Aspects, Impacts and the Register
Getting the distinction right and building a usable register.
12 min
An aspect is an element of an activity, product or service that can interact with the environment. An impact is the resulting change. The aspect is what you control; the impact is what you are trying to avoid.
| Activity | Aspect | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Running a boiler | Emission of combustion gases | Air quality deterioration; climate change |
| Cleaning equipment | Discharge of detergent to sewer | Increased treatment load; potential aquatic toxicity |
| Storing fuel | Potential leak to ground | Soil and groundwater contamination |
| Packing product | Consumption of packaging material | Resource depletion; downstream waste |
Building the register
- Work from process maps, following material and energy from arrival to departure.
- Include support activities: maintenance, cleaning, laboratory work, catering, offices, grounds, vehicle fleet.
- Walk the site and look at what is stored, discharged, emitted and disposed of.
- Involve the people doing the work; they know about the drum that always leaks.
- Record the aspect as a specific interaction, not a topic. "Waste" is not an aspect; "generation of oil-contaminated absorbent from maintenance" is.