A road map to Sustainability Management System for accommodation establishments: Part II

Road map Diagrama para ISO 21401.002

How to implement a Sustainability Management System based on ISO 21401?

(continuing Part I)

  1. Operation control

This step is totally connect with step 2 (aspect and impacts) and step 6 (sustainability objectives). As consequence of aspect and impacts identified, specially which was classified as significant and to guarantee that sustainability objectives will be achieve as well is important to select and implement measures that would be eliminate or reduce those negative impacts. Those measures are called sustainable practices and needs be apply for impacts that will be controlled.

  1. Monitoring and measurement

Following implementation of operation control is necessary to know if that measures took are being effectives. So for that a process of monitoring and measurement shall be implement as a tool to assure that sustainable impacts are under control. Besides that this process will be helpfully to visualize if sustainability objectives are being achieves.

  1. Resources

Based on their needs and expectations, operation and management processes, including sustainability objectives, impacts identified, controls established the accommodation will use resources, such as, human, infrastructure, financial, etc. So it is important to assure availability of resources to implement and maintain a sustainability management system.

  1. Role, responsibilities and authority

Establish and ensure that the role, responsibilities and authority for implement and maintain an sustainability management system are assigned and communicated.

  1. Leadership

For an sustainability management system works the top management of accommodation establishment shall demonstrate leadership and commitment, which would be ensuring that sustainability policies and objectives are established and are compatible with the strategic direction or that resources needed for sustainability management system are available, for example.

(soon part III)

A roadmap to Sustainability Management System for accommodation establishments: Part I

Road map Diagrama para ISO 21401.002

How to implement a Sustainability Management System based on ISO 21401?

First of all it is important to say that a road map present here is not the only way to implement an Sustainability Management System, but this logical structure could be a path to align and transform sustainable practices to improvement competitiveness in your business.

  1. Context internal and external

Start with analysis of the context considering need and expectations of interested parties, identifying key factors related with Marketing, legal, technological, cultural, social, environmental and economic aspects. It is important to understand the context, including how these key factors and interested parties influence your business.

  1. Aspect and impacts

According the type, size and geographical location an accommodation establishment has many aspects to be considering in a Sustainable Management System and each aspect produce one or more impacts in the three dimensions of sustainability (environmental, social and economic). So it is fundamental to analysis the works processes, identifying aspects and evaluate his impacts, specially the significant impacts which it will be control.

  1. Risks and opportunities

Based on the two topics above is possible identifying and understand what are the risk and opportunities for the business. The Sustainable Management System should be able to minimizing risks and maximizing opportunities and help to achieve the business objectives.

  1. Scope

Establish the Scope and define the boundaries and applicability of the sustainability management system.

Note: Besides the first four topics above has been organized in a logical sequence it is useful to understand that all issues are connect.

  1. Policy

A policy for sustainability management system is a kind of declaration made by the top management and needs to be appropriate to the purpose of accommodation establishment and provide a framework for setting sustainability objectives.

  1. Sustainability objectives

Considering all topics bellow now it is time to define objectives which shall be used to become the business more sustainable. Whenever it is possible the objectives should be measurable and it shall be establish plan about how the objectives will be achieve, including activities, responsibilities, resources and deadlines.

(soon part II)