New NAEM report highlights ideas that will shape EHS in 2016

February 23rd, 2016 by Dakota Software Staff Industry News

The EHS profession has seen significant growth in terms of both specific responsibilities and general scope in recent years. It's vital that EHS professionals can recognize - and dedicate the required time and effort toward - the most important developments in the industry and the changes that will shape the future of the field. A recent report developed by NAEM provides a qualitative look at the ideas it believes will shape the short-term future of EHS management, backed up by the informed opinions and analysis of EHS and sustainability leaders.

Here's a look at a few of the most important emerging practices seen in the report:

• Establishing business requirements for environmental, social and governance performance
  Developing standards and consequences related to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance will help businesses better address supply chain risks, improve product stewardship and develop positive relationships with suppliers. New programs, such as requiring suppliers to incorporate ESG criteria into executive compensation, help companies strengthen supplier requirements and institute meaningful consequences for non-compliance.
• Increasing focus on energy, water, and waste programs to minimize environmental impacts
  There's a broad consensus that businesses will increase their focus on resource use and consumption programs in the coming year. These plans can significantly reduce environmental impacts if implemented and followed correctly, but EHS managers must understand what makes such efforts successful. Many of the new goals being set involve a larger focus on conditions and results as opposed to numbers, such as commitments to specific levels of renewable energy utilization or water consumption.
• Evaluating supply chain relationships to reduce the risk of noncompliance
  In a broad sense, companies are taking on more direct responsibility when it comes to the supply chain. In terms of suppliers, organizations must have incentives for compliance with laws and company rules as well as penalties for non-compliance. Broader perspectives on the supply chain, like working with vendors to improve recycling and material recovery, are also a major consideration.
• Reporting strategies that balance stakeholder expectations with business needs
  While transparency is an enduring need in terms of stakeholder expectations, an emerging trend in the stakeholder engagement space is the filtering and assessing of informational requests. New types of reporting are also a topic of discussion, such as the use of more graphics and visual storytelling, shorter reports and questions about the need for annualized reporting.

Environmental, health, safety and sustainability leaders must recognize emerging trends for the potential increases in effectiveness and efficiency they hold. Dakota Software is a proud sponsor of NAEM's "Planning for a Sustainable Future" and encourages EHS and sustainability managers to download a complimentary copy of the report.

Download the Report