Environmental Sustainability Policy
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Purpose
Definitions
Sustainability is a process of ensuring the wise use of all resources within a framework in which environmental, social and economic factors are integrated.
Scope
Legal framework
- Finance Act 2000
- Anti Pollution Works Regulations 1999
- Environmental Protection Act (EPA) 1990,
- Part II (as amended by the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005)
- The Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994 (Sl1994/1056)
- The Waste Management (England and Wales) (Amendment and Related Provisions) (No3) Regulations 2005 (SI 2005/1728)
- Environmental Protection (Duty of Care) Regulations 1991 (Sl1991/2839), Environmental Protection (Duty of Care) (Amendment) (Wales) Regulations 2003 (Sl2003/1720)
- Controlled Waste Regulations 1992 (SI 1992/588) (as amended 1993) (Environment Agency)
- Waste Management (England and Wales) Regulations 2006
- Finance Act 1996
- Landfill Tax Regulations 1996 (Sl1996/1527) (as amended 1996, 1998) (HM Customs and Excise)
- Controlled pollution (amendment) Act 1989 (As amended by the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005)
- Controlled Waste (Registration of Carriers and Seizure of vehicles) Regulations 1991
- European Landfill Directive, Landfill (England and Wales) Regulations 2002 (as amended)
- Pre-Treatment of non-hazardous wastes for landfill, WEEE/ROHS Directives Adopted by EC in 2003
- Health & Safety at Work Act 1974
- Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations
Policy statement
The main environmental impacts of the business include general office waste, kitchen waste and energy usage. In recognising these impacts, through demonstration of continuous environmental improvement and a commitment to pollution prevention, VC will:
- Integrate environmental management into all organisational activities
- Guarantee compliance with all relevant local, national and international legislation and regulations
- Ensure all learners and staff, including contractors, actively support our environmental programmes
- Communicate our environmental policy effectively to all interested, both internal and external parties .
- A commitment to achieving continual improvement in our environmental performance and preventing pollution. This will be in agreement to the improvement plan.
- The minimisation of materials and energy usage in all operations. This will be monitored weekly.
- The safe disposal of waste where reuse or recycling is not economically viable.
- The provision of appropriate resources and the necessary training for staff, to ensure that they are able to fulfil the commitment given in this policy.
- Review modes of transport and will promote alternative sustainable forms of transport where practical.
- Include environmental management and issues in our staff induction programmes, meetings and learners training. Also engage with the community and bring sustainability issues across to them.
Waste Management
VC recognises it has a role in furthering and improving the management of all waste via
- Encouraging all staff and customers to use less, then re-use and only then recycle
- Longer term, only dealing with suppliers that have sound environmental systems in use
- Linking with all suppliers to encourage the use of unnecessary packaging
- Encourage all staff to recycle all office waste materials, i.e., Office waste paper, ink and toner cartridges, bought in catalogues and leaflets, aluminium cans, plastic bottles
- Using only approved/ registered waste carriers to handle waste materials
- Use email and text messaging for all internal communications to reduce the usage of paper
- Monitor the types and quantities of waste to where savings can be made
Sustainable Procurement
People, Education & Awareness:
- Educate, Train and Encourage purchasers to review their consumption of goods and services, reduce usage and waste, look for more environmentally friendly alternatives
- Communicate the sustainable procurement policy to all staff and suppliers
Policy and Communication:
- Consider the cost/ benefit of environmentally preferable goods & services as viable alternatives
- Investigate opportunities for recycling & re-use of materials where suitable/ appropriate
- Investigate the impact of VCs expenditure on goods/ services to identify the potential environmental impact
- Work in partnership with suppliers and other organisations to improve sustainable procurement
- Assess the environmental risk to VC with a commitment to continually improving sustainable performances
Procurement Processes
- Promote best practices for sustainable procurement
- Ensure that suppliers environmental credentials are, where possible, considered when the supplier evaluation/ approval process is completed
- Specify, where possible, the use of environmentally friendly goods and services
- Ensure that consideration is given within all specifications for suppliers to submit offers/ quotes for environmentally friendly alternatives
Engaging Suppliers of Goods & Services
- Educate our suppliers of goods/ services regarding the VC environmental sustainability policy
- Encourage suppliers of goods/ services to adopt environmentally friendly processes and supply environmentally friendly goods/ services
- Work with our key suppliers to make sustainability improvements
Energy Management
VC recognises it has a role in furthering and improving energy management via
- Controlling activities when systems are not in use, ie, switch off at night
- Consider the use of sensor based lighting systems
- Promote the use of low energy light bulbs at all premises in use
- Encourage staff to use only water needed when boiling kettles
- Promote the use of low energy heating equipment
- Consider the use of Solar panels on all roofing areas under the direct control of VC
- Monitor all energy usage via spreadsheet on a monthly basis to consider where improvements can be made
- Review the Maintenance of all water based appliances to prevent wastage, ie, all leaking taps are repaired
Travel and Transport
VC recognises it has a role in furthering and improving the efficiency of work based transport and travel and aims to promote the benefits of fuel efficient motoring and increase awareness of alternative modes of transport, in particular for employees via
- Encouraging car sharing, where more than one person is visiting
- Arranging effective meetings preventing duplication
- Consider the use of teleconferences, if at all possible
- Reviewing workloads to minimise unnecessary travel
- Providing information on local & national transport links
- Providing information on exhaust emission levels of vehicles and hybrid cars, enabling staff to make quantifiable decisions
- Invite a speaker on efficient driving techniques to the annual staff conference
- Reviewing fuel types of vehicles used by all staff and encourage them to purchase more environmentally fuel efficient modes of transport
Strategic aims
VC has developed eight strategic aims which will be monitored on a quarterly basis.
