Services Finder Environmental Responsibility Audits
UL's environmental responsibility audits help companies manage environmental risk and improve their environmental performance across the entire supply chain. We help companies increase their understanding of environmental compliance issues and assess their workplaces against international standards and national regulations. We focus on identifying root causes, developing practical solutions and managing implementation, while also empowering our customers to take a proactive role in compliance.
Overview
Definition
UL's environmental responsibility audits provide a comprehensive review of compliance with environmental laws and regulations and relevant international standards such as ISO 14001.
Benefits
Effective environmental management systems help enable companies to comply with regulatory standards and build sustainable business practices within their supply chains.
UL’s environmental responsibility experts utilize a three-tiered auditing system to identify key areas of opportunities over a two-day period. Audit components include management and employee interviews, document and record reviews, and site inspections.
The following areas are evaluated in detail:
- Air, water and wastewater compliance and monitoring
- Wastewater discharge, waste disposal and pollution prevention
- Employee exposure to environmental hazards, compared to protection measures
- Chemical and other hazardous materials management
- Emergency and accident response preparedness
- Training breadth and effectiveness
- Performance measurements and continuous improvement programs
Once findings from the assessment are compiled, our environmental responsibility experts work with facility managers to identify and implement remediation strategies to achieve compliance.
Our Global Social Compliance Programme (GSCP) audit employs a set of step-by-step environmental management tools that help identify deficiencies in raw material processing, manufacturing and service facilities. Key insights from the assessment provide companies with a road map to move from basic GSCP compliance toward leading-edge performance.
UL’s wastewater management audits provide valuable insights to customers who source goods from water-intensive operations such as leather tanneries and dye operations. To minimize potential damage to surrounding ecosystems and communities, the wastewater assessment audit examines water use within a facility and determines whether the appropriate treatment systems are in place.
The UL carbon footprint audit quantifies both direct and indirect emissions resulting from company travel, energy and water use, and waste. We work directly with our customers to calculate environmental footprints, monitor and manage carbon and energy usage, and work toward a carbon-reduction plan.
Deliverables
Details
Products this service applies to
Apparel, textiles, dietary supplements, electronics, electrical, food, beverages, footwear, leather goods, general consumer merchandise, furniture, candle accessories, health and beauty care, household chemicals, jewelry, watches, OTC/pharmaceuticals, premiums and promotional products, store brands/private labels, toys, nursery and children’s products
Applicable Standards
Global Social Compliance Programme (GSCP)
Provides a global, cross-industry platform to promote the exchange of knowledge and best practices in order to build comparability and transparency between existing social and environmental compliance systems
Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI)
Business-led initiative that provides a common code of conduct and supports efforts toward building an ethical supply chain by providing a step-by-step, development-oriented system applicable to all sectors and all sourcing countries
Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) and EICC Conflict-Free Smelter (CFS) Program
Code of conduct provides guidelines for performance and compliance with critical CSR policies; EICC provides tools to audit compliance with the code and helps companies report progress
Initiative Clause Sociale (ICS)
Shared code of ethics, tools and audit protocols predominately for France-based companies
Sedex
A database designed to capture audit data and allow audited sites to interact with other members of the supply chain to show updates on efforts toward corrective action
Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA)
A process for a common best-practice guide, audit report format and corrective action format; built around measuring compliance against the ETI Base Code
Fair Factories Clearinghouse (FFC)
Software portal for sharing data from workplace assessments and communicating corrective actions
Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP)
Five-step certification system focused on lawful, humane and ethical manufacturing throughout the world
Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI)
The ETI Base Code is founded on the conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and is an internationally recognized code of labor practice
Social Accountability International (SAI) SA 8000
Social accountability certification standards for decent workplaces across all industrial sectors
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 Environmental Management System
Series of voluntary standards focused on environmental auditing, environmental performance evaluation, environmental labeling and life-cycle assessment
Additional Information
For more information on UL’s environmental responsibility audits, please email us at RSinfo@ul.com.
