This policy statement sets out the environmental commitments for Office Green Group (UK) Limited (‘the Company’). It has been confirmed by the board of directors and is consistent with our corporate policy.

Our activities are designed to reduce our harmful impact on the environment and everyone working for the Company or on the Company's behalf is asked to support this statement.

This policy statement updates and replaces all previous statements. It will be reviewed regularly by a Director, who will take advice from suitably qualified persons and from those whom this policy may affect. If necessary, a revised version of the policy will be issued to reflect the latest developments. This policy and any developments will be communicated in an appropriate and effective way.

Introduction

We recognise that organisations of all kinds are, increasingly, determined to achieve and demonstrate sound environmental performance by controlling the impact on the environment by their activities, products and services. This is in the context of growing environmental awareness, increasingly stringent legislation and other factors promoting environmental protection and best practice.

We are concerned about the environment and recognise that good environmental management must be an integral and fundamental part of our corporate business strategy.


Scope of Policy Statement

This statement covers the Company's trading address at 51 Tallon, Road, Hutton, Essex CM13 1TG. It covers all buildings, goods and services used and provided by the Company and everyone working for us. It concerns the immediate impacts of our activities and policies.

The policy excludes the indirect impacts of our goods and services that we cannot control or influence and also our suppliers’ impacts that we are unable to influence.


Environmental Commitments

In the course of our operations, and within resource constraints, we will improve our environmental performance by:

Resources

• conserving energy, water, wood, paper and other resources, particularly those which are scarce or non renewable, while still providing a safe and comfortable working environment;
• reducing waste through re-use and recycling and by using refurbished and recycled products and materials where such alternatives are economical and suitable; and
• ensuring that any products used or derived from wildlife, such as timber and plants, are from sustainable sources and comply with European Union and international trade rules such as CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species).
  

Pollution

• monitoring relevant discharges and emissions to air, land and water to ascertain what action is necessary to reduce pollution or the risk of pollution; and
• phasing out, where practical, ozone depleting substances and minimising the release of greenhouse gases, volatile organic compounds, vehicle emissions and other substances damaging to health and the environment.

Management - Regulations

• aiming to meet, and in some cases exceeding, all relevant, current and foreseen statutory regulations (including the Environmental Information Regulations), codes of practice and other requirements that we adopt;
• specifying that contractors comply with the same when working on our premises; and
• developing and maintaining emergency procedures for effectively dealing with significant hazards where they exist and limiting the risk to health and the environment.

Management - Communication

• communicating openly with staff and others, educating, training and motivating our colleagues, and other relevant persons and organisations to encourage them to support our environmental objectives; and
• responding appropriately to reasonable external requests for environment information.
  

Management - Purchasing

• Whether any goods or services are environmentally preferable will be an important factor when any purchasing decision is made.

Management - Estates

• Ensuring, where practicable, either through our own actions or by negotiation with any landlord, that buildings occupied by us are designed, constructed and operated to optimise their environmental performan

Management - Environment

• demonstrating that, where relevant, environmental issues are considered when making decisions, planning and developing policy, programmes and projects; and
• monitoring progress against the environmental aim and other indicators.

Objectives and Targets

We shall set annual environment improvement objectives and targets which are regularly monitored and reviewed.

We shall train and encourage our staff to implement our environmental policy. Our current targets are set out in Appendix 1 ‘Our environmental policy at work’. These objectives and targets shall be publicised throughout our organisation and all staff committed to their achievement.

Publication

This policy and the obligations and responsibilities required by any environmental management system implemented by us have been or will be communicated to all employees.

The policy is available to the public on request.

Tracey Hyde
Operations Director
Office Green Group (UK) Limited
August 2007  

APPENDIX 1

Our environmental policy at work

Line Managers will be in charge of implementing our environmental policy and training and encouraging our staff to reduce waste as much as possible. In particular the Company will

• Reduce paper use

• seek to maximise use of electronic systems and reduce consumption of paper
• seek opportunities to reuse material
• make note pads from scrap paper

