller businesses, this working group might be composed of the regular senior management team or the board of directors, in which case the progress of the plan can form part of regular management or board meetings.

    For more information on influencing staff and senior management, see making the case for environmental improvements.


    Also on this site
    Making the case for environmental improvements
    How to set environmental performance targets
    How to become a net zero business
    Content category
    Efficiency and environment

    Source URL

    /content/acting-your-environmental-review

    Links

Acting on your environmental review

In this guide:

  • What is an environmental review?

    An environmental review is a three-stage process of assessing environmental performance and making improvements.

    An environmental review is a way of assessing your business' environmental performance and establishing priorities for action. It is a three-stage process:

    As a minimum, the review should cover what legal requirements apply to your business and whether these are being complied with. Your review should also cover areas of good practice such as using resources efficiently and how environmental performance is already managed in your business.

    There are a number of other techniques you can use to gather information about your environmental performance - see life cycle assessment, environmental risk assessment and corporate ecosystem services assessment.

    Environmental management systems (EMSs)

    An EMS has the same three elements as an environmental review. However, it also has a number of other requirements including an environmental policy and comprehensive documentation. This is particularly the case if you are looking to achieve ISO 14001 certification or Eco-management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) verification - see environmental management systems (EMS) - the basics.

    Actions
    Environmental guidance for your type of business
    Also on this site
    How to set environmental performance targets
    How to become a net zero business
    Content category
    Efficiency and environment

    Source URL

    /content/what-environmental-review

    Links

  • Establishing the baseline for an environmental review

    How to assess the current environmental performance situation in your business to establish a baseline

    Before you begin your environmental review you should decide who is going to carry it out, the exact scope of the review and what information is going to be gathered.

    The review should cover key environmental information including:

    • What legislation applies to your business and how well you are complying with it.
    • Future legal requirements that pose risks and opportunities to your business.
    • Past and present pollution incidents and potential pollution risks.
    • Raw materials - including materials used in production processes and those used in the day-to-day running of the business, such as paper and plastic cups for vending machines. Consider the cost, type and quantity of materials you use.
    • Packaging - including whether packaging is needed at all, how it is used, how it is made, how much it costs and how much disposal costs.
    • Waste - including how much your business produces of different types of waste, size and number of containers, costs of waste removal and frequency of waste collections.
    • Energy - types of energy used, how much is being used and at what cost.
    • Water - look at where and how water is used, the cost involved (including effluent disposal), waste and potential for savings.
    • Transport - including number of each type of vehicle, mileage per vehicle, type and amount of fuel used as well as the CO2 and other polluting emissions produced by your vehicles.

    You should also record basic information about the site - size, type (office, factory, etc), number of staff and sales figures.

    The information sources you need will depend on the type of your business and the scope of the review, but could include:

    • documentation such as waste transfer notes and utility bills
    • licences and permits
    • monitoring information and data, such as meter readings
    • policies, procedures and strategy documents
    • walk-round surveys and site inspections
    • interviews with key staff

    You should record your information in a report or spreadsheet and include at least two years of data if possible. Make sure the information is considered by relevant people in the business because it will provide the benchmark for future performance.

    Download a sample environmental review record form (XLS, 31K).

    Actions
    Future Northern Ireland environmental legislation
    Also on this site
    Waste reviews, policies and action plans
    Water reviews, policies and action plans
    How to set energy saving targets
    How to become a net zero business
    Content category
    Efficiency and environment

    Source URL

    /content/establishing-baseline-environmental-review

    Links

  • Environmental review staff interviews

    How to talk to key people in order to understand the environmental performance of your business

    Raw data should only be the starting point of your environmental review. You may find that you get a much better understanding of your business' environmental performance by talking to key staff, such as senior management and those responsible for environmental management, finance, marketing, operations, facilities, etc. Their perceptions and thoughts about the operations and environmental impacts of the business can help make your review more effective.

