Once every 4-5 years the country is seized by election fever. The election juggernaut has just roared into life after the new year and is poised to ramp up through the gears. This year on the 7th May 2015 the electorate will have to select from a range of policies that are intended to set apart one party from another. One might say a tricky job given the convergence at the centre ground by the three majority parties.
Policies and specifically sustainability policies developed by public sector organisations and business are also tricky to get right. They need to strike the right balance of being challenging yet achievable, clear yet not prescriptive, holistic but not vague.
According to the our common friend Wikipedia, a policy is a deliberate system of principles to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes.
As such sustainability policies also need to add value to the organisation and their stakeholders, provide a clear link to business performance, assign responsibility, and set in motion a chain of activities to achieve success.
That desired outcome will be specific to each organisation but to be worthy of the term sustainability should be outward looking as well as concerned with the growth of the organisation.
Such a policy should be considered as the cornerstone for coordinated action. Yet many organisations have either poorly constructed policies or need a refresh after an organisational change. Good policies stand the test of time as exemplified by the Magna Carta which is 800 years old this year and still has 3 of its original 63 clauses in law today. It’s well worth getting it right as it governs numerous subsequent activities. Make sure yours is fit for purpose.
LCMB have worked with numerous estates and facilities teams within the public and private sector to define their policy and approach to sustainability, energy and waste management. For more information on policy formulation or for an informal chat contact Matt Whitehead, e: [email protected] p: 07956 103508.
