Selecting Environmental Performance Indicators : The Case of Numico

In order to achieve both efficient and reliable external communication adapted to the company's specific conditions, it is desirable to establish a clear relation between the environmental performance indicators (EPIs) used internally for environmental management and the EPIs used externally for public reporting. This paper first analyses the relevance of existing tools in selecting corporate EPIs such as schemes and guidelines for environmental reporting and the ISO 14031 standard. A model for diagnosing environmental strategic management is needed to guide the selection of internal and external EPIs. In our study, an analytic model was developed by linking a three-stage model of corporate strategy with different sets of EPIs presented in the literature. The model was used to assess corporate strategy and internal and potential external uses of EPIs. This paper is based on a research project with Numico, a multinational company specialised in nutritional products, whose corporate environmental policy and strategy was not yet fully developed. The model is successfully tested at Numico and it was concluded that a process-oriented corporate strategy focusing on eco-efficiency would be a feasible option. A set of EPIs for external reporting was proposed, accordingly, based on the EPIs already used within the company. Additional potential starting points for further development of the corporate strategy were identified.