Table of Contents
Permits
- Can several production units use the same business license from the parent company if they do not have their own?
- Will a facility receive a zero in the FEM if the facility is getting wastewater treated by an offsite ETP that is unwilling to share test reports/permits?
- What does an Integrated environmental permit refer to? How do I respond to the individual permit requirements if I have an Integrated Environmental permit?
- When filling out the FEM assessment, how should I indicate the renewal of my environmental permits is currently in progress?
- If my government permit expired and it is no longer being issued, how should I indicate this on the FEM assessment?
Platform
- What will happen if I answer no to “Are you abstracting within the legal limit?”
- How do we track energy, waste, and water consumption for multiple facility processes?
- What unit of measurement should I select for my facility type?
- How do I input energy values in the platform if facility operations include multiple facility types but our invoice only provides a single combined value for the entire factory?
Can several production units use the same business license from the parent company if they do not have their own?
Yes, if the multiple production units are included in the scope of the parent company within the registration of the business license, then they have a valid business license.
Please include the name or location of each of the production units as an addendum or supporting document so that it is clear to the verifier that the license is valid for this facility.
On the other hand, if the production units are physically separated by location, each of those units will have to complete a separate Higg FEM module due to the separate business licenses.
Will a facility receive a zero in the FEM if the facility is getting wastewater treated by an offsite ETP that is unwilling to share test reports/permits?
No, facilities will only receive a zero FEM score if they do not have required operating licenses or permits.
As long as the facility has a permit or agreement to dispose of wastewater to an external party, or the facility is not required to obtain a permit for Wastewater disposal as per the legal regulations of the facility’s country, it will not get a zero score for not having the disposal permit or disposal test reports from the offsite ETP.
However, it is recommended that the facility move to an offsite ETP that is willing to provide this documentation so that it can obtain higher scores in the Wastewater section.
What does an Integrated environmental permit refer to? How do I respond to the individual permit requirements if I have an Integrated Environmental permit?
In some countries, a single permit covers multiple areas (water, waste, etc.) this is referred to as the Integrated Environmental permit, a permit that covers more than one area of environmental concern within its scope.
You can respond to individual permit requirements by either:
- Indicate "no" for each distinct environmental area.
- Respond "yes" and input the same license reference for each.
When filling out the FEM assessment, how should I indicate the renewal of my environmental permits is currently in progress?
You can select that your permit is currently invalid but that the renewal process is in progress. Before attending the verification process, ensure that you have obtained the renewed permit/license from the previous year. This means that you should have the physical or digital copy in hand to avoid a zero score.
In such cases, the facility must keep all the communication with the authority on record and be able to demonstrate it is under renewal with the authority without a need for further action from the facility as required by the authority. If the facility can provide these supporting documents, FEM will not be scored 0.
A facility will score 0 in the entire FEM if they don't have a legal required environmental permit at all.
If my government permit expired and it is no longer being issued, how should I indicate this on the FEM assessment?
We recommend requesting a confirmation letter from your government authority as proof that the government permit is no longer issued and keep it as supporting documentation. If you have this supporting evidence, you can select the response "no permit required" within the assessment.
What will happen if I answer no to “Are you abstracting within the legal limit?”
Answering "No", to this question will result in the facility losing points for the Level 1 sub question, but it will not result in the entire module being scored zero. This is because the facility has (or should have) a valid permit, which is a requirement in the Site Info and Permit section for Environmental Permits.
Since this is a Level 1 question, you will not be able to advance to Level 2 or 3 in the water section, if you do not answer Yes to this sub question. However, facilities can still opt to answer Level 2 and Level 3, but will not achieve any scores within Level 2 and Level 3.
How do we track energy, waste, and water consumption for multiple facility processes?
The FEM 4.0 is designed to encourage tracking and reporting of consumption metrics, baselines, and targets by facility types (further broken down between industrial and domestic consumption on both water and energy sections), and not by facility processes. Therefore there is no need to separate by facility process.
Optimally the facility should install meters for each "source" type and "facility" type to read this data. In the absence of meters, reasonably defined calculation estimates may be acceptable.
What unit of measurement should I select for my facility type?
There are two units of measurements you can select for your facility type:
Pcs/pairs:
- Finished Product Assembler
- Finished Product Processing
Kg:
- Component / Sub-Assembly Manufacturing
- Material Production
- Raw Material Processing
- Raw Material Collection & Bulk Refining
How do I input energy values in the platform if facility operations include multiple facility types but our invoice only provides a single combined value for the entire factory?
Select both facility types. In many sourcing countries, local regulations require the separation of these functions. If this is not possible, it is recommended to install sub-meters to record this information separately, since it is not possible to input total consumption at the factory level.