MSS015018A
Inform and educate organisation and community representatives on sustainability issues

This unit of competency covers explaining and providing advice on sustainability issues and processes to organisation and community representatives, including employees, managers, clients, suppliers and the local and wider community.

Application

This unit applies inside organisations and their value chains (e.g. supplier of goods or services or customer) and applies to individuals who must inform and educate representatives of their own organisation, members of their organisation’s value chain and community representatives on sustainability issues.

The unit has been developed with manufacturing operations as a focus. However, because of the range of organisations in a typical manufacturing value chain it may also be applied to other types of organisations.

Advice provided would be of a general nature and would not cover detailed technical interpretation of test results or specialist financial, engineering or legal advice.

It would typically be undertaken by a manager or technical specialist who had a major responsibility for sustainability as part of a broader work role, or sustainability may be their primary work responsibility. The manager or technical specialist may undertake this alone or as part of a team.

The technical measurement of operational performance or measurement of emissions or other environmental impact is not covered by this unit.


Prerequisites

Not applicable.


Elements and Performance Criteria

1

Determine sustainability information or advice requirements

1.1

Determine need for sustainability information dissemination

1.2

Assess type and level of information required to be communicated

1.3

Determine if information release is covered by special provisions

1.4

Determine timing and distribution requirements for communication of information

2

Provide sustainability related information

2.1

Acquire or produce required information in an appropriate format

2.2

Ensure documentation is accurate and information sources are suitable for ongoing reference

2.3

Ensure information covers options for improving sustainability

2.4

Provide relevant information through meetings or use of appropriate media

2.5

Provide an opportunity for representatives to confirm understanding and seek clarification

3

Provide clarification on sustainability issues

3.1

Determine if assistance/advice is required from a specialist

3.2

Undertake an inspection of site or equipment to clarify concern or issue if required

3.3

Assist organisation or community representatives to interpret sustainability information

3.4

Assist representatives to develop and implement sustainability improvement strategies

Required Skills

Required knowledge includes:

basic sustainability principles

value chain concepts

significant sustainability issues, including climate change, carbon pollution, waste generation and control

principles of energy and water conservation

precautionary principle

sustainability and environmental legal context

principles of biological and ecological diversity

methods of interpreting and presenting data

sources of relevant data and information in own organisation and from public sources

AS/NZS ISO 14000 Environmental Management Standards

Required skills include:

explaining sustainability concepts and processes, including implications for individuals, organisations and the local and wider community

adjusting information detail and content for needs of individuals and audiences with different degrees of prior knowledge of sustainability

liaising with technical and professional experts

analysing reports and other information for sustainability implications

relating sustainability and environmental concepts to specific locations, processes, logistics, material usages and products within a manufacturing value chain

analysing the regulatory environment as it applies to an organisation, site or process and determining implications for communication of sustainability related information

communicating and negotiating to identify key sustainability issues and options

Evidence Required

Overview of assessment

A person who demonstrates competency in this unit must be able to explain and present sustainability related information to a range of internal and external individuals, including representatives of the community, suppliers, customers and other organisations.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

Assessors must be satisfied that the candidate can competently and consistently apply the skills covered in this unit of competency in new and different situations and contexts. Critical aspects of assessment and evidence include:

conducting consultations with stakeholders who need sustainability information

matching sustainability information need with commercial and regulatory requirements

presenting information at different levels of complexity and in different formats

analysing documentation for sustainability implications and information.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

This unit of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or a simulated workplace environment.

Assessment should emphasise a workplace context and procedures found in the candidate’s workplace.

This unit of competency may be assessed with other relevant units addressing sustainability at the enterprise level or other units requiring the exercise of the skills and knowledge covered by this unit.

The competencies covered by this unit would be demonstrated by an individual working alone or as part of a team.

Method of assessment

In all cases, practical assessment should be supported by questions to assess underpinning knowledge and those aspects of competency which are difficult to assess directly.

Where applicable, reasonable adjustment must be made to work environments and training situations to accommodate ethnicity, age, gender, demographics and disability.

The language, literacy and numeracy demands of assessment should not be greater than those required to undertake the unit of competency in a work-like environment.

Guidance information for assessment


Range Statement

Organisation and community representatives

Organisation and community representatives may include:

employees and managers in own organisation

suppliers

customers

other members of a value chain, including:

logistics suppliers

professional support services, including legal, financial and engineering

contractors

training providers

local, regional and national community representatives

Need for sustainability information dissemination

The need for sustainability information dissemination may be determined by means such as:

discussions with organisation representatives

discussions with community representatives

examination of current and past requests for information

Information covered by special provisions

Information covered by special provisions may include:

information required to be released under Acts or regulations

information required under supplier or customer contracts

industry codes, covenants and standards

commercial in confidence information

information requiring special clearances before release

Sustainability related information and concepts

Sustainability related information and concepts may include:

definitions of sustainable development

sustainability related philosophical concepts, including:

precautionary principle

intra- and inter-generational equity

inter-regional and inter-country equity

air, water and soil contamination

energy use and conservation

climate change, including greenhouse gases

overpopulation relative to food supply

effects of uneven population distribution

distinction between renewable and non-renewable resources

resource footprint

consumption of resources, including:

reasons for use in the value chain

rate of use

impact on environment and ecology at both local and global level

alternative resources

efficiency of extraction and use of resources

concepts of carbon accounting and carbon equivalence in resource consumption

generation and disposal of solid and liquid waste

conservation of biological and ecological diversity

community and government expectations on use of technology

environmental and sustainability related legislation and regulations,

inclusion of sustainability and environmental values in cost structures

general sustainability issues


Sectors

Sustainability


Employability Skills

This unit contains employability skills


Licensing Information

Not applicable.