Businesses share their audit tool experiences
- Categories:
- Case studies
We’re very fortunate to be working with a range of businesses to pilot our auditing tool as part of the SSC Certification. The process involves having discussions with each participant to holistically evaluate their business practices and sustainability across the four capitals of the Living Standards Framework.
Based on these discussions and participant feedback, we’re revising the tool and will continuously update and edit it tool to offer the best support. Here are what some of our pilot participants had to say about the auditing process:
Campbell Batts, Spiraweld
“I found it a very useful exercise. It highlighted areas where we can target effort and resource to achieve wins and the SSC people involved will provide contacts and resources to help you get things done.
“Also, it isn’t a highly technical exercise and it’s not all about climate change, it is a broad look at factors affecting your staff team and incorporates the fundamentals of running a business, for example, there is no sustainability without long term profitability.”
John Johnson and Paul Gapper, Stainless Products
“As members of the NZ Stainless Steel Development Association, our company was eligible for a Sustainable Steel audit with Nick and Hannah. Being a small private company specialising in Stainless Steel, there was cautious interest in being involved, with a suspicion that this exercise would be targeted rather at larger corporate members. And some of the question and answer options did in fact not relate to our style of business. But this became a shared journey with them as we discussed questions and answers that benefited both parties.
The audit process revealed that much of our business practice provides a sound basis for development of sustainable goals, but currently this is often part of our company culture rather than being formal written procedures. And Nick and Hannah were able to consider alternative wording and options in order to broaden the applicability of their audit. So a win-win interaction that benefited both parties, and left us with some clearer goals for our path to improved sustainability. An update in 12 months will be most interesting!”
Matthew Kidson, Kernohan Engineering
“An interesting process that generated fresh perspectives on the business’ environmental impacts. It throws a lot of light on opportunities for improvement.”
David Moore, Grayson Engineering
“The evaluation process was easy and we found that we as a business are already close to fulfilling all of the requirements.”
Scott Johnstone, John Jones Steel
‘We found the accreditation process to be thorough without being time consuming and it also made us realise that although we have processes in place for sustainability within our company, we need to improve more in written policies and procedures. We would highly recommend that other fabricators go through the accreditation process.”