AENOR publishes a standard that helps companies communicate their environmental activity

The Asociación Española de Normalización y Certificación (Aenor) has published the standard UNE-ISO 14063 "Environmental management". Environmental communication. "Guidelines and examples", which provides organizations an orientation on the General principles, policy, strategy and activities of environmental communication which can develop both internally and externally. The standard can apply the any company, regardless of their size or activity, and does not require the subject of an environmental management system implementation.

According to the standard, organizations must apply the following principles to its environmental communication: transparency; adequacy - that the information is relevant for stakeholders using language and media that meet their needs-; credibility - to develop the information, which must be accurate and truthful, must use methods and reproducible - and recognized indicators; responsiveness - environmental communication has to be open to the needs of the parties concerned and should convey the treatment given to your questions and concerns-; and clarity. In establishing the communication strategy, the rule States that the Organization must establish objectives, identify stakeholders (employees, customers, suppliers, competition, shareholders, banks, insurance companies, neighbors, authorities, media, NGO's, etc.), and consider the resources that are available to develop the environmental communication. As for the different communication tools, the standard recognizes from print media (websites, environmental reports, brochures, newsletters, posters, advertisements, email, notes press, etc.) tools of verbal communication (meetings, personal interviews, "focus group", polls, open door sessions)(, lectures, theatrical performances, etc.), including cooperation projects or exhibitions.

In the section on planning of environmental communication, the standard recommends that organizations analyze the costs that may imply the absence of environmental communication. Also the standard highlights the importance of assessing the effectiveness of this activity to achieve improvement, and detect the need for changes in the environmental communication of the organization. Environmental communication allows a dialogue so that the parties concerned (employees, shareholders, suppliers, management, media, etc.) are aware of the commitments and the environmental activities of an organization. In addition, helps to increase awareness of environmentally responsible culture and can deal with concerns and complaints from interested parties on the dangers of the operations and environmental emergencies.