Accord Services.

Sustainability Policy

Accord Services Limited (Accord) is committed to sustainability and to minimising our environmental impact in the current climate emergency.

We follow and promote good sustainability practice, and we support our clients to do the same.

We donate a portion of our profits directly to environmental charities and our founder donates time equivalent to at least £60k per annum to pro bono in support of such charities.

In everything we do, Accord are committed to:

• Working over and above all applicable environmental legislation, regulations and codes of practice.

• Integrating sustainability considerations into all our business decisions.

• Minimising the environmental impact of all our business and transportation activities.

• Encouraging clients to adopt sound and sustainable business practices.

• Continually monitoring and improving our environmental impact.

Putting our principles into practice.

1. Equipment and consumables.

We will:

• Minimise our use of paper and other office consumables.

• Reuse or recycle office waste, including paper, office supplies, computer hardware and redundant equipment.

• Purchase energy efficient equipment and minimise the energy usage of that equipment via a combination of software and business policies and staff training.

• Purchase gas and electricity only from suppliers who are committed to the use of renewable energy sources, and seek to generate our own electricity through solar technology by 2022.

• Purchase only recycled paper.

• Purchase fair-trade, low carbon-footprint tea, coffee and other consumables.

• Ensure furniture and equipment are from a recycled source or, if not possible, from well-managed and sustainable sources.

• Never purchase single-use plastic items including bottles, cutlery, bags etc.
  
  

2. Travel to and from meetings.

We will:

• Conduct meetings online wherever possible, using teleconferencing and video conferencing and working from home as default.

• Walk, cycle or use public transport to attend meetings.

• Use more sustainable forms of transport even when they are not the lowest cost option.

• Manage meetings efficiently where travel is necessary, e.g. ensuring more than one meeting is scheduled in the same location.

3. Working practices and support

• Senior management undertake voluntary work within community environmental organisations, committing a minimum of five hours a week to this practice.

• Accord donate a percentage of profits each year to environmental charities.

• Sustainability and environmental credentials are given top priority whenever Accord chooses new associates and business partners.

This policy is at the heart of our business.

The policy will be formally reviewed at least every six months, however, our commitment to the environment and sustainability are taken into account in all of our daily business decisions.