Microtraining for sustainability

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As a result of increased political pressure and social interests, more and more organizations focus on sustainability. To achieve sustainability within the organization, expertise needs to be shared, knowledge has to be increased and fitting solutions have to be found. Technology and innovation play a very important role in the approach to sustainability.

Microtraining contributes to three important conditions for a successful change towards sustainability:

Involve employees in sustainability
Collaboration between colleagues and departments
Using the organization’s learning potential

Involve employees in sustainability

Activities in favour of sustainability, the environment and safety can be carried out by anyone within the organisation. This will increase the commitment of the employees.

Collaboration between colleagues and departments

Small improvements in sustainability are realized at department level. To realize broader changes, the various departments need to work together.

Using the organization’s learning potential

The organization’s learning potential is determined by the extent to which potential improvements regarding sustainability can be utilized. Exchanging the employees’ knowledge and experiences and acquiring and applying new knowledge are a vital condition in this respect.

See below a list of possible sustainability topics:

Concepts regarding sustainability and sustainable development.
Why sustainability is needed in companies?
Change, innovation and technology for sustainable development.
Environmental management as a tool for continuous improvement.
Responsible use of resources (water, energy, etc.).
Resource management (water, energy, etc.).
Waste management (waste segregation).
Process management: maintenance operation, laboratory operations, office operations, etc.
Work ethics (workplace, human resources, risks, etc.).
Incorporating pollution control into the quality management system.
Tools and methods to involve employees into the environmental management process (health and safety, environmental values, etc.).
Strategic planning for (short-term and long-term) environmental management.
Environmental key performance indexes.
Communication strategies for sustainability (internal, external, broadcasting, etc.).
Certification of Environmental Management Systems (ISO 14000, EMAS, etc.).
Environmental regulations.
Efficient and sustainable production
Green accountability and finances (social investment, externalization, etc.).
Pollution prevention (recycling, reuse, treatment, disposal, etc.).
Efficient energy consumption (raw materials, transformation, transport, etc.).
Tools and methods to analyse and reduce environmental impact (Life Cycle Analysis).
Methods for waste segregation (Waste Disposal, Waste Recycling, Water Quality )
Use of clean technologies.

Experiences with Microtraining for sustainability

Director: “Our people are responsible for their own work. The latest developments in the area of sustainability and safety are important to them. Microtraining is a way of discussing those developments. Ultimately, sustainability can be translated into money. It has to do with financial stimuli and our competitive position. Microtraining helps us achieve our company objectives.”

Operator: “Microtraining allows us to identify sustainability-related problems. Microtraining ensures that we always keep sustainability in mind.”

Head R&D: “We think is important also to involve the production department in the development process. Our people have little time. Because Microtraining takes up little time, it is a solution for us.”

Project leader: “Now that our sustainability project has been completed, the process has stopped, while it actually ought to get started now. We have gained a lot of knowledge, but there are still many obstacles when it comes to implementing changes. That is why we are getting started with Microtraining on sustainability.”

HR manager: “You learn about sustainability by trying something new every time. Microtraining provides a structure for people to learn from each other’s experiences. Microtraining allows us to share knowledge about new sustainable technologies, which enables our staff to discuss those technologies with customers.”

Consultant: “We see that organisations can do much more to work in a more sustainable and safe way. During the Microtraining sessions, good examples from other organizations can be brought to people’s attention.”

Environmental manager: “Our factory produces no toxic substances and the process is as energy-efficient as possible. However, during the Microtraining sessions, it becomes clear that we can still learn a lot from each other about working in a more sustainable manner.”