Several different metrics are employed by organizations to keep track of their progress towards achieving sustainability goals. These performance indicators typically show up in annual sustainability reports or on the sustainability sections of corporate websites. Executives and environmental managers usually have access to these KPIs on the dashboards of
Environmental Mangement Systems and/or
Safety Management Systems. Here is a brief survey of some of the most popular indicators.
SAFETY
Cost of solved safety non-conformances
Health and safety prevention costs
Lost time (in hours) due to accidents (including fatalities)
Lost time (in h ours) due to non-fatal accidents
Number of fatalities
Number of non-conformance with legal or internal standards in safety inspections
Number of solved safety non-conformances
Number of reportable accidents(including fatalities)
Number of reportable non-fatal accidents
Percentage of corrective actions closed out within specified time-frame
Total of hours in safety and health training
ENERGY USE
Total Energy Use (Joules or Million kWh)
WATER USE
Water Use (million L)
AIR EMISSIONS
Carbon Dioxide (million kg)
Ozone Depleting Substance Releases (Kg)
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) (Kg)
Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) (Kg)
Permitted Air Emissions (million kg)
WASTE
Hazardous Waste Generation (million kg)
Hazardous Waste Disposal (million kg)
Hazardous Waste Recycled (million kg)
SOLID WASTE
Solid Waste Generation (million kg)
Solid Waste Disposal (million kg)
Solid Waste Recycled (million kg)
WATER DISCHARGES
Wastewater Discharge (million L)
Wastewater Discharge (million L/billion $)
