1. Introduction
The environment and its needs are at the forefront of everything we do. We play a critical role in protecting and enhancing it, which is why we must look after our resources, continuously evolve our processes, and work with our communities to succeed together.
To ensure we achieve our goals, we’ll regularly review and update our Environment Policy, seeking customer and supply-chain input to make sure the company provides a service which meets and exceeds performance expectations.
The company cares deeply about the environment, which is why our colleagues understand and take responsibility for our environmental management and impact. Reconnecting with communities who care for the environment is big part of what we need to do. Taking care of the places and world we live in, will provide a natural, flourishing and sustainable environment for all. Our part in this is significant and one we are fully committed to.
May 2024
Version 12
2. What we will do:
- Listen to the needs and wants of our customers when developing and delivering this policy. Ensuring the needs of the local communities we work within are realised.
- Meet or exceed the environmental requirements of legislation, regulation and standards.
- Continually improve our performance which involves regularly reviewing this policy and maintaining our Environmental Management System to the ISO 14001 standard.
- Make publicly available our environmental performance data and reports, including improvement plans, progress and strategic direction.
- Work closely with our partners, stakeholders, and customers to find long-term solutions to the complex environmental issues we face.
- Be a trusted environmental steward that our communities want us to be.
- Cultivate a strong environmental mindset across the business through training, recognising, and developing the skills and knowledge required to improve our environmental performance.
- Embed an integrated catchment management approach to solving environmental problems at source.
- Consider opportunities to mitigate and build resilience to climate change. This includes the reduction of carbon emissions (actions detailed in our embedded Carbon Policy).
- Avoid and/or contain situations that could adversely impact the environment, e.g. serious pollution incidents caused by network blockages or asset failures.
- Reduce the procurement of plastics within our business processes (actions detailed in our Plastics Policy).
- Embed natural capital into our decision making to ensure we are making best value decisions that deliver public value.
- Deliver nature-based and environmental net-gain solutions, contributing to and enhancing nature.
- Deliver on our Biodiversity Performance Commitment to improve biodiversity within our landholdings and wider area (actions detailed in our Biodiversity Policy).
- Promote the purchase and use of materials that minimises the potential effects on the environmental.
- Minimise waste by first considering prevention, then reuse, recycling and finally recovery. We will aim to send zero waste to Landfill.
- During asset delivery, maintain sound environmental performance to protect biodiversity and natural ecosystems.