ENDS environmental consultancy work area definitions
Air
pollution/quality
- Definition:
- Consultancy relating to the assessment, monitoring, modelling, mitigation and improvement of air quality, pollution and emissions
- Major service functions and advice on:
- Air pollution forecasting, air quality monitoring networks, baseline air quality assessments, best available technique (BAT) assessments, compliance audits, dispersion modelling, emissions inventories/control/mitigation strategies, EIA support, expert witness, health risk assessment, incident investigation, local air quality management, permitting support (under the EPA part B industrial processes, IPPC, LAPC), process consultancy, odour/dust impact assessment, stack emissions monitoring
Product
stewardship
- Definition:
- Product consultancy encompassing the design, sourcing composition, manufacture, packaging, labelling, promotion and disposal of products in order to reduce environmental impacts from cradle to grave
- Major service functions and advice on
- Chemical assessment, compliance, eco-design, eco-labelling, ecotoxicological risk assessment, energy efficiency, fair trade principles, environmental impact minimisation, legislation guidance, life-cycle assessment, market research, performance testing and reliability, producer responsibility, end-of-life management, carbon foot-printing, replacement materials, supply chain audits and management, sustainable product design, waste disposal/minimisation/recycling
Contaminated
land
- Definition:
- The assessment and determination of (potentially) contaminated soil or groundwater, as well as design, supervision and validation of remediation measures, whether directed towards redevelopment objectives in the case of brownfield sites or for the purposes of environmental protection, due diligence or property portfolio liability assessment
- Major service functions and advice on:
- Risk assessment, phase I environmental assessment and audit (desk & walkover studies), phase II intrusive soil / groundwater / geotechnical investigations, decommissioning, hydrogeological evaluations and modelling, incident investigations, expert witness and litigation support, liaison with authorities, IPPC site condition assessments and reports, pre-acquisition surveys, remedial design / strategy / monitoring, nuclear site management
Corporate environmental strategy/CSR
- Definition:
- The provision of consultancy services in environmental and social management, compliance, performance, policy and communications in relation to impacts on sustainable business practice, financial performance and market positioning
- Major service functions and advice on:
- Action plans, best practice benchmarking, brand management, corporate environmental / sustainability reporting, corporate social responsibility (CSR), communications / investor relations, compliance management, green procurement, environmental economics (incl. cost-benefit analysis), environment as a competitive advantage, key performance indicators, market research, policy formulation and implementation, purchasing policy, regulatory reviews, report verification, social impact assessment, stakeholder relations, supply chain management, strategic positioning, sustainability appraisal/strategy, sustainable development, training
Due diligence/auditing
- Definition:
- An environmental audit is the systematic examination of the interactions between an operation and its surroundings, involving the identification of environmental impacts and quantification of impacts. It may also provide a means of monitoring a company’s performance against a previously agreed policy or statutory standards. An environmental due diligence audit may be carried out for the purposes of completing a corporate acquisition/merger or property transfer, providing an opportunity to identify and evaluate environmental risks that could have a material impact on the business transaction
- Major service functions and advice on:
- Audit protocols, audit reporting, environmental asset / liability assessments, environmental audit software, desk studies, legislation inventories, site assessments, site monitoring plans, training, transaction support
- Other types of audit:
- Include benchmarking, compliance, divestiture, duty of care, EMS, health, safety & environmental (HSE), pre-acquisition, process/operational, risk management, single issue (e.g. energy, greenhouse gas, waste, water, emissions), site, supplier
Ecological/land management
- Definition:
- The environmental monitoring, management and restoration of landscapes and habitats, as well as the flora and fauna they support
- Major service functions and advice on:
- Baseline surveys, biodiversity action plans, compliance, consultation with conservation / regulatory bodies, ecological impact assessment / mapping / surveying, expert witness, fisheries / forestry management, GIS, habitat creation / restoration / management, integrated land management plans, land use surveys/management, landscape planning and design, nature conservation management plans, visual appraisals
Environmental impact assessment/SEA
- Definition:
- EIA is a tool used to predict environmental impacts at an early stage in the planning and design of a new development, as well as to find ways of reducing adverse impacts, shape projects to suit the local environment and present predictions and options to decision-makers. SEA considers the impacts and sustainability of plans, policies and programmes.
- Major service functions and advice on:
- Preliminary scoping and screening to decide if an EIA or environmental statement (ES) is required, feasibility studies, project co-ordination, baseline surveys, impact assessment (incl. air/water/soil quality, archeological, biological, ecological, geotechnical, hydrogeological, landscape, noise and vibration, odour, visual, wildlife), identification and evaluation of mitigation measures, public / statutory consultations and expert witness, preparation/review of ES, planning consents, social impact assessment, health impact assessment, sustainability appraisals/statements, strategic environmental assessment (SEA), post-operational monitoring and audits
Environmental management systems (EMS)
- Definition:
- EMSs are a tool to improve environmental performance by providing a systematic means of managing an organisation’s environmental affairs and gives order and consistency in addressing environmental concerns through the allocation of resources, assignment of responsibility and ongoing evaluation of practices, procedures and processes. There are two main certifiable EMS standards in the UK to which organisations may voluntarily choose to adhere – ISO 14001 and EMAS
- Major service functions and advice on:
- Assurance/verification, benchmarking and performance indicators, preparatory review, EMS policy formulation, development programmes, key performance indicators, infomration systems, objectives and targets, operational records and control, audits, reviews, supply chain evaluation, sustainable development management, training
Industrial processes/Hazard management
- Definition:
- The provision of technical solutions, specialist services and risk assessment to improve environmental performance, manage potential site hazards and minimise environmental impacts – primarily to the energy, oil and chemical, process and manufacturing industries.
