About Environmental Responsibility
The environmental responsibility pillar of a compliance program focuses on identifying and mitigating the impacts of a business’s operations and supply chain on both the built and natural environment. The primary requirements and best practices of this pillar are achievable through operational and sourcing objectives that promote human rights, worker health and safety, low-impact manufacturing, emissions reduction and the restricted use of hazardous substances or chemicals of high concern. Environmental considerations within a compliance program often take a backseat to product safety, quality and social responsibility requirements. With global regulatory enforcement historically limited in the environmental area compared to the other pillars, these considerations are often challenging to prioritize and implement.