We are committed to reducing the size of our environmental footprint.
We are in the process of achieving ISO 14001, but we believe that even more can be achieved in every area of our business, so we have introduced specific initiatives to reduce consumption and make environmentally responsible choices in key areas of paper, waste, materials, water and energy usage.
The average office worker uses up to 100 sheets of paper every day. We have taken steps to reduce the amount of paper we use and our office paper usage compares favourably against national benchmarks. We use recycled paper, always print on both sides and observe a ‘think before we print’ principle.
70% of office waste is recyclable, however on average only 7.5% ever reaches a recycling facility. We re-use or recycle all of our paper, card, glass, cans and any other materials appropriate for recycling. We even have an office wormery for compostable waste, you know the sort of thing, tea bags, mouldy sandwiches and banana skins. Funnily enough, we never seem to have to compost any cake.
A slow running tap wastes 528,000 litres of water a year, the equivalent of flushing a toilet 60,000 times. We have installed water saving devices in every lavatory, which save up to 50% per flush.
Energy use and emissions from business account for over 40% of UK ‘greenhouse gas’ emissions. We have adopted energy saving practices including regulating the use of lighting and electrical equipment, managing the office climate and investing in energy-efficient resources.
It is estimated that by 2025 there will be 50% more cars on the road than in 1997. Whilst our rural location presents a challenge, we try to keep travel to a minimum and provide facilities and initiatives to encourage low emission forms of transport. We also use technology to support homeworking where it is suitable for staff.
We’ve also got our very own environmental champion, who encourages the rest of our staff to make ‘green’ choices and leads the campaign to raise awareness within the business. He doesn’t even wear sandals (well, not with socks any way).