March 2014

PE REPORT
International Engineering Group Defines Key Environmental Terms

A model code of practice approved by the World Federation of Engineering Organizations in 2013 defines for engineers the meaning of sustainable development and environmental stewardship and the relationship between them.

The Model Code of Practice for Sustainable Development and Environmental Stewardship, a one-page list of 10 principles, provides objective guidance to individual engineers on responsible engineering practice as it relates to sustainable development and environmental stewardship. The code is also intended to provide a policy and implementing document to WFEO and its members for use within their own organizations and countries; inform United Nations organizations and international financial institutions of the role, responsibility, and practices of engineers toward achieving sustainable development and environmental stewardship; and increase the profile and authority of WFEO in the areas of sustainable development and environmental stewardship.

Some of the code’s principles are:

• Maintain and continuously improve awareness and understanding of environmental stewardship, sustainability principles, and issues related to your field of practice.
• Incorporate global, regional, indigenous, and local societal values applicable to your work; this includes local and community concerns, quality of life, and other social concerns related to environmental impact along with traditional and cultural values.
• Assess the costs and benefits of environmental protection, ecosystem components, and sustainability in evaluating the economic viability of the work, with proper consideration of climate change and extreme events.
• Develop locally appropriate engagement processes for stakeholders, both external and internal, to solicit their input in an open and transparent manner, and respond to all concerns—economic, social, and environmental—in a timely fashion in ways that are consistent with the scope of your assignment. Disclose information necessary to protect public safety to the appropriate authorities.

The document is available on the WFEO website along with an interpretive guide, written to assist with the interpretation and implementation of the model code of practice at a practice level.