Date published: September 10, 2020
In our last article, we introduced the role that corporate social responsibility (CSR) plays in our strategic planning and how we work with clients such as housing associations, local authorities, and private sector companies.
The UK adopted a range of targets as part of its 25-year environment plan in 2019. We believe we have a duty to help toward achieving these goals, and the environmental goals of our clients. However, we also believe that we should go even further. Thus, we have also embraced the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Consequently, we have revised our management programmes to ensure that we protect the planet whilst promoting prosperity. We are doing all we can to help create communities and environments that benefit from:
In this article, we explain a little more about our commitment to maintaining a sustainable environment.
Whatever a business does, it affects the environment. Even by introducing small environmental CSR responsibilities into how we work, we can limit environmental damage and help create a greener and more sustainable environment locally. All these measures feed into the global response to climate change.
Our responsibility to the environment and our commitment to it helps us to focus our strategies and activities on factors that include:
There are, of course, laws in place that ensure companies do the right thing for the environment – for example, laws surrounding reporting of greenhouse gas emissions. But, as with all our working strategies, we go further than the law requires.
We are constantly evaluating what we do and how we do it, and building our working practices in line with evolving science and adapting to our clients’ focus.
As part of our commitment to environmental CSR, we have developed a set of policies that guide our working and operational practices.
From small measures (e.g. switching off lights and equipment when not in use) to large-scale change (such as better fleet management to reduce carbon emissions and targeting zero waste paint going to landfill), environmental considerations are core to how we work.
Our sustainability strategy aims to minimise the impact of our work on the environment. This includes how we source materials, the way we deliver our work, our waste management and recycling processes, and ensuring compliance to all applicable laws and regulations.
You’ll notice our commitment to the environment in the way that we manage environmental and quality aspects of our project and programmes through our Integrated Management System (IMS).
We conduct pre-start environmental risk assessments for projects. Among many benefits, this helps us:
Our IMS also enables us to measure, manage and improve our environmental impacts continuously. We plan for efficiency, covering elements such as:
Saving, protecting and sustaining the environment is a long game. We know that results cannot be achieved overnight, but we are very proud of the results that we have achieved because of our environmental CSR strategies.
These results also provide an indication of our long-term and continuous commitment to CSR:
When we partner with you on your property maintenance projects, you can be sure that we will commit to minimising the environmental effects from necessary works. We’ll work with you to help you achieve your environmental goals.
One such example is our Orbit Housing external works programme where we achieve levels of over 98% diversion away from landfill. We manage this having established an arrangement with our local licensed waste removal contractor. Only asbestos-containing materials are not recycled.
To learn more about our corporate social responsibility policies and strategies, and the positive impact they have on people, our planet, and prosperity, contact Hankinson today. Alternatively, message our Head of CSR, Jeremy Hankinson to discover how we deliver community benefits that make a real difference.
Office 2 Prenton Business Park, Prenton Way, CH43 3EA
