This policy applies to all Growth Company (GC) colleagues, associates, secondees, agency colleague and third parties who undertake activity for, and on behalf of, GC. It applies to the goods and services we procure, our direct operations and the services we provide to our customers. GC operates within a suite of interdependent policies and their procedures, which are implemented collectively to deliver the objectives of the Environmental Policy.
To provide an effective framework for realising GC’s commitment to protecting, and where possible enhancing, the environment by reducing the Group’s environmental impacts, preventing pollution, mitigating and adapting to climate change and a low carbon future.
All colleagues including associates, secondees, agency colleagues and third parties are responsible for ensuring that this Policy is adhered to. In addition, those colleagues who procure goods and services should follow GC’s Procurement Policy including the requirement to include social value considerations which include environmental issues. As referenced, some activities within the scope of this Policy are covered by additional dedicated policies and procedures to ensure that the objectives of this Policy are delivered.
GC is a group of companies that works in partnership with others to enable growth, create jobs and improve the lives of residents and local communities. The Group delivers activities across the service areas: Business Support & Finance, Commercial, Corporate Services, Skills & Education, Employment, International and Green Services. With over 1,525 (1,494 FTE) colleagues across 48 sites, the Group recognises that its activities impact the environment in several ways, principally through:
In recognising GC’s need to reduce it environmental impact, it has set a target to be Net Zero by 2035. The following actions will be taken to support this ambition, as well as its commitment to protecting the environment and continually improving its environmental performance by:
Specifically, we will:
In addition, there are specific policies that address the individual environmental impacts:
GC has implemented several Strategic Priorities and Objectives related to Environmental Sustainability. These objectives are reviewed at set intervals and reported to the GC Board.
To realise our environmental objectives GC both recognises the need for, and is committed to, communicating our environmental commitments and performance to our suppliers, colleagues, customers and wider stakeholders. This is achieved via our procurement processes, and our existing communication channels to colleagues including the GC Business Plan, our policy management system and group wide awareness raising emails.
This policy and the actions arising from it will be annually reviewed as part of the business planning process, which involves input from GC’s Senior Leadership and Management Teams.
Version 6 June 2024