UN SDS's
Our commitment to sustainability, environmental, wildlife, marine and biosphere protection through implementation of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Our Environmental Strategy focuses on tackling the underlying causes that are driving nature's decline - notably the food system and climate change. We have therefore set an ambitious target of keeping carbon emissions from business operations and travel as low as possible, using renewable energy-driven transport services and other forms of low-impact municipal travel.
ENERGY USAGE AND CONSUMPTION
We’re also committed to running our facilities and buildings as efficiently as possible, ensuring we minimise energy use for our operations. We monitor our energy consumption and assess factors like weather and staff occupancy to check our usage is normal. We generate our own energy or purchase electricity from renewable energy suppliers and share knowledge and information with other companies about how to streamline and reduce waste, save expenses and maintain a more environmentally safe and efficient operation.
Instead of sourcing heat externally and using air conditioning, we use a more energy efficient heat pump for heating and cooling. We also use natural ventilation during warmer months by opening windows and doors. We have features in our offices to help reduce energy use such as on-demand hot water boilers, LED lighting and motion-sensitive lighting. Our environmental purchasing guidelines include information on electrical equipment, so we can ensure we choose efficient devices.
We continue to use new technology to optimise the building climate, using both mechanical cooling and natural ventilation, ensuring that we maintain the best standards for naturally ventilated and air conditioned buildings and a healthy working environment for our staff and partners.
WATER CONSUMPTION AND REDUCTION
Water is an important natural resource so we try to use as little as possible in our buildings and operations. Recycled rainwater is used to water the plants and for other functions. This system reduces the municipal water we use by over 50%.
Installations and features like dual flush toilets, automatic taps in bathrooms, and shower heads and kitchen taps fitted with flow restrictors also help reduce water usage.
WASTE MATERIAL MANAGEMENT
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE. We have a responsibility to manage our waste in the most sustainable way possible, in our mission to reduce pollution and wasteful consumption. We reduce consumption of materials as a first priority, we then aim to reuse materials wherever possible, and when things have reached the end of their useful life-cycle and must be disposed of, we recycle everything.
We control the way waste is managed, with clearly labelled waste and recycling bins at our facilities and centres. Separated food waste, biodegradables, plastics, glass, metals, electronics and other materials in individual containers to be sent for recycling. Waste disposal arrangements at our facilities are managed by the municipal waste management companies. Our general waste is used to produce energy from incineration, and our food waste is used to produce fertiliser for crops and energy for homes, schools and businesses.
TRAVEL EMISSIONS
Meetings and events are an important way for us to engage with people and spread our message. We carefully consider size, location, logistics, the materials we'll use - how people will travel there, and the environmental impacts, features and facilities at the venue.
We primarily use ground-based forms of transport such as cars, motorcycles and other vehicles driving on roads, tracks, backroads, trails, and rarely fly anywhere if we can drive or take a train there.
We use combustion-driven vehicles in our work, which consume petrol, diesel, oil, other fluids and produce carbon emissions. Where possible, we have carbon emission filters installed on our vehicles. We occasionally have to use car ferries on some of our journeys.
Around 5% of our business travel emissions are from air travel, making this another priority for us to manage. We group the necessary meetings together, using the same flights to attend many different meetings, in one trip.
PRINTED MATERIALS
We promote a 'digital first' way of working, encouraging partners to work digitally rather than printing internally or externally. All our bookkeeping and accounts are handled digitally, invoices and receipts are scanned and registered online, and processed digitally.
Thinking carefully about what we purchase and the suppliers we use, is another way we can reduce our environmental impact. To reduce our impact on forests, we only use FSC certified or 100% recycled paper and timber, and we only print when it is absolutely necessary, and avoid it if possible. When we do have to print documents, we use monochrome printers with ISO 14001 certification, which ensures that the manufacturers are also working to manage and reduce their own impacts.
PLASTICS, REDUCTION, ELIMINATION
The impact of plastics, particularly on our oceans, is a fast-growing global epidemic. We have ended all use of single-use plastics in our operations. Wherever possible, we don't use plastic water bottles. We have implemented a non-single-use plastic policy which emphasises eradication as the best alternative and then focuses on using reusable, renewable, or recyclable alternatives.
PURCHASING PRODUCTS
Our environmental purchasing guidelines ensure that our staff purchase items produced in an environmentally and socially responsible way. The Cradle-to-Cradle guidelines focus on maximising the use of natural, organic, sustainable materials, considering the whole life cycle of the product - not just how and where it was made, but how it is transported, distributed, and will be recycled at the end of its use, to become a new useful product.
FOOD & BEVERAGES
Our food and beverage policy reflects our work on diet and nutrition, providing vitamin and nutrient-rich, tasty, practical, sustainable food and beverages. We focus on healthy, natural, sustainable produce and support certified local products that benefit the environment. Locally-sourced, to reduce transportation and cooling needs.
OUR SUPPORT FOR OTHER ORGANISATIONS
We support a number of environmental, heritage, cultural, natural and wildlife conservation organisations, most of which are on the front line between the impact of humanity on our natural world, and the consequences and results of natural resource consumption and ongoing exploitation of biospheres, habitats, animals and wildlife.
You can reach us online using the email address on the footer of the website.
