Richard Laverick, Director of Corporate Sustainability outlines the measures ADAS has in place to minimse it's environmental impact.
As a business offering environmental solutions to practically every sector of the UK economy, we are conscious of the need to minimise our own environmental impact. The benefits are clear: reduced costs, improved operating efficiency, reduced risk, the ability to attract and retain the best staff and adapting to the future impacts of climate change all make the business more resilient.
By working closely with clients and suppliers, we aim to deliver improved environmental performance along the whole value chain. Internally, we have taken a rigorous approach to understanding and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. As part of Defra’s sustainable procurement initiative, we complete an annual return to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), currently the most demanding assessment.
Independent benchmarking completed on behalf of the CDP put ADAS’s performance above that of the sector average in all key areas of performance and understanding. We have introduced water miser systems, a company-wide energy plan and a group-wide waste management plan. Currently we are on track to reduce:
• Scope 1 emissions by 10 per cent by 2015 (Direct emissions from on-site oil and gas heating)
• Scope 2 emissions by 10 per cent by 2015 (Indirect emissions from grid electricity)
• Scope 3 business travel emissions to 0.200kgs CO2e/mile by 2015
And we have also reduced waste to landfill by 20 per cent since our Ban the Bin initiative was introduced.
We have initiated a proactive supplier engagement programme in the past twelve months and have held workshops to improve waste management, energy management and sustainable procurement among our suppliers.
By building an understanding of the importance of sustainability within the company both to the planet and the success of the business we are all motivated to reduce the environmental impact of operating practice.
It is a testament to our commitment that we were named the best environmental consultancy to work for in 2009 & 2010 and won best sustainability communications campaign in 2010.
For more information on Corporate Sustainabilty please contact Richard Laverick on 01432 820444 or email richard.laverick@adas.co.uk.