Original Date: 03/17/1997
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

In the early 1990s, Polaroid recognized that its proactive approach to environmental regulatory requirements was very successful but lacked comprehensive metrics for tracking corporate environmental compliance performance. As a result, Polaroid developed the Environmental Scorecard in 1993, for use by top level managers, to measure and report emission excursions and official notifications of non-compliance.

Designed as a spreadsheet, the Environmental Scorecard tracks written violation documents; specific violations within the document; and excursions that extend beyond the allowed regulatory limits (currently not cited in documents). In addition, Polaroid established a three-level reporting and tracking system to provide insight into those areas which may become problematic but are not official violations. The three summary levels provide specific details on the Massachusetts Contingency Plan (sewer, air, and hazardous waste) and the Toxic Substances Control Act items for either the overall corporation or an individual facility. Accompanying data sheets to each scorecard detail the number of inspections and violations at a site, and also the specifics and penalties for each violation.

Using the summarized data from the scorecards, Polaroid prepares monthly reports for the Vice President of the Global Supply Chain which document new items (e.g., excursions, notifications) and year-to-year comparisons of corporate environmental performance. The scorecard data also provides information for Polaroid’s annual environmental report and identifies the operating results of plant managers and Environmental Operating Committee members.

Polaroid’s Environmental Scorecard provides a quick and efficient way for high-level managers to familiarize themselves with environmental compliance issues. In addition, the scorecard has been instrumental in allowing upper management to develop and discuss detailed corporate goals for achieving zero environmental regulatory excursions.

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.