BUSINESS STANDARDS
is the quarterly magazine of BSI Group, highlighting the vital role that standards play in today's business environment. Regular features include interviews with leading business figures, as well as news on the latest developments in management systems and standards.

Business Standards > Opinions

Viewpoint

Question: Given the state of the environment, should issues like energy management in business be more regulated and closely monitored instead of voluntary?

Climate change is such an urgent issue that some might argue the only answer to this question is "Yes". However, creating laws that achieve their goals in precisely the right way is challenging and time consuming at the best of times. And when it comes to climate change, the factors involved are varied - too many for any one law or set of laws to cover adequately.

For example, there was a time when offices would leave lights and computers turned on outside of working hours as part of daily business life, a wasteful practice that contributes to carbon emissions. But does it make sense for governments to impose a law that requires offices to switch them off? How would such legislation be imposed? Who would pay the cost? And who would enforce it?

Legislation is only part of the equation. Instead, governments are trying to harness the free market and promote the business potential of a low-carbon economy.

The UK Government's Low Carbon Industrial Strategy, for example, encourages British businesses to "maximize the economic opportunities and minimize the costs of the transition to a low carbon economy".

As UK business secretary Peter Mandelson pointed out at the launch of the strategy in June 2009, "low carbon and environmental goods and services are already worth £3trn to the global economy, and in the UK employ nearly 900,000 directly and through the supply chain."

These are big numbers and they're only set to grow. Why legislate for cleaner business activities when there's a clear business case for a cleaner future?

Ultimately, where there is legislation, standards can provide an effective and efficient way to meet the requirements. Where there isn't, standards can allow early adopters to differentiate themselves from the competition.

For example, by demonstrating that it is actively concerned about climate change issues, an organization can stand out from the crowd. By exceeding expectations and regulation requirement, it can attract more potential customers to the business and, as the Low Carbon Industrial Strategy suggests, open doors to potential growth.

And if enough businesses adopt standards, the need for regulation is further reduced.

Mark Fraser, group product manager, sustainability, BSI ______________________________________

There's no question that governments must act on climate change, but draconian legislative measures are not a realistic long-term solution, despite the urgency involved. Ideally, governments should continue to set strict targets with regards to carbon emissions, just as they have done, but allow businesses to meet those targets in their own ways. This approach encourages long-term continuous improvement, as organizations strive for increasingly elegant solutions in order to meet targets while also standing out from the crowd.

As one of the largest engineering and architectural firms in the world, Atkins has been wrestling with this question for years. Legislative compliance forms a major part of our activities but we're also being asked by clients to address this area in creative and cost effective ways. Our challenge is to comply with legislation while offering increasingly bespoke solutions to clients.

For businesses seeking to reduce their carbon footprint, their building portfolio is a key area of focus. Atkins helps clients reduce the carbon emissions of existing and future buildings by combining an analysis of the client's building estate with our knowledge of energy management and sustainability. This supports the client's legislative compliance while reducing energy, carbon and cost in a way that doesn't compromise their business deliverables. An example of this is Atkins Remote Technology (ArT) which allows us to collate and forecast energy consumption and adjust the environmental conditions of a building via a web-based portal. There is no doubt that from both a business and legislative perspective sustainability is a big challenge, however it's a challenge that Atkins welcomes and one we have the products and services to meet.

Andrew Wilkinson, head of Managing Agent Business, Atkins

Business Standards © 2007. Editorial produced by Caspian Publishing in association with the British Standards Institution. Editorial opinions expressed on are not necessarily those of BSI Group or Caspian Publishing. Neither Caspian Publishing nor BSI Group accept responsibility for advertising or editorial content, nor for that appearing on linked third-party websites. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden without written permission from BSI Group or Caspian Publishing.

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