Environmental and Sustainability Policy

Environmental Sustainability Statement

Sustainability is defined as meeting present needs - social, environmental, and economic - without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. County Contractors recognises that its operations can have harmful effects on both local and global environments, so we must ensure that we include environmental and sustainability needs in all aspects of our operations, to minimise the impact of our works.
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We are committed to ensuring that everyone has access to enough resources to keep their families and communities healthy and secure, both now and in the future. Therefore, there is a need for us to continually monitor the environmental and sustainability impacts of our operations, and to do this we must set objectives and performance targets, and regularly review them by:

• Ensuring we meet all of the relevant legislation and regulation codes of practice relating to our activities.
• Taking a responsible approach to refurbishment by encouraging a focus on whole life costs, sustainability, and integrating environmentally responsible behaviour throughout our operations.
• Providing all appropriate resources to meet the commitments of this policy and not prioritising funding needs ahead of sustainability requirements.
• Continuously reviewing and improving our management systems, practices, and procedures at each stage of construction to ensure that environment and sustainability remains the foremost consideration.
• Reviewing our policy and targets through monitoring our environmental and sustainability performance with annual reporting to share progress and performance.
• Providing appropriate training, advice, and information on environmental awareness for the workforce, assessing risks and controls and encouraging development of new ideas and initiatives.
• Communicating this policy and raising awareness of sustainability within the supply chain to workforce, clients, subcontractors, and suppliers, so that they are aware of our commitments and encourage them to reduce consumption, re-use and re-cycle.
• Considering Net Zero in our targets, minimising the impact of our Business Carbon Footprint through reducing GHG Emissions produced by the company from property and transport.
• Reducing the company consumption of water and energy, and ensure sensible selection and management of water, energy, equipment, plant, and fleet transport.
• Minimising our use of resources and waste by targeting waste to landfill through reducing, re-using and recycling wherever possible.
• Ensuring management of emission of pollutants, noise and dust on sites through best practice, considerate storage, treatment, and appropriate disposal of any waste, hazardous or potentially toxic materials.
• Protecting the environment and preventing pollution, through promoting and encouraging involvement in any local environmental initiatives and schemes that our sites could impact.

[fs-toc-H2]Our Company Strategy

County Contractors are committed to the continuous effort to instil sustainability into the many aspects of its operations, and ensure that the workers’ well-being, social performance, and environmental impact of the business are in line with our policies. For us to achieve our environmental and sustainability targets we must look at all the following factors:

• Climate Change and Net Zero 2050 Target
• Sustainable Development
• Information and Training
• Supply Chain and Sustainable Procurement
• Water and Energy Usage
• Transport and Travel
• Paper Usage
• Waste Management
• IT Equipment Recycling
• Emissions and Harmful Substances

[fs-toc-H2]Climate Change and Net Zero 2050 Target

Climate change is the one of the greatest environmental challenges facing the world today. Rising global temperatures due to greenhouse gases (GHG) are bringing changes in weather patterns, rising sea levels and increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather. All over the world this threatens the way we live our lives, our homes, our businesses, our food supply, our security.

Carbon dioxide accounts for about 75% of global emissions and is expected to be responsible for about two thirds of the anticipated future warming. Our company carbon footprint is the total amount of GHG (including carbon dioxide and methane) that are generated by our actions. To protect our environment, it’s important for us to reduce the amount that we release into the atmosphere. By taking action to reduce carbon emissions, we can help lessen the impacts of climate change and create a more sustainable future for ourselves and future generations:

• Adopt sustainable practices in our daily lives and works.
• Being more efficient with energy use
• Using cleaner and renewable sources of energy.
• Reducing waste
• Minimise the impact of all GHG Emissions produced by the company from property and transport
  considering:
  • Natural Gas - Office boilers.
  • Electricity - Offices and EV chargers.
  • Diesel – Company fleet vans, cars and private cars used for business.
  • Petrol - Company fleets cars and private cars used for business.

The Government believe that we can all achieve significant reductions in the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions if businesses reduce their demand for energy and learn to use energy more efficiently. As a company we are required to report our energy usage and our carbon footprint GHG emissions annually on our Directors Report. This includes the company office use of gas, electricity, and fuels for the company vehicles, but doesn’t include anything used by the company paid for by a third party, such as electricity used on client sites.

