At Sustantum we believe that sustainability is not just a well intentioned goal for organisations, something aspirational and apart from their mission. Integrating sustainability is a net-positive for any organisation. The important part is how to integrate it. For that, we have developed the ERC-P assessment and implementation system.
What do we mean by ERC-P at Sustantum?
Sustainability can be disaggregated into many different components. Years of experience of sustainability analysis have led us to a practical approach to sustainability, ERC-P, with the following components:
- Efficiency: It is important to measure resource efficiency in terms of electricity, water, or raw material consumption. Our work in efficiency results in energy efficiency assessments, energy certificates, water footprint estimations, or life-cycle assessment calculations of products, all along with their corresponding technical and operational recommendations for improvement.
- Responsibility: Organisations are surrounded by stakeholders that shape them and are shaped by them. We analyse the reputation, perception, risks, and opportunities related to an organisation’s relation to its main suppliers and customers, local communities, and relevant authorities. We provide ideas to improve the relationship with other actors and the overall reputation of the organisation.
- Compliance: It is a given that established organisations tend to comply with national, local, and international regulations affecting them. It is, however, important, to check internally for possible issues related to the implementation of relevant regulations (environmental emissions, labour conditions, paperwork and documentation, etc.). To that end we offer to carry out internal reviews to identify critical issues to improve.
- Positive actions: The last component of ERC-P is optional, and often no less important. Positive actions include external reporting and communication, the voluntary adoption of environmental, quality, or sectoral standards (e.g. ISO 14001, ISO 9001), and related certifications (e.g. EarthCheck). Within positive actions we also include the coordination of awareness-raising and training events, as well as ad hoc projects for the benefit of local, national, or international communities and ecosystems.
The ERC-P system is usually implemented gradually: First some initial assessments are carried out for the requesting organisation at little or no cost, and should the organisation be interested in finding out more, more in detail, or get complementary assessments and solutions, a larger service contract would be drafted. No initial commitment!
To find out more about Sustantum’s ERC-P services check out a sample of our Conditions of Service [in Spanish] or have a look at this flyer. To receive information on pricing, a quote, tailored services to your company, or a full copy of our Conditions of Service, you can contact us here.