Environmental Audit
Bureau Veritas CPS
Environmental Audits
In today's environmentally conscious world, businesses face a growing imperative to operate sustainably. Environmental audits provide a critical first step in understanding the environmental impact of your facilities and suppliers.
What is an Environmental Audit?
An environmental audit or environmental compliance audit is a methodical, documented evaluation of an organization's activities and processes that have the potential to affect the environment. It identifies areas of environmental compliance risk, assesses resource consumption, and evaluates waste generation and disposal practices.
Environmental Audit for Brands, Retailers, and Sites:
- Brands and Retailers: An environmental audit program provides valuable due diligence for brands and retailers. This verifies the accuracy of environmental claims and supports information included in sustainability reports.
- Manufacturing Sites: Environmental audits can demonstrate a manufacturing site's commitment to environmental responsibility by highlighting its environmental impact to its clients.
Key Benefits of Conducting an Environmental Audit
There are numerous compelling reasons to conduct an environmental audit, including:
- Compliance Assurance: Ensure adherence to environmental regulations and avoid costly fines and penalties.
- Improved Resource Management & Save Cost: Identify areas for optimization in water and energy use, leading to cost savings and a reduced environmental footprint.
- Enhanced Brand Reputation: Demonstrate your commitment to environmental responsibility and build trust with environmentally conscious consumers.
- Supply Chain Transparency: Gain valuable insights into the environmental performance of your suppliers, fostering collaboration for collective sustainability efforts.
- Risk Mitigation: Proactively identify and address potential environmental liabilities.
- Data-Driven Decision-Making: Gain objective data to inform strategic decisions for continuous environmental improvement.
Typical Scope of an Environmental Audit
A traditional environmental audit typically covers the following areas:
- Environmental Management System (EMS): Evaluates the effectiveness of your organization's system for managing environmental risks and compliance.
- Water Usage: Analyzes your water consumption across operations, identifies areas for water conservation, and assesses your water management practices.
- Wastewater: Evaluates the treatment and disposal of wastewater generated by your operations, ensuring compliance with relevant regulations.
- Air Emissions: Assesses airborne emissions from your facilities and processes
- Waste: Evaluates your waste generation practices, identifies opportunities for waste reduction and recycling, and assesses your waste disposal methods.
Additional Considerations: These two topics are becoming increasingly important for companies’ sustainability journey and may be included in their efforts:
- Chemical Management: Evaluates the types and quantities of chemicals used in your operations, assesses storage and handling practices, and ensures compliance with hazardous waste regulations.
- Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Management: Assesses your energy consumption patterns, identifies opportunities for energy efficiency improvements, and evaluates your strategies for managing greenhouse gas emissions.
It's important to remember that different environmental audit programs may focus on different topics. The next chapter will explore some of the most common types of environmental audit schemes.
Bureau Veritas Environmental Audit Services
Bureau Veritas offers a comprehensive suite of environmental audit/assessment services as a part of our Sustainability Solutions to meet your unique needs. Here are some of the most common types:
- Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM) Verification Service: Developed by the Cascale (formerly known as Sustainable Apparel Coalition, or SAC). Higg FEM is specifically designed for the apparel, footwear, and textile industry. This verification assesses environmental performance in Environmental Management System, Energy/Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Water, Waste, Wastewater, Air Emissions and Chemicals Management.
- amfori BEPI Audit: Evaluate the environmental performance of 8 key Environmental Performance Areas: EMS, waste, energy & climate, chemicals, water & effluents, biodiversity, emission to air, and nuisances.
- SMETA 4 Pillar Audit: SMETA (Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit) is a widely recognized standard for ethical and social responsibility auditing. The SMETA audits assess a supplier's performance across four key areas: Labor Standards, Health & Safety, Environment, and Business Ethics. The 4-pillar version expands the scope to include environmental practices.
- ICS Audit: Developed by the Initiative for Compliance and Sustainability (ICS), these audits are specifically designed for factories in the toy, apparel, footwear, and leather goods industries. They assess environmental management practices, chemical usage, and waste management, aligning with international best practices.
- Portable Auditing System (PAS): PAS is a reporting instrument offered exclusively by Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services, designed to record exceptions to compliance requirements.
Simplify your environmental and chemical management with our proprietary digital solution BVE3
Bureau Veritas – Your Trusted Partner for Social & Environmental Audit
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Our Commitment & Deep Knowledge in Sustainability
20+ Years Experience
We’ve been at the forefront of Social & Environmental Audit.
Founding Members of International CSR schemes such as APSCA, Sedex, amfori, SLCP and more. We help to shape industry standards and future policies.
Rank #1 out of 140 companies in the Profession Service Industry category for sustainability performance (Dow Jones Sustainability Indices 2023). We walk the walk. -
Unwavering Commitment to Superior Service Delivery and Solution Offerings
Dedicated Social & Environmental Auditors with in-depth experience and consistency for better assessments.
Approved Auditor for a Large Number of Schemes allows us to stay up to date in the sector. We can easily regrade any report to help clients benchmark and reduce audit fatigue.
Superior Operational & Technical Governance enables us to provide best-in-class service to our global clients and reduce suspension risk as schemes increase their governance.
Dedicated Program Managers for you to streamline communication and keep you informed throughout the audit process.
One-Stop Supply Chain & Sustainability Solution: we address the whole span of your needs from sustainability to supply chain management, through our cross-functional specialists' teams. -
Worldwide Reach, Global Consistency & Unmatched Integrity
Global Network & Local Insights: Auditors in key sourcing regions provide cultural understanding and reduce travel costs.
Top 2 Global Presence & Audit Volume* for efficient audits with minimal disruption.
*Social Audit
Your Requirements, Aligned Globally: Our unified teams provide consistent, scalable services worldwide to minimize risk and simplify communication for you. You can receive the same high level of support globally.
Independent Integrity Team for monitoring ethical conduct and objective audit reports. -
Leverage Data & Digital Tools For Excellence
Extensive Data & Industry Knowledge: We leverage our insights from accessing 200,000 factories annually to benchmark your performance.
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Our digital tool empowers your sustainability efforts and simplify your job:
BV OneSource:
Our digital platform assesses your supply chain's social maturity and identifies areas for improvement.
BV Clarity:
Our digital platform assesses your supply chain's social maturity and identifies areas for improvement
BV Academy:
Facilitate organization learning of Social Compliance with our self-paced online platform. Elevate knowledge of your team, and your supplier networks around topics of sustainability and supply chain management.
Contact Bureau Veritas today
to learn more about our environmental audit services and discuss how we can help your organization achieve its sustainability objectives.