EnvironmentalPolicy

Our organisation operates to a framework that demonstrates an effective environmental management system. We can provide assurance to company management and employees as well as external stakeholds that environmental impact is being measured and improved.

Within the culture of growing environmental awareness, increasingly stringent legislation, and other factors promoting environmental protection and best practice, we are determined to achieve and demonstrate sound environmental performance by controlling the environmental impact of our activities, products and services.

We are increasingly concerned about the environment and recognise that good environmental management must be an integral and fundamental part of our corporate business strategy. Helping to save the environment is not only paramount for our future but also our business and we are fully committed to this challenge.

This statement 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 impact of our goods and services, as we cannot control or influence our suppliers environmental impact.

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

• 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 or recycling. By using refurbished/recycled products or materials where such alternatives are economical and suitable;

• 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).

• Implementing and promoting our zero to landfill philosophy to encourage re-use and recycling;

• Monitoring relevant discharges and emissions to air, land and water to ascertain what action is necessary to reduce pollution or the risk of pollution;

• 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.

• 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;

• Developing and maintaining emergency procedures for effectively dealing with significant hazards where they exist and limiting the risk to health and the environment.

• 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;

• Responding appropriately to reasonable external requests for environment information.

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

• 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 performance.

• Initiating and pursuing our cartridge recycling programme and zero to landfill philosophy;

• Demonstrating that, where relevant, environmental issues are considered when making decisions, planning and developing policy, programmes and projects;

• Monitoring progress against the environmental aim and other indicators.

• Setting annual environment improvement objectives and targets which will be regularly monitored and reviewed;

• Progressing the development of our cartridge recycling programme in line with growth target;

• Training and encouraging our staff to implement our environmental policy;

• Publicising these objectives and targets throughout our organisation and ensuring that all staff are committed to their achievement.

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.