Environmental Performance Measurement as an Instrument for Sustainable Management
Table of contents
Conception, operationalisation and multiplication of a controlling instrument for the environmental performance measurement as a basis for a publicly available specification (EPM-KOMPAS)
Upon completion of the 3 ½-year research project EPM-KOMPAS, the result of this project - the EPM-KOMPAS software for environmental performance measurement - was presented to all participants of the conference "Performance and Success: Environmental Management in Small and Medium-sized Companies" on 14th May 2004 at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) Dresden.
(For information about purchasing the software EPM-KOMPAS for free please visit our parallel german website.)
The conference, which was supported by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) Dresden and Umweltallianz Saxony, was a great success with 70 participants (including 40 participants from companies). These numbers prove the large interest in this topic, especially from small and medium-sized companies.
Pictures were taken by Mr. Jürgen von Oheimb.
(Please find more pictures from the conference under the section [Highlights].)
"EPM-KOMPAS was designed and developed especially in regards to small and medium-sized companies.
It is a very good instrument that now has a successful start with its presentation at this conference."
(Dr. Gläser, Saxony State Ministry for Environment and Agriculture)
The EPM-KOMPAS software, which was developed in co-operation with a group of Saxon industrial partners, is based on the idea of an integration of environmental and risk management. Therefore, it can be used as a starting point or for the further development of an existing environmental management.
The developed EPM-KOMPAS software is usable within selectable system boundaries (e.g. process, site, product etc.) and supports companies in their handling of hazardous material and waste, in establishing corporate material and energy balances, in determination of environmental objectives, in assessing environmental measures, and in reporting to the authorities. Apart from the typical material analysis, a "silent moderator" who leads through the software, the KOMPAS-assessment method by Guenther/Kaulich, and the instrument ecological breakdown are implemented in the EPM-KOMPAS software.
"You can’t go wrong with the EPM-KOMPAS software!"
(Mr. Neubert, General Manager Metallgießerei Chemnitz GmbH)
In the conference's afternoon workshop, the participants had the opportunity to see for themselves the advantages and functions of the EPM-KOMPAS software through a case study. The feedback was very positive!
"The conference and the combination of economy and ecology within the EPM-KOMPAS instrument have impressed me very much!"
(Mr. Schulte, General Manager HJS Fahrzeugtechnik GmbH)
The conference drew a successful ending to the BMBF research project EPM-KOMPAS and can be seen at the same time as a starting point for the implementation of the free EPM-KOMPAS software in many companies.
(For information about purchasing the software EPM-KOMPAS for free please visit our parallel German website)
The target of the research project was the development of a management instrument to control environmental performance measurement (EPM) and its implementation into practice.
An overview about project aims and the conceptual basis is given on the first poster [Poster] of the project. The second poster [Poster] includes connections within the project, especially cooperation partners, methods, and first results. The third poster [Poster] of the project, which was presented at the conference of INA-Netzwerk, shows potentials of EPM software tool..
This project was based on the completed project "Measuring company internal environmental performance", in which the EPM model was elaborated on following general proceedings in existing approaches to environmental performance measurement (e.g. DIN ISO 14031, EMAS II). The development of this already empirically validated instrument focussed on practice and was introduced in practical situations in collaboration with companies of the mechanical engineering industry. The environmental performance measurement of these particular companies focussed on
- identification of performance drivers of environmental performance and
- linking of ecology-oriented controlling with existing corporate economic concepts.
The controlling of environmental performance needs a disaggregation into single success factors (keyword: principle of ecological breakdown). Only in this way can performance drivers be identified and effectively influenced by decision makers in the future. The measurement of environmental performance includes ecological success as well as economic-ecological and social-ecological success.
Further aims were
- the development of a benchmarking for environmental performance within the mechanical engineering sector. The improvement process of a company's environmental performance can be supported by comparison with the "best of the best" (benchmarking).
- the development of a software tool supporting the decision process in order to better implement environmental performance measurements in business practices.
Based on these results of the research project, a Publicly Available Specification (PAS) concerning environmental performance measurement was developed in collaboration with the German Institute for Standardisation (DIN) to offer publicly available results which are applicable independent from the sector of a company. Besides creating a PAS, we had a close collaboration and multiplication with the group of utilisers within the EPM-KOMPAS project even during the instrument development stage.
This research project was one of 19 projects within the BMBF-funding priority "Corporate Instruments for sustainable Management" (Ina), which comprised of an information and communication network throughout the support process.
The final report of the research project "EPM-KOMPAS" (only in German) is available at TIB Hannover.
Leadership
Researchers
Dipl.-Kffr. Susann Kaulich,
Dipl.-Inf. Claudia Heidsieck, Chair of Business Informatics, esp. Information Systems in Industry and Trade [Lehrstuhl für Wirtschaftsinformatik, insb. in Industrie und Handel]
Cooperation
- Chair of Business Informatics, esp. Information Systems in Industry and Trade [Lehrstuhl für Wirtschaftsinformatik, insb. in Industrie und Handel]
- Institut of Production Engineering [Institut für Produktionstechnik]
- Companies of the mechanical engineering industry
- Utilizers within associations
Term
01/2001 - 06/2004
Financing
Federal Ministry of Education and Research
Publications, Presentations and Press Review
For information about publications, presentations and press review please visit our parallel German website.