Environmental policy
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NPC’s environmental policy
Climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution and unsustainable use of resources are challenges facing all businesses and individuals. New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) acknowledges that its activities have an effect on the environment and is committed to improving its environmental impacts through our operations and by encouraging staff to adopt sustainable practices and behaviours whilst at work. We adhere to the following principles to reduce our environmental impact.
Principle 1: Facilities commitments
NPC is located in a managed office and as such has very limited influence over all of the decisions made in our building, but we do have control over the decisions made in our demise.
Energy consumption
Avoid unnecessary energy consumption by:
- Providing information and advice to staff on how to efficiently use heating and cooling technologies in the office.
- Ensuring IT and other equipment is switched off/unplugged at the end of the day.
- Ensuring that lighting in each area of the office is switched on only when needed.
Reducing, reusing, recycling and waste management
Reduce the amount of waste produced by:
- Encouraging staff not to print unless they need to, and when they do need to, to print double-sided and grey-scale.
- Encouraging staff to minimise printing for external purposes (e.g. client reports, training materials).
- Recycling materials such as paper, cardboard and printer cartridges.
- Encouraging staff to make use of designated recycling bins for cans and tins, glass, plastic bottles, cardboard and food waste.
- Encouraging staff to reuse especially paper, office stationery and equipment.
- Using electronic media over paper subscriptions wherever possible.
- Recycling or refurbishing IT and other office equipment.
- Providing glasses, mugs, crockery and cutlery rather than disposable plastic cups.
- Encouraging staff to minimise the purchase and use of single use plastics.
Cleaning
Within the parameters permitted by Covid-19 health & safety guidelines, avoid using harmful chemicals by:
- Working with our cleaners to ensure that the cleaning products used in the office are non-toxic and bought in bulk to reduce transport emissions.
Principle 2: Travel commitments
Avoid unnecessary travel and, when required, travelling by the lowest carbon means possible by:
- Encouraging staff to commute by foot or bicycle through our bicycle loan scheme or to take public transport through our season ticket loan scheme.
- Promoting flexible working practices such as working from home, using telephone, video or web conferencing facilities, email or other technologies to minimise work-related travel.
- Offsetting carbon emissions through Climate Care, who support activities that help reduce CO2 emissions.
- Reducing air travel wherever possible.
Principle 3: Procurement
Work with suppliers that provide products and services with low or positive environmental impacts as far as possible, while balancing expense and productivity by:
- Procuring products that reduce resource use, such as recycled office paper.
- Sourcing supplies and services locally when possible to reduce delivery and transportation.
Principle 4: Awareness
Promote the communication of environmental policies and practices throughout the organisation by:
- Providing information to all employees about the environmental policy, including new starters as part of our induction processes.
- Providing our policy to all interested parties.
Action for the future
We recognise the this is an evolving area with new products and practices becoming available. We have identified the following potential opportunities for further improvement.
- Use our influence to encourage our partners, service providers, donors and other stakeholders to take action on environmental sustainability issues.
- Embed the environment into our project work, both consulting and think tank, for example by including in client kick off meeting and working with clients to agree low carbon delivery methods wherever possible.
- Provide guidance on staff on efficient use of radiators and air conditioning –e.g. signs reminding staff on how to use.
- Talk to our pension provider about investment options to minimise environmental impact.
- Explore options to improve the environmental impact of our events.
- Assess the cost-benefit of an external environment audit.
- Think about how we might influence building manager and other tenants.
- Invite suggestions from staff for ongoing improvements.