• Reuse items and materials where possible

• provide suitable materials to a local school or scrap store
• investigate the potential for process efficiencies
• make a capital investment where this might reduce waste and return cost savings over an acceptable time span
• where available make use of waste exchange schemes - our company's waste may be another's raw material
• understand the basis of calculations for waste disposal charges - i.e. per bin emptied, or per unit weight
• arrange frequent invoicing to allow better monitoring
• check whether segregation of waste would save money (some materials cost more to dispose of than others)
• investigate the costs and benefits of purchasing a compactor to reduce the volume of waste to be disposed

• Recycle paper, cans, laser cartridges and other items for which there is a suitable recycling facility available

• look for information on local recycling companies
• consider segregation of waste - certain materials are more easily recycled than others
• consider a joint disposal contract with a neighbouring company with provisions for recycling
• consider recycling of toner cartridges, drinks cans and office paper
• understand and evaluate cost and charging mechanisms - charges may be based on a per lift basis, whether the bin is full or not

• Dispose of other items (such as batteries) safely and responsibly

Waste disposal may constitute a significant cost to our business. Considering the materials that are in the waste, the cost of purchasing the raw material, the cost of treatment, energy and wasted labour, the actual cost may be far greater than that of disposal. We will investigate ways to reduce material waste at all stages of production.
We will consider

• the cost of waste disposal
• the quantity of waste disposed from all processes
• which processes are least efficient/generate most waste
• how these could be avoided or reduced
• if there is an opportunity to return or reuse packaging
• alternative methods of packaging products

We will raise awareness among all our staff of the benefits of waste reduction by

• encouraging all staff to suggest ways to improve process efficiencies and reduce waste
• educating staff on all aspects of waste management
• using staff meetings as a means of raising awareness
• encouraging staff to take environmental issues into account when making purchases

We will improve our housekeeping to demonstrate that large savings can be made without any capital investment by

• designating and clearly labelling a waste compound
• producing clear instructions on disposal practices
• providing documented procedures for handling waste
• seeking to establish a regime of continuous improvement

• Save energy

Whether it is electricity, gas or alternative sources, energy constitutes a considerable fixed cost to our company. It is used both for heating and lighting and also to power equipment.
We will consider            

• what types of energy are used
• where it is used and lost
• when it is used and lost
• how it is used and lost
• what improvements could be made
• how further savings could be made

We will make our staff aware of the cost of electricity and how they can help make savings by

• encouraging all staff to suggest ways to reduce electricity used
• educating staff to purchase energy efficient equipment
• discussing heating levels with staff including security and cleaning staff
• using staff meetings as a means of raising awareness
• encouraging staff to report areas where energy is wasted
• making someone responsible for switching off electrical equipment before the weekends and holiday periods
• turning off lights when or where they are not needed

We will improve our housekeeping and aim to reduce energy bills by up to 15% by

• considering changing to alternative energy providers
• checking meter readings against invoices
• where possible reducing heating levels
• ensuring doors are not left open or fitting automatic closers where appropriate
• making use of natural light
• reducing the use of portable electrical appliances
• defrosting fridges and freezers on a regular basis
• checking that timers are set for the most appropriate times
• conducting an out-of-hours audit to see what's been left on
• identifying equipment which can be switched off when not in use
• using off peak electricity to charge batteries
• carrying out regular checks on thermostat settings

We will introduce low cost practical measures in the knowledge that they can have a significant impact.

• considering installing a 7-day electric time switch to permit different daily settings
• considering the use of slim line fluorescent tubes and low energy light bulbs
• considering reducing the number of fluorescent tubes in banks of lights
• making sure lights and windows are kept clean
• considering fitting motion sensors to lights
• investigating fitting local light switches
• reducing draughts from large open doors through plastic strip curtains, automatic closing doors or partitions
• replacing old kettles and energy intensive equipment
• ensuring sound insulation of all boilers and pipework

• Use water carefully (avoid running tap for long periods)

We will make our staff aware of the opportunities to make savings on both the input to, and output from, a site.

