Sustainability Practices for Information Technology

Sustainability Practices for Information Technology 1
Sustainability Program for Kingfisher Garden Center Inc.
Student
Course
Tutor
Institutional Affiliations
State
Date

Sustainability Practices for Information Technology 2
Policy scope
This policy applies to both current and prospective Kingfisher Garden Center staff
members at head office located in Fairfield, Victoria 3078 at Darebin City. The key stakeholders
that shall be responsible for this policy and procedures include the head office manager,
department managers, supervisors, team leaders and the organization’s employees.
The policy is focused on addressing the sustainability issues and challenges faced at the
Kingfisher Garden Center head office, the issues are related to what the organization customers
care about like healthy and toxic-free environment. These include the problems like air quality as
well as chemicals in food products, cosmetics and in home environment. The policy also address
the environmental issues including climate change, water and waste along with social issues
concerning health, safety and well-being of the organization customers (Farrelly, and Brown,
2011, pp.721-732).
It also meets responsibilities for compliance with the controls and procedures. Various
organization stakeholders must take the following key responsibilities. The head office manager
shall be responsible to ensure that all organization stakeholders comply with the sustainability
policies and procedures, they shall also monitor changes in this sustainability policy and help the
staff to keep up-to-date changes. Department managers are responsible for training as well as
supervising the organization’s employees to ensure the correct use of the organization’s
resources as documented in the policies and procedures of the organization.
Legislation mandating compliance is also observed in this document. The policy meets
legislative requirements of state as well as local government in Victoria cited in the Environment
protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. In doing so, this sustainability policy is in

Sustainability Practices for Information Technology 3
compliance with the legal requirements to protect environment and save resources for the benefit
of its customers.
The program takes into consideration the vision of Kingfisher. Together with the
organization’s vision, the program guides compliance and help in achievement of business
objectives of the agency to ensure that the organization customers have a beautiful garden space
and safety requirements as defined in Kingfisher Garden Center vision statement.
This program applies to the values of the organization which include working with the
nature and act in a sustainable and socially responsible manner. One of the core values of
Kingfisher agency is to stand behind health and safety to meet the needs of its current and
prospective customers.
Overview of the current situation at Kingfisher Garden Center head office and goals for
improvement
1. Waste
One of the main target of the Kingfisher Garden Center organization is to reduce waste
disposal. This is to be achieved through minimization of waste and waste recycling initiatives.
The improvements have been recorded but not much due to low rate of improvement in
proposition of wastes recycled within some operating organizations. However, according to
2017/2018 sustainability report, Kingfisher garden Center needs zero waste to land-fill as well as
90% wastes recycled by the year 2025. This shows the need for a robust sustainability policy in
order for the organization to achieve the target.
This issue can, however be mitigated by implementing a coordinated and comprehensive
reuse and recycling programs within various facilities and service districts. The use of products

Sustainability Practices for Information Technology 4
which require special waste handling should be eliminated whenever practicable. All hazardous,
biological or special waste can be handled according to the defined policies and procedures. The
hierarchy of reduce, recycle, reuse and compost should be followed before incineration and land
filling activities. It is the policy of the organization to establish a program in order to manage
solid wastes as shown (Yellishetty, Mudd, Ranjith, and Tharumarajah, 2011, pp.650-663): the
program should be aimed to reduce the solid waste amount in order to minimize the wastes from
environment. Another focus of the program should be to reuse the solid waste materials for its
original purposes, this is essential as it is in line with the goals of Kingfisher organization to have
a zero waste to landfill by the year 2020. Another critical thing that the program should give
priority is to dispose the solid wastes that cannot get recycled and reused through landfilling or
any other method that is allowed by DEQ, this method does not only eradicate harmful wastes
from environment but it also help in filling large caves left during mining activities (Yeheyis,
Hewage, Alam, Eskicioglu, and Sadiq, 2013, pp.81-91). Lastly, the program should focus on
recovery of energy from the solid wastes that cannot be recycled or reused given that the energy
recovery process is environment friendly, this strategy is essential in the sense that the it does not
only meet the objectives of Kingfisher but also benefits the society as a whole through the energy
generated from the waste materials (Yan, and Chen, 2015, pp.155; Yellishetty, Mudd, Ranjith,
and Tharumarajah, 2011, pp.650-663).
2. Energy
The data from six month examination of electricity bills demonstrate some financial
incentives to save energy. Kingfisher Garden center is developing a climate change strategy
including the target for greenhouse gas reduction. Various operating companies have also set
their own climate change target (Kern, and Howlett, 2009, pp.391). The Kingfisher corporate is