Sustainability Excellence Associate and Sustainability Excellence Professional Environmental Management Systems, Auditing & Standards: practice questions

1 · ISO 14001: context, policy, planning, operation, evaluation, improvement · medium

Which element must an environmental objective plan include under clause 6.2.2?

1. The price of the organisation's products in each export market for the year
2. A guarantee from the certification body that the objective will be achieved
3. What will be done, resources, responsibility, completion date and how results are evaluated
4. A statement that the objective is confidential and is not to be shared with staff internally

2 · Environmental aspects and impacts register · medium

What does the 'life cycle perspective' in ISO 14001 require when identifying aspects?

1. Completing an ISO 14044 life cycle assessment for every product the organisation sells in each of its markets every year
2. Ignoring purchased inputs and product disposal because they occur outside the site
3. Reporting only the aspects of the final product stage at the customer's premises
4. Considering aspects the organisation controls or influences upstream and downstream, without a full LCA

3 · Environmental performance indicators · hard

A plant processing 13000 t at 4.0 m³/t cuts intensity to 3.4 m³/t while throughput rises 20 %. What happens to absolute water use?

1. It falls from 52000 to 44200 m³
2. It stays at 52000 m³
3. It rises from 52000 to 53040 m³
4. It falls from 52000 to 41600 m³

4 · Environmental performance indicators · easy

A food factory generates 240 t of waste, of which 180 t is sent to recycling, composting or digestion. What is its waste diversion rate?

1. 75 %
2. 25 %
3. 133 %
4. 60 %

5 · Eco-labelling: types I, II and III · medium

A manufacturer prints 'contains 40 % recycled plastic' on its packaging without external certification. Under ISO terms this is:

1. A Type II self-declared environmental claim
2. A Type I eco-label
3. A Type III environmental product declaration
4. An EMAS environmental statement

6 · Voluntary sustainability standards in agri-food · medium

In which chain-of-custody model may certified and uncertified material be mixed, provided volumes sold as certified do not exceed volumes bought as certified?

1. Mass balance
2. Identity preserved
3. Segregated
4. Book and claim

7 · Voluntary sustainability standards in agri-food · medium

How are smallholder farmers usually certified under voluntary sustainability standards?

1. Individually, with an external auditor visiting every smallholder at least four times a year at the farm's own expense
2. In groups with an internal control system inspecting all members, and external sampling of members
3. Without any inspection, because smallholders are automatically considered compliant
4. Only through government extension officers, who issue certificates directly

8 · Voluntary sustainability standards in agri-food · hard

Which commodity is NOT among those covered by the EU Deforestation Regulation?

1. Cocoa
2. Oil palm
3. Rice
4. Soya

9 · Integrating environment with quality and safety management · medium

Which is a recognised risk of an integrated management system?

1. Integration always doubles the number of audits and documents required
2. Integrated systems are not allowed to be certified by any certification body
3. One discipline crowds out environmental issues
4. Integration requires each site to employ separate managers for every standard it holds

10 · Integrating environment with quality and safety management · hard

An ammonia leak in a food plant's refrigeration system threatens workers, nearby residents and product safety. What is the main advantage of handling it within an integrated management system?

1. Integration means the leak need not be reported to any regulator or authority
2. Integration transfers all responsibility for the leak to the certification body that issued the certificate
3. One risk assessment, emergency plan and investigation covering environment, safety and food safety together
4. Integration allows the plant to choose one discipline and ignore the others