Explanation
The environmental aspect is the cause, the environmental impact the consequence. The diesel use of your fleet is an aspect, the emissions and the contribution to climate change are the impact. You identify aspects for all your activities, locations and processes, including situations such as malfunctions and emergencies.
Next you determine which aspects are significant: those are the aspects you take action on. Criteria include the size of the impact, the severity, the frequency, legal requirements and the concerns of interested parties. You choose a clear method yourself and record the result, often in a register.
You look at aspects you control directly, such as your own waste, and at aspects you can influence but that are not entirely yours, such as transport by suppliers. The register is the basis for environmental objectives and measures. It differs from the CO2 footprint, which expresses one aspect, emissions, in figures.
Example from practice
A painting company identifies its use of solvent-based paint, the waste of leftover paint and the fuel use of its vans. The assessment marks the paint and the leftover waste as significant, so objectives and measures are set for those.
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