The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) published a new version of guidelines for companies to publish an environmental report.
These general guidelines spell out in detail the main elements we would expect to see in environmental reports. In particular they include a few key environmental performance indicators that we would expect all large organisations to be able to report against. They also set out a possible step by step approach for those new to reporting, and suggests ways in which organisations can encourage better environmental performance from their suppliers.
The Guidelines do not seek to compete with other current initiatives in this area, for instance the Global Reporting Initiative. What they do is identify the common themes at the heart of other guidance, and provide a simple guide to the basics – ‘good practice’ rather than ‘best practice’. Companies can progress towards ‘best’ practice in time, but having a stepping stone may make the experience more manageable.
