L3M5 Sample Questions Answers

Explanation

Sponsored by The United Nations.

The Brundtland Commission defined sustainable development as 'development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs'. (Source: Profex Publishing Ltd)

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International Organisation for Standardization, sometimes known as 'International Standards Or-ganization'.

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Kyoto, 1997.

Most recent global conference on this issue was in Glasgow, Scotland in 2022.

The other answers have no connection: 'The Fourth Protocol' is a novel by Frederick Forsyth.

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The answer is 34%, so around one-third of all energy use on the planet is used for transportation.

(Source: IEA, 2017 quoted by Profex Publishing Ltd)

So, say, a European firm sourcing products from, say, China, uses a large amount of energy just to get goods from manufacturer to market. Or a US retailer buying from a supplier across the country, using road transport, is soaking up a large amount of energy.

I read something yesterday (Feb 2022) which I thought was interesting. Imagine someone drives a modern large 4 x 4 'car'. It might weigh, say, 1,500 kilos. The driver might weigh 100 kilos, say. Most such vehicles on the road have no passengers - they are transporting the driver from A to B. Thus to take something weighing 100 kilos from A to B, sufficient energy to transport (1,500 + 100 kilos) must be used.

Compare this to the same person going from A to B on a bicycle, even an electric bicycle.

Explanation

2050 is the correct answer.

There is an issue with the dates for many organisational targets. They are far too pessimistic to be genuinely effective in dealing with sustainability issues. Even if you didn't know DHL's target date, you may know that many large companies and governments don't quite feel the urgency of the 'emergency'. There are many opinion-leaders who feel that a sense of urgency needs to be injected.

Explanation

The most appropriate answer is:

A socially responsible buying approach would require not only minimum wage, but in some circum-stances greater than minimum wage as this may not be sufficient to support an employee to live de-cently.

This question is inspired by a recent visit to a country where there is a statutory minimum wage, but it is so low that most people would be unable to provide shelter and food based on that income. The wage to which I refer is less than $1 per hour.

Explanation

The correct answer is one metre.

It is predicted that this increase will be devastating not just for low-lying areas, but for many popu-lation centres.

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N2O - nitrous oxide - a greenhouse gas.

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CH4 - methane - a greenhouse gas.

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ISO 26000 is the international standard for social responsibility.

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Ethical Trading Initiative - an alliance of companies, NGOs and trade unions to promote respect for worker's rights worldwide. CIPS has published guidance in an 'ethical business practices..' paper to assist with organisations selecting and using ethical suppliers. The paper is downloadable from the CIPS website's Knowledge Summary series.

Explanation

The Commonwealth of Australia.

Why is this relevant? The production of cotton consume vast quantities of water, and is traditionally a significant topic in the area of limits on free trade, as well as being steeped in ethical issues, both historically and currently.

Explanation

The correct answer is 'snowflake'.

All of the others shown are possible warehouse designs taking account of flow.

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Explanation

UNFCCC.

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

I guess, having re-visited this QUESTION NO: in 2022, originally written in 2020, the 'CC' at theend of the possible answers, reduces the risk of people selecting a wrong answer.

Doesn't work for 'MCC' though as that stands for 'Marylebone Cricket Club' which was founded in 1787, and is 'the guardian of the laws of cricket'. (Source: MCC)

Explanation

The correct answer is that all of these shown create hazards, which along with exposure to chemi-cals, gases and some forms of dust, must be guarded against. In most countries there is legislation which should be observed to promote safe working.

Warehouses and factories are highly hazardous places, and managers should ensure that stringent safety procedures are followed to the letter, in some cases, upon pain of dismissal for employees. For examples, vehicles and humans should be physically separated wherever possible, and items at height should be handled with utmost care.

(Yesterday I witnessed a crane manoeuvre (outside the UK) where an operative was standing di-rectly under a very heavy item, which had it fallen, would have instantly killed the operative. Such practices need to be trained out of people, irrespective of the cost.)

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'Take, make and dispose' is the correct answer.

An uncomfortable yet accurate description of human behaviour in the developed world over the last century or more.

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The Earth's oceans absorb most of the heat which is retained.

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Energy - renewables are sources such as solar, tidal, wind power.

Non-renewables are sources such as coal and oil.

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Local wage rates would not be relevant, but all of the other factors shown would be.

In fact, these factors would be fundamental to this type of decision-making.

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ISO 20400.

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Clearly this is auditing. Compliance, verification, legality, etc.

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Recriminations continue to fly regarding the annual fires in California, which often result in destruc-tion of woodland, homes and often with loss of life. These seasonal fires have become significantly larger, although less numerous, in the past few decades, with dramatic and devastating effect.

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Global Reporting Initiative.

The GRI standards have been widely adopted for reporting on sustainability issues by many com-panies worldwide.

Explanation

It is unlikely that health and safety legislation will itself create meaningful environmental costs. Probably the opposite.

However, the siting / location of the warehouse itself can be significant: is it near customers / suppli-er thus reducing distances travelled? Do employees need to use vehicles to get to work, or is public transport readily available?

Modern warehouses should be designed in a relatively environmentally-friendly way. For example, well-insulated, using modern materials technology.

And then the materials-handling equipment: again, latest technology can help. A battery-powered forklift creates fewer emissions (potentially including a 'green' power source) than a smoky noisy spluttering old diesel forklift.

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