Factoring in environmental health issues facing businesses

Paris, 20 March 2020: The globalization of the economy and the mass distribution of consumer goods have had the effect of lengthening value chains, making product traceability and knowledge of the composition and impacts of each component and substance both difficult and essential.

Eighteen member companies of Entreprises pour l’Environnement (EpE) wished to share in this publication their methods, practices and solutions for managing environmental health issues. Experts clarified the discussions and sharing of best practices.

The first section of this publication puts in perspective the factors that encourage businesses to integrate environmental health issues into their strategy and throughout the lifecycle of their products and services. It will explain in detail

• The increasing societal expectations on the emerging issues of water, air and soil pollution facing businesses.
• The risks of a crisis and a disruption in production to be anticipated.
• The potential opportunities associated with a proactive approach. Some EpE member companies systematically integrate health and environmental risks as soon as they establish their research directions and especially explore innovations that promote health.
• Finally, anticipation and evolution of the law in a complicated legal framework due to the interdisciplinarity of the topic.

 The second section describes three types of methods and management tools regarding environmental health risk

• The first actions to address these issues are tools for analysing and measuring risks to be prioritised in environmental health.
• Employees awareness is another tool of risk management. It involves embedding health and the environment into corporate values and adopting risk reduction tools beyond what is required by regulations.
• Finally, external communication through existing and non-existing tools is one of the keys to restore trust between health actors and to develop collective solutions.

EpE is the French partner partner of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s (WBCSD) Global Network, an alliance of more than 60 CEO-led business organizations worldwide. The Network, encompassing some 5,000 companies, is united by a shared commitment to provide business leadership for sustainable development in their respective countries and regions.

More information

Sylvie Gillet
Head of Biodiversity & Environmental Health
EpE