Environmental Sustainability Policy

  This template is intended as a guide for your organisation to create a suitable culture document for your organisation. It should always be checked to ensure that all systems, activities, or considerations are covered by this document.

This document must reflect who you are as an organisation and what you do to manage your services and support those that engage with you.  This policy should outline accurately and honestly how you do that.  This is purely a recommendation / guideline, make sure it reflects your work.

  The sections in [BOLD] are yours to edit to tailor the organisation’s details. [INSERT ORGANISATION] is for the name of the group / organisation.

  These are guidance discussion points for your organisation.  Areas in which a decision will need to be made on the best way of doing it for your organisation and all those involved.

  The rest in plain type are usually not for editing.  Only edit these if it contradicts an existing system or policy that you already have.  Think clearly before you edit those areas.

Environmental Sustainability Policy

INTRODUCTION

[INSERT ORGANISATION] will work hard to reduce and effectively manage our impact in a responsible manner, by ensuring that environmental considerations are integrated into decision making.

Risk assessment will be used to identify potential environmental risks and where these are identified, strategies will be implemented to eliminate or minimise these risks.

This policy applies to everyone involved, trustees, volunteers, employees, contractors, and third-party representatives of our organisation.  This document should cross reference with our other policies, procedures, agreements and contracts, as necessary.

THE NEED AND OUR RESPONSIBILITY

None of us can save the planet alone, but all of us can do something and, as a community focused organisation, we should try our best for the people we support.

Understanding how this would happen can be managed through the Waste Hierarchy:

Eliminate - Avoid producing waste in the first place

Reduce - Minimise the amount of waste we produce    

Re-Use - Use items as many times, as possible

Recycle - Recycling what we can only after we’ve re-used it

Dispose - Dispose of what’s left in a responsible way

  If there are elements of these points that you cannot fulfil, for example re-using materials may be hazardous to health, you may wish to explain why this is to clarify this to anyone that happens to read this document.

We recognise that our organisations activities can have an impact on the environment at global, national and local level. As such we are committed to:

• Safeguarding the environment, and striving to prevent pollution and provide sustainable solutions wherever possible
• Minimising the negative impacts of our activities on the environment in the delivery of our services and our choice or use of resources
• Maintaining up-to-date knowledge of and complying with relevant environmental legislation and regulations
• Seeking continual efficiency improvements in all our activities
• As much as possible, minimising our Carbon Footprint and emissions to the environment encouraging staff and volunteers to make use of public transport, cycle to work schemes and walking to meetings etc.
• Communicating this policy to our employees, associates, suppliers, clients, and other parties in our literature and proposal documents
• Training and updating our staff on this policy and related environmental issues
• Reviewing this policy and our delivery of it continually against our corporate objectives and developments in environmental issues

ACTIONS AND COMITTMENTS        

Frustratingly, we will often be restrained by the financial implication of our desire to be as low impact as possible. The waste of resources is irresponsible, and we will take seriously actions against anyone found exploiting or wasting resources during their activities with us.

Since much of being considerate or the environment and resources is action based, we list some of our basic activities here. Where possible, we will attempt to action the following:

Materials and Resources

• Installing recycling bins in your office and/or at events.
• When ordering supplies, we will do so in bulk to reduce transport costs.
• Where practicable buy products manufactured from recycled materials/waste.
• Favour digital resources over printed materials.
• Use paper more mindfully, unused sheets as scrap, shred and recycle and print double sided.
• Reduce single use plastic in favour of reusable or recyclable utensils, flatware and vessels.
• Attempt to buy local produce in recyclable packaging.

Managing Waste

• Every effort should be made to recycle waste, such as cardboard, glass, paper and plastics.
• Electrical waste (including batteries) should be disposed and recycled according to WEEE standards.
• Consider energy efficiency in the purchasing of electronic equipment.
• Use effective environmentally friendly cleaning products and equipment.
• You may wish to add in a section about food waste and the service and preparation of food.

Energy Use

• Explore purchasing renewable energy.  
• Energy efficient lighting should be used where possible.
• Encourage turning off lights, televisions, monitors and other equipment when not in use.
• Heating should be used sensitively and sparingly
• Doors and windows should be used where possible to adapt temperature and reduce drafts.

