Usually restricted to a simple single page summary, your environmental policies can be very quick to write, should be made available to customers, and can make a big impact to your business.
The basic framework of environmental management is described on the environment page. To write your environmental policy you will need to go through the process of committing to take action and assessing, targeting and reducing your business impacts.
The format and style of your document can be any that you are comfortable with. If you are stuck on how to start, we suggest the following approach.
Aim to keep your policies statement short. Using a word processor such as Word open a single page document and set out headings that you have found to be relevant when assessing your business impacts. The headings should include Aims, Environmental Legislation and Review Procedures. Other headings will be based on the particular impacts you have. Here are some suggestions:
- Transport
- Energy use
- Office
- Paper and printing
- Waste and recycling
- Water usage
- Suppliers generally
- Banking and insurance
- Hardware, software and consumables
- Clients and customers
- Participation in environmental discussions
- Carbon offsetting
You should amend, delete and add to these to reflect your particular business.
For each heading you should record a summary of the actions you have made or intend to make. Don’t include specific figures or personal details. Our environmental-policy is based on these headings.
If you have a website you should publish your policy there. If you use emails regularly you could save your policy into a pdf file (we can do this for you if you wish) and send it to prospects, customers and other contacts on request. You may want to mention that you have an environmental policy in your ‘email signature’, prompting people to request it.
A printed version can be placed in a prominent position within your business premises. This will act as a reminder to everyone working at the site and can be a good discussion point for visitors to your premises. Retailers can particularly benefit from this approach.
Finally, it may be appropriate to print your policies onto headed stationery to be used for tendering applications or sent to prospects and customers as appropriate.