Environmental and Resource Efficiency Improvement Plan
Introduction
The Environmental Resource Efficiency Plan (EREP) program is developed for One Stop Computers (trading for Asia Pacific region) to encourage carbon reduction of their product portfolio, improve the protection of human health and the environment and demonstrate responsibility of safe use of chemicals in the industry.
AHM Consultancy is based in Hobart Tasmania and understands the challenges and complexity of creating Environmental Management Plans. We help clients achieve their resource efficiency goals so they can achieve positive environmental outcomes. Our key business areas and specialization: Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Total Quality Management.
Causes
Equipment Recycling, Consumable Waste and Energy Conservation are all initiatives that should be considered to improve environmental performance and sustainability.
Strategies
Carbon Footprint
Conserve energy, reduce impact and save money. Reducing the emissions intensity of product portfolio (1) by 5% percent by 2020 compared to 2015 (2) levels by:
• Decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and product transportation (3), improve data centre efficiencies and developing energy-efficient solutions and improved server architecture which consumes up to 89% less energy (4), uses 80% less space (4) and costs 70% less than traditional server environments (5).
Recycling and Reuse
Easy ways to return and recycle computer equipment and printing supplies.
Recycling helps the Earth and environment more than the average person realizes. Conserving energy, or finding more efficient and more eco friendly ways of getting energy also helps keep the Earth healthy. If more people recycle and factories and industries reuse their materials, the hunt for more raw materials will not be as necessary and harmful to the Earth. A lot of materials are not reused and instead new materials have to be brought in and that wastes not only materials but energy too. Recycling steel could reduce energy uses by 60% and easily help conserve a lot of energy. A ton of companies use steel so it would not be very difficult to do. A form of recycling that is not very well known is burning trash instead of burying it the way we do in the U.S.. Sweden practices this concept and their theory is that the majority of the things they burn in the fire were part of the carbon cycle not very long ago so it is as if they are speeding up the carbon cycle without hurting their environment. This plan also is helpful
Businesses who participate in environmentally friendly practices will become more profitable. There are difficulties and costs that a business will face and profit takes time but is proven to positively impact a business. “The reluctance to address the forces that are polluting the planet always comes down to money (Smith, “6 Reasons Nations Don't Go Green.”). Implementing environmentally friendly practices within a company “will win them customers, and increase profits” (McDonald, “Why Do (or Don’t) Companies Go Green?”). Many global companies today carry out environmental management tools to adapt to environmentally friendly practices, which helps gain customers, and in turn becomes more profitable. In this paper, I will go into further detail explaining why businesses should be more environmentally friendly, the benefits to be gained, costs that come with being environmentally friendly, and management ways that help a company become environmentally friendly.
Electronics Recycling. Electronic recycling is one consideration the company can do better with. Recycling in general lowers greenhouse gas emissions that are caused by manufacturing items for the first time. Recycling electronics conserves natural resources making cleaner air and water. The valuable resources computers and electronic components carry are metals, plastics, and glass. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), recycling a million laptops would give back enough energy for 3500 American homes’ electricity. A million cell phones would could yield 35,000 pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold, and 33 pounds of palladium. Instead of throwing out the old computers and blackberry’s, the company could simply upgrade the hardware or software and then recycle the parts necessary.
Many firms are learning that being environmentally friendly and sustainable has numerous benefits. (O.C Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, 2015). This could enable them to increase goodwill from various stakeholders and also save money in the long term. This will mean that they are being more efficient and less wasteful of resources, which will enable them to be more competitive by satisfying stakeholders. The CEO of
Embrace new technologies to improve efficiency, maintain environmental stewardship through green practices and sustainable operations, support continuous improvement of the business processes, develop employees’ capability, and provide excellent customer services.” (Hillsborough County, 2015)
In 2013, the Obama Administration issued the Climate Action Plan to focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 17 % reduction below 2005 levels by 2020. This plan’s three objectives were carbon reduction, strengthening capacity for climate change response, and leading international cooperation for climate change crisis (White House, 2013). To reduce the
Creation of products that reduce energy usage, support sustainable forestry practice, promote cleaner water and less air pollution
Powerful Hardware and Scaling Feature; PHSF Reduced Power Consumption; RPC Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008 R2 with SP1; HV Expand Desktop Deployment Options with VDI; EDDO with VDI Easier and More Efficient Server Management; EMESM Managing Data Not just Managing Storage; MDNMS Ubiquitous Remote Access; URA Improved Branch Office Performance and Management; IBOPM Simplified Management for SMBs; SMSMBs The Strongest web and Application Server to Date; SWA
There are several obstacles for manufacturers attempting to employ changes in their processes for more sustainable practices. One problem that manufacturers will run into is the lack of direction. Knowing that change is needed is the easy part of reaching sustainability. Knowing what changes to make is a much more complicated challenge. The idea of sustainability is discussed often, yet broad scope ideas are traded without specific details and applications. Team B Consultants Inc. (TBCI), is the
The carmaker, which employs 15,000 people, including 3,500 engineers at two product development centres in the Midlands, is part of the EU ETS scheme and has signed up to a Climate Change Agreement. Head of sustainability Frances Leedham says One of my objectives is to make environment and sustainability part of doing business. It was unheard of a few years ago, but there is a clear incentive to decarbonise our economy and focus on renewable energy. Across our UK facilities we have set ambitious targets, and by 2012 we aim to reduce operating carbon emissions by 25 per cent, waste to landfill by 25 per cent and water consumption by 10 per cent. So crucial is the companys sustainability agenda to long-term business growth that a 9m fund has been set aside for investment in efficiency measures across the business, targeting areas where the biggest savings can be made. Jaguar Land Rovers paint shops, for example, have been identified as the largest consumer of energy in the whole manufacturing process. By sharing best practice between production sites, the company has implemented more than 50 initiatives-from optimising use of air compressors to closing parts of the paint shops when they are not being used. These measures have saved 13,200 tonnes of carbon emissions and more than 1.5m in energy costs over the past two years. But Leedham insists smaller schemes have a significant effect, too Things such as lighting, heating
1) using renewable energy. 2) Reducing reliance on pollution products like cars. 3) charging Industries that produce high levels of pollution.
As technology increases through massive changes it becomes apparent that the individual user must also make changes that are environmentally safe. Green IT, also known as Green Computing, is the movement towards a more environmentally friendly and cost-effective use of power and production in technology. The crux of Green IT is to double or triple the bottom line investment costs by converting existing structures and systems to this more conservative mode of operation in green computing (eweek.com, 2012). The greening of information technology (IT) offers numerous ways for companies to
The goals that were attained were, to increase organic food offerings by 25 percent by 2017, this goal was achieved by increasing food offering by 114 percent (“2015 CSR Report” 4). Second, to improve owned-brand packaging sustainability by enhancing at least 50 owned-brand packaging designs to be more sustainable by 2016; this goal was achieved and exceeded by enhancing 153 packaging designs (“2015 CSR Report” 4). Third, to increase Energy Star certifications by 75 percent in the U.S Target buildings by 2015; this goal was achieved and exceeded by 76 percent (“2015 CSR Report” 4). Fourth, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent per square foot; this goal was achieved and exceeded by 11.5 percent reduction (“2015 CSR Report” 5). Sixth, to reduce
employee. This is part of day to day management and is intended to ensure that
In addition, environmentally friendly practice technology has been used in all aspects of the power, and the treatment of water and sewage to reduce the impact on environment.