How to appoint key employees within your organisation 

Appointing key employees plays a crucial role in increasing CO₂ awareness within your organisation. For the new version of the CO₂ Performance Ladder (version 4.0), you are required to appoint ‘key persons’ within the organisation starting from step 1. The role of key persons varies depending on the Step of the Ladder, from being familiar with energy and CO₂ policies to actively contributing to them. In this blog, we explain what key persons are and how to appoint them. 

What are key persons? 

Organisations adopting CO₂ Performance Ladder 4.0 will quickly encounter a new term: ‘key persons’ (the formal term in the Handbook. In this blog ‘key employees’ is used interchangeably with key persons). These are employees who, due to their role, can make a significant contribution to CO₂ reduction. It could be a director who makes decisions about energy policy, but also someone in the workplace operating machinery. From their position, a key employee has a significant influence on the organisation’s CO₂ emissions. 

What is the importance of key employees? 

By appointing key employees, you increase CO₂ awareness within your organisation. You shift the responsibility and attention for CO₂ reduction and tools that contribute to it, such as the CO₂ Performance Ladder, from individual departments or employees to the entire organisation. As a result, more employees feel involved in sustainability and are more likely to consider it when making decisions or performing tasks. 

Appointing key persons for the CO₂ Performance Ladder 4.0 

This step-by-step guide will help you appoint key persons: 

Step 1: Identify which positions can be key persons 

Key persons can fill various roles within your organisation. Examples include directors and managers who make decisions about investments, projects, and procurement, Human Resources staff who promote sustainable behaviour through working conditions and green employment practices, or communication employees who communicate the organisation’s CO₂ goals. 

Even employees in operational roles, such as crane or excavator operators, can be key. A greater awareness of the environmental impact of machines leads to more efficient use. Additionally, key employees serve as role models in the organisation’s sustainability efforts. When a key employee can explain to colleagues why change is needed and how it can be achieved, it increases support for sustainability. 

Not all key persons need to be employees of your organisation. For example, you can appoint a sustainability consultant as a key person. However, during a CO₂ Performance Ladder audit, there must always be at least one key employee from your organisation present. 

Step 2: Define which positions within your organisation are key persons

After identifying potential roles, document which positions within your organisation will be appointed as key employees. These individuals should be aware of their role and understand what is expected of them. For certification at Step 1, it is sufficient for key persons to be familiar with your organisation’s energy and CO₂ policy. If you are aiming for a higher level of certification, key persons must meet additional requirements, which are outlined in steps 3, 4, and 5 of this blog. 

There are no specific requirements for the number of key persons you must appoint. However, you must be able to justify why you have designated certain roles as key employees. It is advisable to focus on roles that are clearly key employees. Appointing too many key employees can be undesirable, as training or rewarding them takes time and money. 

If you win a tender with your Ladder certification, you must appoint at least one key employee for each project. In most cases, this will be the project manager, as they are responsible for CO₂ reduction during the implementation of the project plan. The plan should also specify who the key person from your organisation is within the project. 

Step 3: Ensure that key persons have a certain level of knowledge 

If you are aiming for certification at Step 2 or 3 of the Ladder, one of the requirements is that key persons within the organisation have sufficient knowledge in sustainability topics. This may include clean energy, green employment practices, or sustainable materials. You can support key employees by providing training, courses, or educational programs, ensuring their knowledge remains up-to-date with developments in the green and sustainable market. 

Step 4: Involve key persons in your energy and CO₂ policies 

For Steps 2 and 3, it is also required that key employees contribute to your energy and CO₂ policy. For example, during work meetings or evaluation discussions, you can give key persons the opportunity to suggest measures that would lead to more CO₂ reduction or contribute to better policy. You should describe how you will provide this input opportunity in your communication plan. This plan should also outline how you will communicate your CO₂ policy, strategy, message, and timeline both within your organisation and to the outside world. 

Step 5: Include key persons in your reward policy 

Rewarding green leadership is motivating, both for individuals and the organisation. When you set specific goals with your key employees, such as implementing reduction measures, you can link rewards to those goals. Examples include offering additional vacation days or a budget for purchasing an electric vehicle. When others within the organisation see that green behaviour is rewarded, it can positively influence their actions. 

Requirements per step 

The requirements for key employees vary depending on the Step of the CO₂ Performance Ladder, ranging from being familiar with energy and CO₂ policies to actively contributing to them. Each Step of the CO₂ Performance Ladder 4.0 has its own Handbook. Create a (free trial) account in My CO₂ Performance Ladder to view the texts with additional information and examples. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. 

> Read more about My CO₂ Performance Ladder 

> View the handbooks without additional guidance and examples 

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