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[fs-toc-H2]Sustainable Development

To achieve true sustainability, we need to balance economic, social and environmental sustainability factors in equal
harmony. These may be defined as follows:

• Economic Sustainability: Use resources efficiently and responsibly so that it can operate in a sustainable manner to consistently produce an operational profit and to sustain activities.
  • All refurbishment design processes and systems of work should incorporate environmental and sustainability considerations, with appropriate measures to control them or seek alternative solutions which encourage sustainable construction, and in partnership with clients’ consultants.
  • Long term efficient planning to maintain profitability without depleting natural or social capital.
  • Reducing waste and reusing materials to foster economic resilience.
• Social Sustainability: The ability of society, or any social system, to persistently achieve a good social wellbeing that can be maintained in the long term.
  • SFR POLICY 023 Ethical Trading Policy
  • SFR POLICY 011 Equality Diversity and Inclusion Policy
  • SFR POLICY 008 Modern Slavery Illegal Workers and Human Trafficking Policy
• Environmental Sustainability: All environmental systems need to be kept in balance and monitored so that the natural resources within them are only consumed at a rate where they can replenish themselves.
  • Monitor and reduce our use of natural resources.
  • Protection of the environment around our sites.
  • Aspire to net zero carbon and beyond to ultimately achieve climate positive principles.

[fs-toc-H2]Information and Training

Environmental information and training for the workforce are crucial for embedding sustainability into business operations, ensuring regulatory compliance, and fostering a culture of environmental responsibility:
• Our environmental and sustainability awareness information and training is delivered through induction, and toolbox talks directly to site to educate on reducing waste, improving energy efficiency, and complying with regulations.
• This policy will be communicated to all on the workforce and working on our behalf by ensuring that the policy is visible and available on internal communications. It will also be made available to relevant third parties.

[fs-toc-H2]Supply Chain and Sustainable Procurement

Ethical and sustainable procurement is the process of purchasing goods and services that considers the social, economic, and environmental impact that such purchasing has on people and their communities. We are committed to ensuring that the products and services that we buy comply with all legal requirements, meet all environmental standards, and also incorporate how they will be eventually disposed of. We will expect our projects and the approved Supply Chain to demonstrate compliance with our standards and management systems as follows:

• Include ethical and sustainability issues as part of our subcontractors and supplier’s appointment process and we will promote this policy to anyone undertaking the work on our behalf, to ensure that their practices match our own.
• Ensure that all products procured carry the (UKCA) marking that indicates conformity with the applicable requirements for products sold within Great Britain, or a (CE) marking that indicates compliance with EU requirements.
• Pursue good practice in relation to the purchase of legal and sustainable timber products and timber supplies following standards such as (PEFC), or (FSC).
• Encourage and procure any ethical fair trading and employment certified products.
• Procure only durable goods and services, which reflect up-to–date specifications or standards for environmental sustainability.
• Prohibit the use of products or processes, which are potentially damaging to the environment, such as toxic materials or refrigerants with global warming potential, where a less environmentally damaging alternative is available.
• Procure recycled office paper products and encourage the reuse and recycling of wastepaper where possible.
• Where feasible reduce the purchases of new products by re-using existing products.
• Where possible purchase local products and services.

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[fs-toc-H2]Water and Energy Usage

We are constantly looking at ways to improve our water and energy efficiency and reduce the amount we use, to provide the best possible environment for all. When we review our water and energy services, primarily at the company offices as we can’t include anything used by the company paid by client sites, we will look at how we can maximize our performance, but also how we can reduce our operating expenses by actively and responsibly managing our consumption by:

• Regular review of bills and rates for water, natural gas, diesel, petrol and electricity.
• Seek to purchase energy from suppliers committed to renewable sources of energy.
• Introducing new technology when appropriate, for example, hybrid and electric technology.
• Refreshing the equipment in the office to ensure its up to date and is as energy efficient as possible.
• Monitoring the energy usage in the office following the LED lighting upgrade and PIR installation, to identify any further energy saving measures.
• Try to use air conditioning and heating less by keeping the temperatures at moderate rates all the time. Additionally, when workers are away during the day, night, or weekends, turn down the heat.
• Switch off lights and appliances when not in use (lights/monitors/water boiler/photocopiers).
• Use water sparingly, including the dishwasher.

