Health, safety & environment

Green guff. There are new rules to clamp down on terms like “environmentally friendly” and “sustainable” which are too vague (see The next step ). But that hasn’t stopped people changing tainted terms for new ones. Environmental attribute certificates (EACs). This is the new term on the block. According to the science-based targets initiative, which certifies net-zero plans and targets, EACs “encompass a diverse range of instruments that certify and communicate specific environmental or sustainability attributes of a given activity or commodity. By verifying that certain environmental standards or sustainability criteria have been met, these certificates enable companies to substantiate their environmental claims and support compliance with voluntary or regulatory schemes.” (see The next step ). ...

A few years back you got carried away and set various environment targets on recycling, energy use, carbon emissions and the like. Life and your business have changed, so is it ok to revisit what you promised and change the goalposts?

Morrisons has made a number of major changes across its stores in a bid to be more environmentally friendly and save on costs. What has it put in place, what are other supermarkets doing and can you apply this to your business?

Rules. Under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007 , companies with a turnover above £2m and handling more than 50 tonnes of packaging per year, must register with an accredited compliance scheme, and recover and recycle packaging waste. ...

Toilet paper brands are reportedly greenwashing their products. What’s the story and how can you apply what’s happened to your procurement policies, so you don’t pay premiums for crap products?

Another relatively new sustainability kid on the block is an “environmental product declaration” (EPD). What are EPDs, is there any benefit to your business in having them and how should you create them?