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Environmental, Social, Governance Position Paper - Spring 2022

Introduction 

For 25 years we have been at the frontline of mitigating the environmental impact our customers and our own operations have. 

We were the first company operating in our region to take the recycling of waste materials seriously and that ethos still informs our work today. 

Businesses in the southern half of Greater Manchester and northern areas of Cheshire have relied on us to deliver the services they need while providing reassurance that we are doing everything we can to divert waste from landfill and reuse or recycle as much of these precious resources as possible. 

We have done this to build a viable and sustainable business and the world has gradually caught up with our approach. Many organisations have an environmental policy or approach but with us, it is engrained in our DNA – it is a business-critical purpose which impacts every single part of our operation. 

There is no better sustainable business methodology than to use your local supplier – our policy is to use suppliers from within just 25 miles of our HQ. This is something we live and breathe and passionately believe is the right – and most sustainable – way to operate.

But, we also recognise we have a responsibility to do more. More for our staff and more for our customers. More for the environment. 

This position paper sets out our current ESG activity and sets our vision for an even more sustainable future

Environment 

Alongside collecting, recycling and diverting waste from landfill, we have taken many decisions at boardroom level which reduce our environmental impact. 

Here are the headline actions: 

  • At least half of the waste we collect is recycled and put to new uses 
  • 100% of collected waste if diverted from landfill 
  • 100% of collected card and paper recycled 
  • 100% of recovered waste electronics (WEEE) recycled 
  • 100% of business car fleet converted to EV 
  • Unrecyclable waste used to generate electricity at a waste to energy facility 
  • Significant investment in vehicle collection fleet which all meet the Euro 6 emissions standards 
  • Ongoing investment in preventative maintenance to vehicles 
  • Collection route optimisation software to maximise efficiency and reduce ‘ghost’ miles 
  • 25,000 trees planted in partnership with the National Trust in the north west and plans to plant 5,000 more 
  • Track, calculate and offset our carbon footprint achieving the Carbon Footprint Standard

Social 

Our people are the most important part of our operation. We demand conscientious, committed and courteous staff and, in return, we operate on a basis of trust and mutual respect. Many of our team are family people and the board fully understands the challenges families face. Whether that being squeezed by the cost of living or practical arrangements for childcare, we do as much as we can to accommodate and understand. Specifically:

  • Business hours set to be family-friendly enabling school / childcare drop off and collection 
  • All staff paid a living wage at, at least, double the rate recommended by the Living Wage Foundation 
  • Ongoing training and development of all staff 
  • Focus on staff wellbeing 


Governance 

Our working practices are regularly inspected and authorised by a number of accrediting organisations, in line with legal requirements and our commitment to quality and transparency. 

You can view our latest set of accreditation certificates and licences here. These are made available for customers and other interested parties audit and environmental reporting purposes

Our vision for the future 

Over the coming years we will continue to invest in the latest systems and remain agile enough to implement fresh thinking and new ways of working. These will enable us to continue delivering great service to our customers which won’t cost the earth. 

We are actively looking at ways to reduce the company’s energy and water consumption and are pursuing options to move to green alternatives to diesel fuel for collection vehicles. 

Until these are commercially available, we will continue to use the most fuel-efficient vehicles as possible on the most efficient routes possible. 

While we currently track, measure and offset our own carbon footprint, we are developing a method of including Scope Three emissions within our offset.