Why use this framework?

Experience shows that it is sometimes hard to know whether you are making progress on embedding sustainable development into the way that your organisation works. What needs to change, and how far towards that are you? This framework is designed to help you answer such questions and move your organisation towards a more sustainable, resilient business model.

The framework’s primary purpose is to help assess the progress of an organisation or department towards embedding the Rail Industry Sustainable Development Principles. It can also help:

  • create a dialogue between teams and colleagues about sustainable development
  • improve understanding of performance in different areas of an organisation
  • baseline your organisation’s performance against the Sustainable Development Principles
  • act as a management tool for planning and measuring improvements
  • enable better communication both of sustainable development issues and performance

What the framework doesn’t do

This framework does not assess the results of embedding the Sustainable Development Principles into your organisation. It does not, for instance, assess how good your energy-efficiency measures are, or the strength of your accessibility programmes. This framework simply assesses the measures that are in place internally to produce those outcomes.

The framework does not publish or report on the results of your self-assessment. We have taken an approach that encourages organisations to accurately assess their progress. This is less about achieving a high score and more about understanding where you are and what needs to be done to improve.