Facilities Manager's Desk Reference, 3rd Edition

39Sustainability and Environmental Issues

39.1 Introduction

Sustainability and environmental issues are a major concern for all organisations. Sustainability is a wider concept than just environmental management – it includes social and economic factors too. Sustainability is closed linked to corporate social responsibility (CSR), as organisations are striving to demonstrate good performance against sustainability benchmarks. The challenge is how to increase the standards of living of the world’s population without depleting the earth’s finite resources and damaging planetary ecosystems.

FMs (facilities managers, or facilities management) often manage fuel and power, the safe use of hazardous substances or chemicals, and the safe disposal of waste. Commercial buildings often incorporate potentially dangerous substances such as lead pipes, asbestos, silica insulation and lead‐based paints. The built environment has a major impact on the planet. Facilities services, such as cleaning and catering, also present potential environmental hazards to staff, customers and the general public if not managed and maintained appropriately. Facilities departments often employ large numbers of staff either directly or indirectly in low‐skilled or manual activities, with low wages. Most FM departments will procure many different resources and materials, either directly or indirectly via their specialist providers. FMs’ influence on CSR and sustainability is therefore quite significant. Many ...