We will consider:

• the volume of water used
• the cost of this water
• the volume of trade effluents produced
• the cost of effluent discharge
• how consumption can be reduced
• how effluent production can be reduced

We will raise our employees’ awareness by

• making sure staff are aware that supplies are metered
• encouraging all staff to suggest ways to reduce consumption
• using staff meetings as a means of raising awareness
• encouraging staff to report any leaks
• making someone responsible for switching off water heaters before the start of holiday periods

We will review costs and charges by

• contacting the water company to discuss tariffs
• being aware that charges for sewage are closely related to charges for water supply
• being aware that if processes use a lot of water, lower rates may be appropriate

We will improve our housekeeping and introduce some simple measures which can result in significant savings by

• stopping leaks and drips
• checking that meters are working properly and that we are not being charged too much
• comparing bills and meter readings
• comparing daily and nightly consumption levels
• reducing immersion thermostat settings to 60c (every 10c reduction saves 15% energy)
• walking round at night and see what boilers are on
• setting immersion heaters to switch off an hour before the end of the working day
• considering PIR activation for urinals
• installing low volume cisterns

We will make our staff aware that large volumes of water are used, and lost, through washing activities, and we will consider improved washing practices and examine potential for reuse of water by

• investigating reuse of solvents
• always using cold water for washing unless hot water is necessary
• controlling and reducing washing
• wiping rather than spraying
• identifying and listing other low cost practical measures that could be introduced in our organisation.

• Turn heating down when not required

We will make our staff aware that heating costs rise by ~8% for each 1°C of overheating and we will encourage them to

• reduce overheating

• introduce recommended temperatures i.e. 19°C for offices, 16°C for workshops and 10°-12°C for stores and warehouses.

• Reduce car use by using public transport or walking, cycling or car sharing whenever possible

We will make our staff aware that transport costs form a significant percentage of the expenditure of many companies, whether or not distribution is a core element of the business processes. Significant savings can be made through the introduction of some straightforward low cost measures.
We will consider the areas where waste can be reduced and money saved, such as

• the annual cost of transportation
• the number of miles travelled
• which modes of transport are most efficient
• how transport distances can be reduced
• how more vehicles can be used more efficiently
• alternatives to road transport

We will raise awareness and educate our staff by

• encouraging all staff to suggest ways to reduce distances travelled
• educating staff to purchase fuel efficient vehicles
• using staff meetings as a means of raising awareness
• encouraging staff to share lifts to work
• training transport staff in fuel efficient driving techniques
• encouraging drivers to remove roof racks when not required
• encouraging car sharing
• setting up a training programme for driver awareness
• preparing a league table of efficient drivers and vehicles

We will improve our housekeeping and the maintenance of our vehicles by

• controlling vehicle washing
• setting up a schedule for servicing all vehicles
• ensuring tyres are checked for wear on a monthly basis
• ensuring that uneven wear is noted and the vehicle tracking is checked - 1 degree increases consumption by 3%
• ensuring that tyre pressure is checked weekly
• monitoring fuel consumption

We will plan our routes carefully and work with customers and suppliers to achieve transport efficiencies by

• planning all routes to minimise costs
• considering using a computer based route planning system
• checking whether delivery arrangements can be modified e.g. to allow bulk deliveries or share deliveries with neighbouring companies

We will discuss management issues with our staff in the realisation that high level policy decisions can have an impact at an operational level, and we will

• reimburse travel costs by paying mileage rates
• encourage careful driving techniques
• place restrictions on choice of company cars
• consider use of alternative fuels
• use e-mail/virtual conferencing to avoid unnecessary meetings and save time

• Observe any special environmental practices or requirements that apply to our particular work or workplace

Taking responsibility

We shall appoint someone to take responsibility for making improvements. This could be a manager or simply someone with a keen interest in improving business performance. This person must have support from senior colleagues. Whoever is appointed as the co-ordinator for implementation of your environmental policy, he or she will have to deal with some or all of the issues set out below.

Collecting information

The co-ordinator will collect whatever information is available. Bills for water, electricity and waste collection are often good places to start. A walk around the offices or workshop is a good way of spotting areas for improvement. Those areas producing the most waste or costing the most money are the best places to start.

Identifying quick savings

The best way of keeping people interested is by saving money. Once information has been collected, the more obvious areas where savings can be made most easily should be identified. We will invite staff to come forward with ideas for other ways to save money.

Making these savings

Savings then have to be made. This will raise interest and increase levels of support which in turn should make the following steps easier to take. Use team talks, set performance targets, have competitions, discuss issues with customers and suppliers. And remember, savings could be used to fund further improvements.

Longer-term planning

Having made some quick gains, the co-ordinator could consider planning for further savings. One way to do this is by looking at process flows - this will help to prioritise action areas.

This appendix was last updated
on 6 August 2007