Equitas Staffing recognises that its activities impact upon the environment through its routine internal operations, its infrastructure and through its influence and effects on the wider community. It acknowledges a responsibility for and a commitment to, protection of the environment at all levels. Equitas Staffing will comply fully with environmental legislation and is in addition committed to continued efforts to:
- Promote environmental management policies and practices at every level throughout the organisation;
- Increase awareness of environmental responsibilities among staff and Members;
- Minimise waste and pollution and develop and operate environmentally sound waste management procedures;
- Continue to encourage and facilitate modes of transport by staff and Members which minimise environmental impact;
- Reduce water and energy consumption;
- Promote a purchasing policy which will give preference, as far as practicable, to those products and services which cause the least harm to the environment;
- Avoid wherever practical the use of environmentally damaging substances, materials and processes; and
- Encourage Member organisations to adopt environmentally sensitive policies with regard to all aspects of their businesses.
Carbon Reduction Plan
As an environmentally efficient organisation, we have been taking measures since our start up in 2021 to reduce any negative impact associated with the delivery of our services. As our company grows, we understand our responsibilities relating to carbon reduction and are working to create a robust Environmental Policy and Environmental Management System (EMS) aligning and embracing the values of ISO14001. We already work to the principles of ISO14001 however we are currently working towards becoming ISO14001 accredited, and this will likely be implemented in 2023.
Supporting the Council’s target towards becoming a zero-carbon city by 2038 or sooner, we will expand upon the measures we have already put in place to reduce our carbon footprint in line with this vision. Our company wide targets to support your vision include:
- Reducing vehicle emissions
- Reducing waste generation
- Increasing recycling and sustainable practice
- Reducing energy consumption
Responsible for monitoring and maintaining our EMS, in line with best environmental practice is Christian Walsh, Managing Director. For continued compliance, Christian will review our EMS frequently to ensure any changes to legislation are actioned within the policy.
If there are no legislative changes to action, as a minimum the policy will be reviewed on a yearly basis. Our policy adheres to the requirements of the following legislation:
- The Waste Regulations 2011
- The Environmental Protection Act 1990
- The Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations 2000
Ensuring all staff are aware of our policy and commitments, we deliver mandatory training at induction which is refreshed annually or more frequently in line with changes to legislation/best practice.
Monitoring carbon emissions
As a new organisation, we do not currently monitor our emissions but will begin to do so in preparation for this contract.
To monitor our carbon emissions, we will use guidance from the Carbon Trust Toolkit (www.carbontrust.com) and Carbon Disclosure Project (www.cdproject.net). We will also use https://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx to effectively monitor our carbon footprint.
The categories that we will measure against include:
- Electricity/gas use
- Water use
- Fuel consumption
- Employee passenger travel
- Waste disposal
Once we have completed an initial benchmarking exercise, we will actively monitor carbon emissions and report internally on a quarterly basis. Monitoring our performance, we will measure our progress against our company set targets and specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) relevant to the contract.
Ensuring accountability and involvement across the company, we will update staff on our progress against the objectives through:
- Email bulletins
- During 121’s
- During company briefings
- On notice boards
Ensuring carbon reduction is supported within our supply chain
Ensuring our approach to carbon reduction is continued throughout our supply chain, we score potential suppliers against criteria such as their environmental metrics. When selecting our suppliers, it is also important to us that we work with partners who embrace the standards of ISO4001.
Through our supplier vetting process we ensure that we review:
- Their targets/commitments to carbon reduction
- Share best practice
- Ensure any products are sourced sustainably
We do this through our Supplier Vetting Questionnaire (SVQ) where all suppliers are scored to ensure that they meet our criteria in relation to the above categories.
Our carbon reduction targets/plans:
It is our aim to reduce our carbon emissions by 20% year on year. We will do this through measures including the following:
Reducing energy consumption: We will prioritise efficiency and reduce gas and electricity consumption throughout our organisation and across this contract by 5% annually.
Example: The measures we take include:
- Only using LED lights
- Ensure full training for our staff in environmental efficiency and energy-saving procedures and ensure these are observed 100% of the time
- Adhering to a strict ‘switch it off’ policy for electrical items when not in use
Reducing our fuel consumption: Working to reduce our company wide current diesel and petrol use contributing to CO2 emissions by 50%, by the end of 2023.
Example: Working to our target of reducing vehicle emissions we will:
- Encourage staff to use public transport
- Implement an electric vehicle (EV) salary sacrifice scheme to encourage EV car use
- Implement a cycle to work scheme to encourage active travel and promote the benefits across the company. This will be in the form of wellbeing workshops and information bulletins shared on notice boards and via email
- Encourage home working arrangements to reduce our carbon emissions released through commuting
- Wherever possible meetings to take place through video conferencing to reduce the need for travel
Added Value: To reward staff who are actively contributing to our aim, we will implement a quarterly Environmental Champion Award to the staff member who makes the biggest contribution: e.g., regular cycling to work, car sharing initiatives and hitting waste reduction targets.
Reducing water consumption: Reduce water waste by 5% over the next year
Example: To reduce water consumption, we will closely monitor our monthly bills, paying particular attention to meter usage. In doing so, we will continuously ensure we are reducing our water use month-on-month.
Reducing waste sent to landfill: Achieving our target of a reduction in the waste that we send to landfill we will adhere to responsible waste management processes developed in line with best practice.
Example: We will only procure materials and products that are required. In addition, where purchases are made, they must be from an environmentally aware supplier. This is the case on all our contracts and is certified by subjecting the supplier to our environmental vetting procedure, as mentioned. Through our mandatory training which we provide at induction, we will ensure that staff follow the 4R’s approach (Reducing, Reusing, Recovering and Recycling).
- We will implement the following procedures:
- Reusing cardboard boxes for file storage
- Purchasing pre-owned office furniture and equipment
- Returning used ink cartridges for refilling and re-use
- Over-labelling and reusing document folders
- Purchasing recycled paper
- Minimising paper usage by using small fonts and double-sided printing
- Eliminating single use plastic throughout our organisation