Sustainability Policy

1.        Policy Statement

The earth’s environment is under severe stress from uncontrolled human activity.

Charles Cameron & Associates (CC&A) recognises our obligation to minimising our harm to the environment and that we need to do all that we can to help with the preservation of the planet at every level of our operations, not just in practice, but as a participant in a community, as well as the social discourse of the United Kingdom.

By maximising the effective use of resources, we hope to minimise our impact on our environment.

We strive to achieve this in accordance with this policy, by increasing awareness of our efforts, communicating and promoting a behaviour amongst staff of environmental responsibility.

We are committed to complying with every applicable law within all of our operations and have developed a methodology to help us measure and monitor our environmental performance, throughout our business and also the wider community.

2.        Purpose

This Environmental Sustainability Policy aims to integrate a philosophy of sustainable development into CC&A’s activities which are core to the conduct of our business and to establish and promote sound environmental practice in our operations.  This policy is supported by a series of statements, which are detailed in Appendix 1 our policy.

3.        Scope

This policy applies to all staff within CC&A (meaning permanent, fixed term, and temporary staff, any third-party representatives or sub-contractors, agency workers, volunteers, interns and agents engaged with CC&A in the UK or overseas). Adherence to this policy is mandatory and non-compliance could lead to disciplinary action.

4.        Responsibility for the Policy

The Charles Cameron & Associates Ltd Board of Directors has overall responsibility for establishing, implementing and maintaining the Environmental Sustainability policy and procedures.

Management is responsible for ensuring the communication of this policy and procedures to their teams ensuring that they understand and comply with this policy and are appropriately informed of the issues of environmental sustainability.

5.        Compliance with this Policy

All staff must ensure that they read, understand and comply with this policy. Staff are required to avoid any activity that might lead to, or suggest, a breach of this policy.

(Appendix 1) The Policy

Charles Cameron & Associates commits itself to minimising its impact on our environment through:

• Having an environmentally sustainable aware culture, where responsibility is assigned and understood

• Being an environmentally responsible neighbour in our community

• Conserving natural resources by reusing and recycling where we able to do so

• Using, in our own operations, processes that do not adversely affect the environment

• Ensuring the responsible use of energy throughout the organisation

• Continuously investing in ecological and social projects to offset our carbon footprint

• Reducing the use of paper in our office and reducing the reliance on single-use plastics

• Conducting evaluations and self-assessments of the implementation of this policy

• Working with suppliers who promote sound environmental and social practices

• Enhancing awareness among our employees by educating and motivating them to act in an environmentally responsible manner.

Procedures

• Charles Cameron & Associates will develop guidelines for staff to adopt sound environmental work practices, and adequate training will be provided to ensure these practices are carried out.

• Charles Cameron & Associates will act responsibly to correct incidents or conditions that endanger health, safety, or the environment. It will promptly report any such incidents to the relevant authorities and inform affected parties as appropriate.

• Charles Cameron & Associates will use reasonable endeavours to reuse and recycle materials, purchase recycled materials, and use recyclable packaging and other materials.

• Charles Cameron & Associates will use all reasonable endeavours to minimise materials and energy use, prevent air, water, and other pollution, and dispose of waste safely and responsibly.

• Charles Cameron & Associates will use all reasonable endeavours to conserve energy by improving energy efficiency and giving preference to renewable over non-renewable energy sources when feasible.

• Charles Cameron & Associates will use reasonable endeavours to, utilise its particular knowledge and experience to contribute to environmentally sustainable techniques, technology, knowledge and methods.

• In order to continually improve its environmental management, Charles Cameron & Associates will use reasonable endeavours to conduct audits and self-assessments of its compliance with this policy.

• Charles Cameron & Associates will maintain an open and honest dialogue with staff, about the environmental performance of its operations and services.

• Charles Cameron & Associates will use reasonable endeavours to ensure that every employee, volunteer and contractor is informed of and expected to follow this policy and to report any environmental, health, or safety concern to management so that prompt action may be taken.

• Charles Cameron & Associates will plant one tree for every mortgage completed, and two for every re-mortgage completed, on a monthly basis via our climate change partner, Earthly.