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[fs-toc-H2]Transport and Travel

Transport is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK, especially commuter and business travel. The company shall work towards continuously improving the environmental impact its activities contribute to by changing the culture of travel within the organisation through a workplace travel plan:

• Encourage the use of green technology in cars, e.g., hybrid or electric and as energy efficient as possible.
• Reducing the Company vehicles (fleet vans or company cars) emissions.
• Reduce the environmental impact of transport logistics by using work vehicles more efficiently.
• Promoting car sharing, or the use of public transport.
• Encourage staff to cycle, walk, or alternative transport methods to get to work.
• Encourage technologies to communicate, rather than travel to meetings.

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[fs-toc-H2]Paper Usage

The use of paper is still high despite the idea that technology would bring about the paperless office, our aim is to reduce the negative environmental impacts of paper consumption through the promotion of environmentally responsible sourcing, use, and waste processes:

• Paper purchased must be responsibly sourced with an accredited label and a high-recycled content -suppliers are aware of the companies’ paper purchasing requirements and have access to suitable paper products.
• Encouragement is given to reuse instead of purchasing new office materials.
• Unwanted single sided photocopies, and unused or outdated stationery, to be used as scrap paper.
• Computers are defaulted to print double-sided.
• Printers are defaulted to print in black and white where possible.
• Use electronic communications where possible.
• Do not print emails unless necessary.
• Where reasonably practical all documents are stored electronically.

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[fs-toc-H2]Waste Management

We are committed to encouraging all our operations to manage their waste by:

• Evaluating all our operations and ensuring that they are as efficient as possible, encouraging more efficient waste management on projects.
• A Waste Management Plan should be incorporated into CPP at the beginning of larger projects.
• Site recycling aim for waste 0% to landfill. Targeting waste to landfill by using reduction, re-use, and recycling methods at every opportunity.
• Buying products with minimal packaging.
• Minimise our use of consumables by identifying opportunities to reduce waste.
• Managing materials at the end of their life to minimise their impact on the environment.
• Offices and welfare on sites provided with separate general waste, a reusable dry mixed recycling, and food waste bins in line with legislation.
• TBT’s and signposting in offices and sites to educate workers on the proper waste and recycling methods and to encourage sustainability.

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[fs-toc-H2]IT Equipment Recycling

We follow an SFR 062 IT Equipment Disposal procedure to manage the disposal of IT equipment following secure, compliant electronic waste disposal and asset recycling measures, this will ensure that we comply with our data protection obligations as well as to help reduce the impact on the environment:

• Possibly given to our incumbent IT Support Company for use for parts/testing.
• Donated to schools for a hardware Tech Club or refurbished by a local company for disadvantaged families.
• If there is a necessity for recycling, then the equipment will be stored until there is a large enough quantity
  to fill a ‘green/WEEE’ box.

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[fs-toc-H2]Emissions and Harmful Substances

We are committed to providing and maintaining a safe and healthy workplace to protect its workforce and visitors from exposure to harmful emissions and hazardous substances. Any materials used, or encountered during work, which has the potential for harming health, will be subject to an Assessment carried out under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002:

• Minimise the emission of pollutants and noise on sites generated during work activities (e.g. fumes).
• Minimise the emission of naturally occurring substances (e.g. wood dust).
• Consider the storage, treatment, and appropriate disposal of any waste, hazardous or potentially toxic materials used directly in work activities (e.g. adhesives, paints, cleaning agents).
• Consider biological agents that could be encountered (e.g., bacteria and other micro-organisms).

When exposure cannot be prevented, the company will implement steps to control it adequately by applying the principles of good control practice by:

• Phase out any hazardous and high-risk chemicals used and replace with green substances.
• Using only non-toxic products.
• Minimising use of solvents and lead-based paints waste.

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[fs-toc-H2]Measuring our Progress

Our annual company review and projected targets will be set out in an annual Performance Report in line with all our policy commitments.

[fs-toc-H2]Responsibilities and review

Although everyone is responsible for good environmental performance and ongoing sustainability, the Board has overall responsibility for protecting the environment by setting objectives for our operations and ensuring that environmental sustainability matters are integral to the way in which we manage our business.

This policy will be regularly monitored to ensure that the aims are achieved.