Objectives and Benefits of an

Environmental Performance
Evaluation (EPE) Programme
KALAICHELVI
NITHY DEVAN
VINTHYA

Environmental Performance
Evaluation
1. Environmental performance evaluation
is a sub-theme of environmental management.

2. Environmental performance evaluation (EPE)

is a tool to identify areas for improvement
providing performance trends over time in order to understand,
demonstrate and improve performance using reliable key
performance indicators.

BS EN ISO 14031
Environmental performance evaluation - Guidelines

sets out a process to help an organisation improve

environmental performance.
It provides a set of tools to identify, measure, assess
and communicate environmental performance using key
performance indicators (KPIs), based on reliable and
verifiable information.
These standards provide powerful tools for
organisations, giving them a means to track their
progress towards a more circular and sustainable
economy.

How does Environmental Performance Evaluation work?

Environmental Performance Evaluation (EPE)

provides a robust and repeatable process to compare past
and present environmental performance using KPIs.
It helps organizations determine trends, evaluate risk and
identify its strategic objectives and targets.
EPE can also be used to report and communicate information
on the organizations environmental performance to
demonstrate its commitment to improvement.

BS EN ISO 14031 sets out three types

of indicators:
1. Environmental condition indicators
(ECI)
for presenting achievements in context

2. Operational performance indicators

(OPI)
used to demonstrate change in resource
use

3. Management performance indicators

What are the benefits of BS EN ISO 14031?

Improved identification and understanding of environmental aspects and

impacts
The use of indicators can help identify areas that have the potential to
become more circular and sustainable, e.g. the proportion of recycled and
renewable materials in a product or process
The use of indicators can help identify processes to support the more
efficient use of resources
Stronger environmental performance gives greater assurance to
stakeholders and can increase both credibility and reputation

 Supports
implementation
management system

of

an

environmental

because environmental performance evaluation can help identify

significant risks, set objectives and targets, and track performance

Recognition of good performance management

can help an organisation with compliance with legislation,

potentially reducing annual charges for permits and consents

Organisations can harmonise and streamline significant

performance indicators in sectors, assisting benchmarking

EXAMPLE

DUPONT:
INTERGRATING ENVIRONMENTAL WITH BUSINESS
PERFORMANCE MEASURES

1. DuPont is a large chemical and energy company serving global markets.

2.

Its key achievement in environmental metrics is the integrationof environmental

thinking into the business process.

3. The companys vision has gone beyond compliance and environmental outputs by
measuring environmental innovations in terms of such traditional business measures
as reduced costs, improved product yield, and increased market share and stockholder
value.
4. Ultimately, environmental improvement is viewed not only as a reduced cost or
liability, but as a business opportunity.
5. This vision is compatible with the concept of sustainability: creating economic growth
without increasing adverse environmental impacts. It is a vision that cuts across all
business functions, including operations, sales, R&D, marketing, and finance.

Goals
1. DuPonts first step toward sustainability was

the development of corporate stretch goals.

2. The goals include:

*eliminating all injuries, illnesses,incidents, waste and
way of improving business performance.

emissions as a

*This step has simplified measurement of environmental performance

and stimulated continuous improvement throughout the company .

 The R&D organization was able to substitute a relatively non-toxic chemical for
hydroquinone, a suspected carcinogen, and use 25% -40% less chemicals than
traditional systems.
Further improvements led the team to develop aclosed loop recycling system so
that customers could return the chemicals in their original packages to DuPont.
The company is then able to regenerate the chemicals and resell them.
As a result, 370,000 tons less effluent was sent down the drain, DuPont
generated $0.5 million in new business, and DuCare became the leading
product offered to graphic arts customers.

DuPont is currently working on developing a metric that will define

sustainability in terms of its four stakeholders: stockholders, society,
employees, and customers/consumers.
DuPont has defined stockholder improvement as increasing shareholder value, and is
just beginning to develop a metric for the other stakeholders of sustainable
development.

However, experience is showing that environmental progress is also

leading to improvements in business performance.

Although other factors account for muchof this increase, DuPonts experience
shows that business metrics and environmental metrics are indeed related.

Benefits
Environmental performance evaluation helps with:
Price/ cost management
Compliance
Competitive advantage
Brand/ reputation
Attracting investment
Mitigation of environmental issues
'Due diligence'
Competency assessment.
Data generated by EPE standards can be used to create positive and
effective, linked non-financial and financial corporate reporting to
achieve real business value.
Implementation reduces business risks over time and identifies
areas for improvement.