    Subjects covered by the interviews may include:

    • Site information - the size, type, use, number of employees, layout, etc of the premises, and details of maintenance and refurbishment carried out. This should help you to compare your environmental performance against similar organisations.
    • Corporate policy and strategy - the main drivers behind environmental improvement, stakeholder pressures, future growth plans, key environmental targets and indicators, and strategy for complying with legislation. This should help you to understand how environmental issues fit into your business' overall strategy.
    • Environmental initiatives - current environmental policies, environmental and quality management systems, environmental reporting, stakeholder expectations, environmental aspirations of senior management and regulations affecting your business. This enables you to understand the key drivers behind improving environmental performance.
    • Pollution control - measures put into place to prevent and control pollution, such as secondary containment systems, abatement equipment and staff training. This is essential to reduce the risk of pollution incidents and prosecution.
    • Resource efficiency - main uses of energy, materials, water and transport, contracts for utilities and waste, and data analysis. This should help you to identify who is responsible for each resource and to set targets to cut their use.
    • Communication - current staff engagement techniques, responsibilities for environmental matters, staff feedback and requirements, and any bonus schemes and incentives. Staff engagement is key to improving environmental performance.
    • Marketing - strategy in relation to environmental issues, brand image, competitive advantage and external communication issues. This should help you to consider how your business can market its environmental credentials to external stakeholders.
    • Investment and procurement - current procurement standards and their effectiveness, and investment criteria for internal projects. This should help you to understand what criteria and standards apply when making environmental improvements.

    In all cases, you should have clear objectives for the interviews which are understood by both parties.

    Also on this site
    Making the case for environmental improvements
    Market your environmental credentials
    How to become a net zero business
    Content category
    Efficiency and environment

    Source URL

    /content/environmental-review-staff-interviews

    Links

  • Life cycle assessment

    How to assess the life cycle of your products and services to calculate the possible impact on the environment

    You can improve the environmental performance of your business by considering the impact your products or services have on the environment throughout their lifetime. You can use life cycle assessment (LCA) to assess the overall impact of your products or services.

    What is a life cycle assessment?

    An LCA is an environmental management tool that allows you to calculate the total environmental impact of a product or process, by collecting and evaluating data on the inputs and outputs of materials, energy and waste of a product over its entire life cycle.

    For example, if your business manufactures washing machines, you should evaluate:

    • the raw materials you need to make the machine - eg metal, plastic
    • its design - eg whether it is energy and water efficient
    • the resources you need and what waste is created during manufacturing and assembling
    • how it is marketed - eg packaging
    • how it is transported and sold - eg energy, fuel and vehicle emissions
    • what resources are needed to use and maintain it - eg energy and materials
    • what happens at the end of its life - eg reuse, recover, recycle or disposal

    LCA allows you to consider these flows of energy and materials to and from the environment and so see what production stages have the most environmental impact. You can then identify ways to reduce the overall environmental impact of your product. For example, you may be able to:

    • reduce the amount of raw materials needed
    • use locally sourced, recyclable materials
    • avoid using toxic materials
    • use clean manufacturing technology to minimise emissions during manufacture
    • improve the energy efficiency of the product
    • use durable materials to increase product life
    • reduce packaging
    • reduce transportation

    Benefits of a life cycle assessment

    Assessing the impact of your products or services could help you to:

    • increase your efficiency and productivity
    • reduce your operating costs
    • obtain business from government bodies and large businesses that require their business partners to manage their environmental impacts effectively
    • enhance your reputation among staff, customers and the public
    • increase the chance of securing funding to expand your business by demonstrating that your environmental impacts are well managed

    It is not a legal requirement to use LCA in your business. However, the European Commission is encouraging the approach through its Integrated Product Policy (IPP). It is likely that LCA will be regulated in the future. Tax incentives could also be introduced to encourage you to apply LCA to your business activities.

    How to assess the life cycle of products and services

    You will need to collect, analyse and evaluate data on each phase of your product's life cycle.