Water Use

• Turn off or repair dripping taps.
• Cut down on the amount of water in toilet cisterns by using a space filler.
• Consciously store colder water in warm weather rather than running taps.      
• Depending on your work/COSH arrangements, there may be something here about waste and drains etc.

Emissions and Transport

• Encourage drivers to drive sensitively to save fuel and stress.
• Encourage everyone involved to walk, cycle or public transit where possible.
• Encourage shared transport use by staff where it is practicable.
• Source goods and services locally reducing shipping impact, where this is cost effective.
• Coordinate meeting timings and locations to minimise travel.
• Review the work of meetings to reduce committee sizes and frequency of meetings and use online.
• Avoid attendance at meetings on every occasion and only attend when an active role is required.

Use of AI

• We recognise that AI technologies can support our environmental goals by improving efficiency, reducing waste, and enabling smarter decision-making. However, we also acknowledge the environmental and ethical implications of AI, including energy consumption, data privacy, and algorithmic transparency. To ensure our use of AI aligns with our sustainability commitments:
• We will prioritise AI tools that demonstrably reduce resource use, such as optimising energy consumption, or enhancing digital capabilities to reduce printing and travel.
• Where possible, we will select AI platforms and services that operate on energy-efficient infrastructure and are committed to carbon reduction.
• We will assess the environmental footprint of AI tools we adopt, including their data processing demands, and ensure they meet our standards for ethical and responsible use.

SUPPLIERS

Whilst not an over-riding factor in decision making, we will seek to work with suppliers who share our aims and who seek to minimise their environmental impact.  Equally, in deciding which types of supplies/products we purchase, we will be mindful that some are less damaging than others and will take this into account.

FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS

We will monitor our financial procedures and work to keep our banking as environmentally sound as we can. We will work with the intention of working with ethical funds wherever reasonable to do so, by following Charity Commission guidance on balancing ethical operation and financial return.  Where reasonably feasible, we will not invest in assets, work with systems or support funders/partners that are particularly polluting or damaging to the environment.

MANAGEMENT

Whilst indeed this is everyone’s responsibility, consideration will be given to nominating someone to lead and coordinate on environmental and waste management issues. It will also be an agenda item/point for discussion during team and trustee meetings. It is also leadership responsibility to ensure everyone involved understands their responsibilities regarding the organisation’s impact.

Successes and achievements will be noted in the management reporting and annual review.

This may seem like one extra thing to have to consider but it is becoming a stronger theme with funders and commissioners and a buy in from your organisation’s highest level is recommended. You could include a flow chart here of how the information is cascaded and who controls your narrative.

SUMMARY

[INSERT ORGANISATION] is committed to the care of the environment and the prevention of pollution. *INSERT ORGANISATION* acknowledges the responsibility to ensure that all the organisation’s activities are carried out with the minimum adverse effect on the environment, and to comply with all applicable legal and other requirements to which we subscribe which relate to our environmental aspects.

This policy provides a framework for periodically setting and reviewing objectives and targets as part of that commitment. In line with these principles, this document summarises the following principles and promises to:

• Assess our activities, products and services with respect to their environmental aspects and impacts and incorporate all practicable procedures and controls to prevent environmental damage and pollution.
• Consider the impact of the travel necessary for the work we do.
• Reducing waste, buying less, prioritising hiring equipment, repair, reuse and recycling of products we use. Avoid single-use products where possible.
• Minimize, control and as far as possible prevent the release of pollutants or other substances to air, water or land.
• Improve the efficiency of our operations by monitoring our consumption of energy and resource, and reducing, reusing or recycling waste materials.

This policy is communicated to all employees and volunteers of [INSERT ORGANISATION], along with their individual responsibilities, through appropriate training and awareness-raising. It is publicly available on request to stakeholders, and the public.

This policy utilised this Regulatory Guidance:

Charity Commission: Going Green: Charities and Environmental Responsibility

Charity Commission: Environmental responsibility for charities

Environment Agency: Waste Management