- Major service functions:
- Industrial processes – best available technique (BAT), best practicable environmental option (BPEO), clean process development, compliance and permitting support (under the EPA part B industrial processes, IPPC, LAPC), design and engineering, emissions / discharge assessments, gap analysis, plant planning and feasibility analysis, post application monitoring and support, operation and maintenance, project management and construction supervision, raw material consumption
- Hazard/risk management – asbestos surveys/management, COMAH safety reports, corporate risk assessment, chemical portfolio risk analysis, crisis management and emergency planning, dispersion modelling, ecotoxicological risk assessment, environmental risk mapping/management/perception/evaluation, fault and event tree anlaysis, hazard analysis (HAZAN) studies, hazard and operability (HAZOP) studies, health risk assessment, HSE management legislation guidance, litigation support, quantitative/qualitiative risk assessment, risk modelling, sensitivity mapping
Noise/vibration
- Definition:
- The assessment and modelling of environmental noise and/or vibration problems, and recommendation of mitigation solutions
- Major service functions and advice on:
- Baseline site surveys (including for PPC permitting), legislation compliance, environmental noise and vibration monitoring and impact assessment, modelling and prediction, design and specification of abatement measures, expert witness
Sustainable energy/climate change
- Definition:
- Strategic advice, analysis and technical support on all aspects of climate change risk and policy, greenhouse gas management and trading opportunities, energy management and sustainable (clean) energy developments
- Major service functions and advice on:
- Assessment / design of carbon reduction projects, carbon due diligence, carbon foot-printing, carbon market modelling, climate change / energy policy development, CO2 allowance tracking and emissions trading strategies, plant design, planning, consents & permitting, emissions trading simulation, energy efficiency audits / strategy/planning, GHG risk assessment / abatement / data management / reporting, process consultancy; project feasibility, regulatory impact assessment, clean energy/renewables/energy from waste (EfW) technology evaluation
Waste management & recycling
- Definition:
- The provision of advice relating to the environmental aspects of waste collection, treatment, disposal, recycling and service procurement, as well as waste site development, planning, design, licensing and monitoring
- Major service functions and advice on:
- Best practicable environmental option (BPEO) & best value assessments, compliance, consents and licensing (including PPC permitting), disposal / treatment / recovery / recycling plans, energy recovery (EfW), feasibility studies, incineration, hazardous waste management, landfill (design, monitoring and remediation), legislation guidance, site selection / investigation / restoration, waste audits, waste minimisation, waste policy and strategy
Water & wastewater
- Definition:
- Investigation, design, modelling and management of water resources to minimise the effect on the environment (excluding stand-alone network management and process design / engineering work)
- Major service functions:
- Abstraction consents and licensing; best practicable environmental option (BPEO), catchment management, compliance, demand and supply forecasting, discharge monitoring / management, ecological assessment, effluent treatment, expert witness, impact assessment, incident investigation, hydrogeological studies, modelling, monitoring, pollution control, plant design, planning, consents and development, quality analysis and toxicity testing, pollution mitigation / remediation, riverine & coastal defence design / engineering, process consultancy; water audits and efficiency programmes, wetlands restoration
Other consultancy
- Definition:
- Other environmental consultancy service areas and technical disciplines which do not fit under any of the headings above.
Other environmental services/suppliers
The Suppliers listing includes companies offering other types of environmental goods and services which may fall under the general headings above, with the addition of the following areas:
Insurance
- Definition:
- The transfer of risk for, or protection against, known and potential environmental liabilities through the placing of insurance policies
- Major service functions:
- Contractors’ pollution liability, commercial land insurance, environmental liability policies, first-party pollution polices, homeowners’ environmental insurance, homeowner contaminated land policies, lender liability policies, liability transfer products, property transfer policies, remediation cost cap policies, post-remediation policies, professional indemnity cover, risk financing products, warranties and indemnities
Legal
- Definition:
- Specialist legal advice pertaining to environmental issues impacting on business, the Government and the general public
- Major service functions:
- Brownfield development, climate change and emissions trading, contaminated land/remediation, contingent liability issues, corporate social responsibility, environmental due diligence and compliance during M&As, property transactions and other deals, environmental dispute resolution, environmental impact assessment, environmental insurance, environmental financing, environmental management and auditing systems, environmental litigation, environmental regulations, hazard and accident management, health, safety and environment, human rights and the environment, judicial reviews, nature conservation/protection, pollution prevention & control/industrial permitting, producer responsibility, regulatory compliance/licensing/prosecutions, risk analysis, renewable energy/clean energy, waste management/recycling