    You can choose to implement your own in-house assessment or you may prefer an externally certified assessment through ISO 14040 - which may be better recognised by other businesses and your customers. Find information about LCA tools based on ISO 14040 on the Europa website.

    EcoSMEs provides information and tools to help you carry out a simplified LCA for your products and services. The website is a pilot project developed specifically for small businesses.

    The pilot project includes the following business areas:

    • electronic and electrical equipment
    • metalworking
    • urban furniture such as lampposts or letter boxes
    • office use
    • hotels
    • wood products
    • textiles
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    Life cycle information hub on the Europa website
    IPP information on the Europa website
    Also on this site
    Ecodesign and energy labelling in manufacturing
    Ecodesign in product and service development
    Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)
    RoHS: Restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment
    How to become a net zero business
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  • What is an environmental risk assessment?

    How an environmental risk assessment helps you to control the threat of your business causing harm to the environment

    An environmental risk assessment allows you to assess the likelihood of your business causing harm to the environment. This includes describing potential hazards and impacts before taking precautions to reduce the risks.

    It uses similar techniques to the health and safety risk assessment your business already has to perform.

    How to carry out an environmental risk assessment

    There are five key steps to carrying out an environmental risk assessment. You need to:

    1. identify any hazards, ie possible sources of harm
    2. describe the harm they might cause
    3. evaluate the risk of occurance and identify precautions
    4. record the results of the assessment and implement precautions
    5. review the assessment at regular intervals

    Things to include in your environmental risk assessment

    When looking for environmental hazards in your business, you should consider:

    • waste storage and disposal, eg making sure that proper containers are used, and are located away from drains and watercourses
    • emissions, eg dust and other substances to the air
    • hazardous substance storage, use and disposal
    • liquid waste drainage and disposal
    • environmental impact of raw materials, eg potentially toxic metals or other materials
    • environmental impact of packaging

    There are statutory minimum standards to maintain in some of these areas.

    Environmental impact assessments

    If your business is planning a development that's likely to have a significant effect on the environment, you will first have to carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment.

    Get a free sustainability report

    All Northern Ireland businesses with an annual energy and resource spend of more than £30k can get a free assessment of their environmental performance across areas such as raw materials, energy, carbon, packaging, biodiversity and waste - find out more about Invest NI Sustainability Reports.

    Actions
    Workplace risk assessment leaflet (PDF, 132K)
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    Health and safety risk assessment
    How to become a net zero business
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    /content/what-environmental-risk-assessment

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  • Corporate ecosystem services assessment

    How to assess how your business depends and impacts on natural resources and services

    All businesses both depend on and impact on natural resources and services. As legislation and investment mandates change and environmental expectations on businesses increase, you may need to actively manage your interactions with environmental systems (ecosystems) and the services they provide.

    How to assess your dependence on ecosystem services

    Your environmental processes may already account for ecosystem services - eg as part of an environmental management system (EMS). Quickly analysing how effective those processes are in capturing ecosystem-related risks and opportunities is a good starting point. It could also highlight gaps in existing processes and expertise and help you decide on next steps.

    An ecosystem services review (ESR) provides a structured way to assess your business' dependence on ecosystems, if existing processes don't do so. An ESR is a framework for assessing the impacts and reliance of your business on ecosystem services and identifying associated opportunities and risks and actions needed to account for them in decision-making. It consists of five steps:

    • selecting the scope of your assessment
    • identifying priority ecosystem services
    • analysing trends in priority services
    • identifying business risks and opportunities
    • developing strategies

    You can find ESR guidance and tools on the World Resources Institute (WRI) website.

    Assign a value on business costs and benefits

    A qualitative valuation of ecosystem-related risks and opportunities that are more important to your business might be enough to inform your business decisions if:

    • interaction between your business activities and ecosystem health is not significant
    • risks and opportunities that your business' dependence on ecosystems creates are low

    If this isn't the case, you may need a quantitative valuation. This can link costs and benefits of ecosystem services more directly to your bottom line and make it easier to compare the outcomes of alternative business scenarios.

