QMS & EMS London

Environmental matters need to be better integrated into overall corporate strategies, an analysis of annual reports of FTSE 350 companies has found. Although environmental factors were identified as principal business risks by 41% of reports studied, only 27% of companies reflected these in their key performance indicators (KPIs), which are used by management to monitor the company’s progress, according to a report of the findings.  The analysis was carried out by the Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB), a consortium of international NGOs and businesses working to make reporting of environmental risk and impacts mainstream.

After the launch of the IEMA quality mark scheme in 2011, opportunities arose to improve practice among environment impact assessment (EIA) professionals in the UK. In particular, it was felt that guidance was needed on the role EIA played in shaping design before a project was granted consent. IEMA EIA Guide to Shaping Quality Development aims to promote the assessment as a design tool and establish the principles and framework for maximising the interaction between the environmental technical team and the master planning or architectural team. LDA Design worked with the Environment Agency and IEMA on the guide, which was launched at the institute’s EIA masterclass conference in November 2015. LDA is a design, environment and sustainability consultancy that works on development and infrastructure projects, and has a good understanding of how the environmental impact assessment and design processes interact.