A Decade International Experience Into Effective Resources and Energy Efficiency Auditing

Abstract

Purpose of this paper is to draw a balance of a decade of resources and energy efficiency auditing activities and studies, carried out in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Africa, aimed to support International Financial Institutions (IFIs) in improving their sustainability performances and in reducing the global environmental impact of their customer Companies. The auditing framework was designed as a step-by step sequence:Job Assignment from the Bank, based on specific Terms of Reference;Submission of a questionnaire, tailored to the particular agro-industrial sector (i.e., dairy, tomatoes processing, slaughterhouse, etc.);Multi-disciplinary team assessment of industrial facilities, by means of an on-site survey and meetings with the managers of the agro-industrial company for the discussion of relevant issues;Preparation of a draft report to be discussed with IFI and Company;Preparation of a final report including remarks from IFI and Company.The paper will present the results by developing proper sustainability and safety performance indicators, in terms of energy consumption and reduction of GHG emissions reduction, as well as control of water pollution and waste generation, and their safe disposal. In designing and performing the actual auditing process, a great attention was paid to the considerations for the global environment and safety implications, especially in selecting the technologies, not limiting the efforts to the usual CAPEX and OPEX reductions and to the local impact parameters. Conclusions are drawn regarding the practical possibility of incorporating audit results in terms of environmental sustainability into the overall decision-making process.