- To actively promote and maintain a positive commitment to environmental sustainability
- To ensure that all key staff, learners, customers, suppliers and subcontractors are aware of and comply with the organisational environmental policy
- Provide necessary and appropriate resources to effectively implement the organisations environmental policy
- Provide systems and procedures to ensure objectives and targets have been met in order to improve environmental management and performance and reduce environmental impacts
- Reduce the impact arising from the consumption of energy, transport, the generation of waste and the consumption of office materials
- Reduce, Re-use, Recycle, Reconsider, Refuse
- To achieve environmental excellence through the implementation of an Environmental Management System that meets the requirements of the Green Dragon Environmental Standard™ whilst also supporting government policy for sustainable development
- To work with the local community, public and private sector organisations to promote environmental awareness and sustainable development
Responsibilities
The Board of Directors have responsibility for:
- Ensuring VC fully meets its legal requirements.
- Ensuring the strategy and associated action plan, meets the requirements of relevant legislation.
- Ensuring effective implementation and monitoring of strategy and action plan.
- Ensuring the strategy is continuously reviewed and that all employees receive adequate training.
The senior management team have responsibility for:
- Providing a consistently high profile lead on all issues contained within the strategy.
- Ensuring all aims and objectives of the strategy are effectively implemented
- Ensuring all employees are fully aware of their individual and collective responsibilities.
- Providing appropriate training and development activities to ensure employees have the skills and knowledge to support this strategy
- Ensuring that appropriate action is taken against anyone found to be in breach of the content of this strategy
Managers have responsibility for:
- Proactively communicating commitment to this strategy to learners, employers, employees and external stakeholders.
- Ensuring consistent behaviours and standards from all employees.
- Ensuring their team members are made aware of their responsibilities and are provided with appropriate training and support.
- Ensuring compliance with Environmental Sustainability related accreditations and maintain the required levels of governance.
- Fully engage in activities aimed to develop awareness of environmental issues
- Behave in a socially responsible manner at all times.
All employees have a responsibility for:
- Ensuring that environmental sustainability is effectively integrated into the professional practice of teaching, research and service delivery.
- Maintaining an awareness of environmental sustainability by attending employee development programmes.
- Fully engage in activities aimed to develop awareness of environmental issues
- Behave in a socially responsible manner at all times.
All learners have responsibility for:
- Taking equal responsibility in ensuring that we an environmentally sustainable learning environment
- Fully engage in activities aimed to develop awareness of environmental issues
- Behave in a socially responsible manner at all times
Implementation
The Strategic Development Director,Lesley Nicholson, will take full responsibility for implementing this strategy using the following methodology:
Organisational Commitment and Leadership – VC is committed to Environmental Sustainability through the adoption of socially responsible business practises and effective governance. These practises will include a robust and accredited Environmental Management System and other related external accreditations.
It is the belief of VC that its employees should act as role models for learners, associates and sub-contractors and take every opportunity to positively promote the benefits of Environmental Sustainability.
Stakeholder and Community Partnerships – VC is committed to improving the work-based learning sector with regards to Environmental Sustainability. The organisation will seek to lead groups of providers and stakeholder organisations in best practices sharing, dialogue initiation, promotional activities, partnership working and employer awareness.
Opportunities are sought to engage with local community, public and private sector organisations to maximise knowledge sharing and efficient resource utilisation within the sector. Effective engagement will be sought with other providers and stakeholders with a view to overall sector improvement to the benefit of learners in Wales.
Appropriate training and development activities will be provided to ensure employees are equipped with the skills and knowledge to fully implement this strategy.
Communication
Training activities will be introduced to ensure all employees are fully conversant with the content of this strategy.
Employers and learners will be provided with access to this strategy in electronic and hard copy formats at the start of the training programme.
Complaints
Any complaints will be taken seriously and dealt with in a timely and sensitive manner, in accordance with the company disciplinary and grievance procedures.
A copy of the complaints procedure can be obtained by contacting info@voncaprecruitment.co.uk
Monitoring and review processes
This strategy will be reviewed, via the senior management team, on an annual basis to ensure it continues to meet the needs of the business.
Data and performance targets associated with this strategy will be reviewed on an annual basis by the Board of Director
