Environmental and Sustainability Policy

Environmental and Sustainability Development Policy

Erian Ltd t/as Butterfly Care

Policy Statement

Environmental Management

This organisation believes that environmental issues such as pollution, waste management, energy and water conservation, transport issues, and the recycling of resources, should be important items on the agenda of the modern employer. This organisation believes that it must act in a responsible, sustainable, and ethical way and work towards contributing to nationally agreed environmental objectives.

The organisation understands that such sustainable development aims to maintain the quality of the environment, both now and for generations to come. We understand any negative impact of activities on the environment  and we strive to make a positive contribution in reducing it and support people to do the same.

Carbon Net Zero and Carbon Neutral

The Carbon Net Zero Plan sets out how the UK will deliver on its commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2030. It outlines measures to move to a green and sustainable future. The government will assist businesses to move to clean power, reducing Britain’s reliance on imported fossil fuels and price spikes by boosting clean energy.

Net Zero refers to the balance between the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) that is produced and the amount that is removed from the atmosphere. It can be achieved through a combination of emission reduction and emission removal.

As a climate change leader, this organisation will explore various other methods to become a net-zero carbon business by 2030. This will include UN certified carbon offset packages which are available through organisations such as Ripple Africa and Carbon Neutral Britain as well as other organisations involved in environmental projects such as Carma UK.

The Circular Economy

As an organisation we support the principles of the Circular Economy of reduce, reuse and recycle waste. This aims to turn all waste into a resource by reintroducing them into the production cycle instead of product disposal at the end of their useful life.

Organisation Background Information

This organisation’s offices all occupy leased parts of larger buildings and therefore the organisation has no control of overall building emissions, energy usage, or waste. We encourage all staff to develop a sustainable approach to their work and make the most efficient and effective use of all resources.

This organisation encourages office staff to use sustainable modes of transport to commute to work. We aim to deploy carers in tight geographical areas to minimise travel, and we can offer positions to several carers who can walk their round of calls. However, due to the nature of the care work and the requirement to provide care at unsocial hours and in rural areas, it remains a challenge to move away from the traditional need for carers with car transport. Public transport and bikes cannot sustain the care provision and would undoubtedly impede efficiency or effectiveness.

Environment and sustainbility is included in staff induction and on-going training.

Butterfly Care is an approved member of the SME Climate Hub as an organisation committed to achieving Carbon Net Zero by 2030.

Butterfly Care has been working towards becoming a paperless organisation for a number of years with digital care plans, staff files and records. (There is still a need to supply clients with a paper copy of their care plans).

Butterfly Care reduced the amount of office space being used in 2021 to prevent unecessary energy useage and the need for duplicate equipment across two sites.

 Immediate Carbon Reduction Initiatives include the following:

• The conservation of energy, wood, paper, horticulture, and water.
• The reduction of pollution, especially pollution by ozone-depleting substances, vehicle emissions, asbestos, hazardous substances, batteries, solvents and paints, biodegradables, and litter.
• The procurement of supplies and resources from renewable or environmentally friendly sources.
• Responsible waste management.

• Achieve Carbo Neutral by June 2024
• Achieve Net Zero by 2030

Electrical and Electronic Equipment

Local “Recycle Your Electricals” Scheme (Donating or recycling)

Bath and Northeast Somerset 

Recycle Your Electricals https://www.recycleyourelectricals.org.uk/electrical-recycling-near-me/?rye-postcode=Bath,%20UK

Westbury, Warminster and Trowbridge

https://www.recycleyourelectricals.org.uk/electrical-recycling-near-me/?rye-postcode=Station%20Road,%20Westbury%20BA13%203JN,%20UK

Guide to deleting data when donating: https://www.recycleyourelectricals.org.uk/donate-electrical-goods/

The Restart Project

Repairing broken electricals rather than throwing them away.

https://therestartproject.org/news/repair-day-2023/

Long Term Carbon Reduction Actions

To improve its environmental management and to ensure that all of its activities and developments are as sustainable as possible this organisation will:

• Reduce waste levels by reusing whatever can be reused.
• Maintain a recycling system in collaboration with local authorities, other local businesses, and waste disposal organisations, particularly regarding materials such as paper, tins, glass, plastic, cardboard, and other packaging.
• Avoid unnecessary packaging when choosing products.
• Purchase environmentally friendly consumables eg tea, coffee, stationery.
• Avoid unnecessary printing of documents.
• Recycle printer ink cartridges and consumables wherever possible.
• Dispose of all electrical equipment according to the Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (the WEEE Directive), including such things as computer equipment, fridges, and freezers.
• Use energy-efficient and low-power equipment, wherever possible.
• Replace old electrical equipment and white goods with products that carry a minimum energy rating of A+.
• Ensure that all buildings, pipes, and lofts are properly insulated and maintained in such a way as to be as energy efficient as possible where appropriate.
• Conserve power and water by encouraging staff to:
• Turn off non-essential lights and power sources when not in use.
• Keep windows and doors closed when using heating.
• Report and repair malfunctioning thermostats on radiators and dripping taps immediately.
• Only heat rooms that are in use.
• Only use energy-saving lightbulbs.
• Office closure procedure – Lights, computers, heating, etc. all switched off and doors and windows are closed.
• Only use as much water as is necessary.
• Reduce the harmful effects of car exhausts and congestion by maintaining vehicles in good condition and by cutting back on unnecessary journeys wherever possible.
• Encourage staff to switch to Hybrid or Electric vehicles and to drive in an energy efficient way.
• Allow working from home when appropriate.
• Use technology to host meetings to prevent unnecessary travel.
• Reduction of office space where appropriate.
• Ensure that potentially dangerous substances are used as little as possible and are disposed of properly.
• Ensure that staff are trained to comply with these policies.
• Seek evidence from suppliers and sub-contractors (where relevant) of their commitment to zero emissions.
• Conduct a regular audit of its processes and wastes to identify areas where it can commit to long-term waste reduction targets.

The organisation will take time to understand the impact our changes have had on our carbon footprint. Carbon net zero is a long journey, so we must make sure to acknowledge the progress made along the way and celebrate successes. Every positive change made is helping to fight climate change. Where possible, we will share any lessons learned or best practices externally, to inform others’ activities.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

As an organisation we are mindful of the fact that our use of PPE is a contributing factor to our carbon footprint. Research by Zhang et al suggests that greener manufacture, use and disposal of plastic PPE are urgent priorities. Action is therefore needed to respond to this by assessing our current use of these products.

It is suggested that a box of 100 gloves equates to 20 miles of travel in an average petrol vehicle.(Zhang et al)

We must ensure that PPE is used for safety rather than for “public Image”. We are, however, guided by Public Health England on the useage of PPE and our supplies are bought from the NHS portal.

As an organisation we will strive to remain up to date with guidance whilst campaigning for a more sustainable PPE market place. We will calculate the carbon footrprint of our PPE useage and compensate for this with carbon offsetting.

Vehicles

As a domicilliary care organisation we are conscious of the impact that our necessary use of vehicles is having on emissions and our carbon footprint. Our staff use their own vehicles for work and therefore we will do our best to encourage the use of eco-friendly vehicles and economical driving techniques. Car sharing will be promoted where two-handed care is being provided and route planning will take into account distances being travelled between visits to prevent unnecessary mileage and emissions. We will monitor our emissions and take steps to offset these through UN certified carbon off setting programs.

Long term Carbon Emissions Measuring Strategy

Measuring Carbon Emissions

First and foremost, we need to understand what our current carbon footprint is, based on the data already available. This will allow the organisation to benchmark and measure success.

This will be considered in three elements: ‘scope 1’ emissions come from sources our organisation owns, ‘scope 2’ emissions from our energy usage, and ‘scope 3’ emissions from sources we do not own or control, which are produced as a consequence of our organisation’s actions. An example of this could be staff behaviour – how they commute, travel for business, or use energy when working remotely.

We will consider using a specialist organisation such as Carbon Neutral Britain to assist with accurate calculations.

Once we have our data, it will be easier to identify where we can have the biggest impact. There will be some stand-out areas where we can make a change more easily and quickly, changing our energy tariff, switching to LED lighting, or moving data to the cloud.

When developing our plan, we will ensure to have engaged all impacted stakeholders, whether they be internal sustainability or our service partners and other independent organisations such as Energy Savings Trust. Most important of all, we will be sure to consider the impact on our staff and Service Users.

We will future-proof as much as possible. We will look at the sustainability of our premises, and how our technology will age. With slow planning and implementing changes we will achieve better long-term results. Rushing could cause other issues. It could cause resentment to the changes being made, or for key areas to be missed.

Slow and incremental changes can be more cost-effective in the long term. That is why setting out our plan and engaging with key stakeholders will give us a strong platform to start with.

We will communicate the results of these audits to management and staff and implement ongoing action plans to continuously improve and reduce carbon emissions.

The Registered Manager is the organisation’s designated lead for environmental management and all staff employed have a responsibility to protect the environment. We communicate this message during the induction process and throughout a person’s employment.

Related Policies

• Corporate Social Responsibility Policy
• Premises, Environment and Access Policy

Management of Healthcare Waste:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/  

Environmental Protection Act 1990:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/  

Health and Safety Executive: Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Recycling  https://www.hse.gov.uk/waste/waste-electrical.htm

SME Climate Hub https://smeclimatehub.org

Carbon Neutral Britain https://carbonneutralbritain.org

Ripple Africa http://rippleafrica.org

Carma https://www.carma.earth

Energy Savings Trust https://energysavingtrust.org.uk