Why this is important?

Although still sometimes disputed, most people believe that climate change is one of (if not the) most serious and urgent challenges facing the world’s global population and the natural environment. Many people accept that the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) released into the atmosphere in still rapidly growing volumes are the primary reason for the quite dramatic and unpredictable changes to normal climate patterns that we are witnessing throughout the world. All organizations have a role to play in global efforts to put a brake on further climate change. The most effective way is to measure its ‘carbon footprint’: that is, to quantify how much damage the organization is doing to the environment by way of GHG emissions. As well as the moral reasons for taking the measurement of carbon footprint seriously, organizational leaders must pay attention because of ever-increasing legislation and regulation as well as an ever-watchful and demanding societal base – for many organizations, not performing well against carbon-footprint-type measures can have devastating effects on reputation and consequentially on profits and share price.

With respect to Corporate Social Responsibility Perspective, below are a few KPI’s which a businessman should be mindful of:

• Carbon footprint
• Water footprint
• Energy consumption
• Savings levels due to conservation and improvement efforts
• Supply chain miles
• Waste reduction rate
• Waste recycling rate
• Product recycling rate