    You can also find out about valuing ecosystems on the GOV.UK website.

    Act on your findings

    Once you have identified the key issues for your business and changes that might be needed, you should decide how to implement those actions or business improvements.

    Consider whether you will act as an individual business or take a more co-ordinated approach to address certain environmental challenges. For example, you could reduce the pressure your business puts on water supplies on your own but you may need to work with other businesses to address challenges such as deforestation caused by rising demand for agricultural land. Co-ordinated action might also provide the most cost-effective way to implement the changes.

    The steps you should follow in order to incorporate new actions into your business plan and monitor your business performance are very similar to putting an EMS into practice. You can read about how to use internal and external communication, training, indicators, and other approaches in our guide on how to operate your environmental management system (EMS).

    Actions
    ESR guidance and tools on the WRI website
    Biodiversity case studies on the Business and Biodiversity Resource Centre webs…
    Also on this site
    How to become a net zero business
    Content category
    Efficiency and environment

    Source URL

    /content/corporate-ecosystem-services-assessment

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  • Setting environmental targets

    Setting targets so that you can measure your business' improvements from the environmental baseline

    Once you have established and verified the environmental baseline, you should develop a series of broad objectives and more specific targets to improve the environmental performance of your business.

    Your choice of objectives and targets should depend on the most significant issues you identified in the baseline review. You can assess the significance of environmental issues using criteria such as the:

    • amount and type of regulatory controls that apply, and how well the business is performing in relation to these
    • potential to comply with future legislation before it comes into force
    • social acceptability - the perception of your business' environmental standards among stakeholders such as customers, employees, local communities and the press
    • potential for cost savings from improved performance
    • importance of environmental performance in relation to the business' strategic objectives

    However the targets are defined, they should include key environmental performance indicators (KEPIs). You can use these to measure the achievement of the objectives. The precise KEPIs will depend on the baseline data, but could include:

    • water use
    • material use
    • waste generation
    • carbon emissions
    • energy use

    You should make sure that KEPIs are finite and measurable, so that you can make definitive assessments of how far the targets have been met. For more information on KEPIs, see how to set environmental performance targets.

    Also on this site
    How to set environmental performance targets
    How to become a net zero business
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    Efficiency and environment

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  • Acting on your environmental review

    An action plan provides the method through which environmental improvements are achieved

    Having completed the environmental review and established targets for improvements, you need an action plan which will address the issues and enable you to meet the targets.

    Your action plan should highlight:

    • specific tasks
    • the person responsible for each task
    • the deadline for completing each task

    The plan should be signed off by senior managers, so that the decision-makers in the business buy into the objectives, and accept both the possible costs and benefits.

    However, the action plan will probably affect everyone in your business. As environmental initiatives often involve changes in behaviour, it is important you engage with all areas of the business and at all levels. As well as having buy-in from senior managers, the involvement and support of all employees is crucial to the success of the plan.

    It can be easier to actively engage employees in your action plan by demonstrating the benefits of implementing environmental measures. One way of doing this is by providing them with advice that can help them reduce their waste, water and energy consumption at home.

    You may also want to appoint an environmental champion to make sure that the action plan is being put into practice effectively. Larger businesses may want to appoint an environmental champion for each site or department and an environmental working group of these champions under a senior manager. This group should meet to update on progress, discuss problems and new ideas and support the environmental champions.

    In smaller businesses, this working group might be composed of the regular senior management team or the board of directors, in which case the progress of the plan can form part of regular management or board meetings.

    For more information on influencing staff and senior management, see making the case for environmental improvements.


    Also on this site
    Making the case for environmental improvements
    How to set environmental performance targets
    How to become a net zero business
    Content category
    Efficiency and environment

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