Environmental policy

It is fashionable for companies to make bold claims about their ‘green’ credentials, and ‘carbon footprint’. We are realistic that, as a group of more than 120 businesses, we have a wide variety of premises and workplaces right up to our new headquarters in Kent and other newer offices that possess high levels of efficiency and environmental friendliness. However, our commitment throughout is simple: we will continue as far as is practicable to reduce waste, inefficiency, and our impact on the environment through measures including:

1.Having a member of our Board officially appointed as our Green Champion, proving our commitment to our social responsibility.
2. Using teleconferencing facilities as an alternative to business travel.
3. Reducing the amount of paper we use and energy consumed by encouraging double sided printing and replacing numerous desktop and laser jet printers with multi-function devices.
4. Increasing the amount of recycling at each of our offices, including such items as toner cartridges, cardboard boxes and mobile phones as well as general waste.
5. Encouraging our staff to only print e-mails and Word documents where absolutely necessary.
6. Using an energy consultancy company to monitor electricity and gas consumption at our larger offices to reduce consumption, and enhanced by the introduction of ‘smart meters’.
7. Working closely with our stationery supplier to maximize the percentage of products they supply which are environmentally friendly - this currently stands at 70%.
8. Working with a facilities management company to reduce our energy consumption by various methods including installation of energy saving lighting and powering down non-essential electrical items overnight.
9. Using environmental credentials as an important part of our supplier selection process.
10. Registered with the Carbon Reduction Commitment scheme in the UK, May 2010.
11. Partnering some of our offices with local authorities in schemes such as car sharing.
12. Disposing of all redundant WEEE items by our partner supplier - zero to landfill and the correct certification is provided.
13. Using a waste management consultant to keep us up to date with all legislation regarding waste management and the environment and we ensure that all our offices comply at all times to such legislation.
14. Selling surplus IT equipment on a global auction website with the profits raised going directly into our charitable foundation bank account.