Our Environment

We believe that being a ‘responsible business' is the right thing to do, and also makes good business sense.

Our environmental policy forms part of our overall Corporate Social Responsibility policy. To learn more about this please click here.

We have been listening to our customers and staff and increasingly they too have told us they want to know more about our impact on the environment and what actions we are taking to reduce this. We are assessing our own impact on the environment and have set clear goals to ensure that SACO moves towards minimising the company’s current impact. This includes looking at our carbon footprint. SACO’s environmental policy is reviewed and updated each year to ensure targets are met and that we are able to respond to new developments in environmental technology while facing the challenges of ongoing business demands.

Policy Principles

Our guiding policy principles are:

• To understand the environmental issues associated with all our operations and to ensure compliance with environmental legislation.
• To take environment considerations into account in all major business decisions and incorporate environmental management into everyday business practise.
• To measure current performance and set improvement targets.
• To encourage our employees, partners, suppliers, contractors and neighbours to work in an environmentally responsible manner.

In practise this means that:

• SACO’s Environmental Policy is communicated to our customers and employees via our website, intranet and newsletters. Updates on progress are produced at the end of the financial year to our employees via the intranet and to customers on request.
• Environmental awareness and training is part of our employee Induction Programme.
• SACO has signed up to the 10:10 iniaitive, the national effort to cut the UK’s emissions by 10% in 2010. This means that as a company we are committed to aim for a 10% reduction (whilst guaranteeing at least 3%) starting from May 2010 across four key areas of our carbon footprint – grid electricity, on-site fossil fuel use, vehicle use and air travel.
• We are working towards Green Tourism grading through The Green Tourism Business Scheme criteria.

Key Environmental Issues:

SACO believes that our key environmental issues are energy, water, waste, purchasing and travel; so

• We maintain a policy of seeking improved methods of reducing energy and water consumption.
• We seek to minimise, re-use or recycle waste wherever possible.
• We will review our purchasing policy to ensure goods and materials from sustainable sources are used wherever possible both within existing facilities and in all new development projects.
• We will seek to rationalise business travel and minimise the impact of travel to work.
   

Key Targets:

Energy Saving Measures

• We continue to maintain a policy of seeking improved methods of reducing energy consumption.
• We will draw up specific criteria in order for baseline assessments of all buildings to be completed for 2011.
• We will maintain our policy of replacing all light bulbs with appropriate energy saving light bulbs throughout our properties.
• We will install PIR fittings on all new builds and review use in existing buildings so lights only come on as necessary.
• We will maintain our policy of sourcing electrical products with the highest energy saving rating taking into account the whole life costing in all new developments and whenever we need to change appliances in existing buildings.
• Continue to improve signage and guest information to ensure customers are encouraged to save energy by switching off lights, not leaving appliances on standby and heating is reduced.
• Continue to educate apartment staff to ensure lights/heating switched off when not in use.

Water Reduction Measures

• We will maintain a policy of seeking improved methods of reducing water consumption across all sites.
• We will undertake a market review of water efficient devices for showers, taps and toilets and install as appropriate in all new buildings and whenever we need to change them in existing buildings.

Waste Reducing Measures

• Ensure recycling facilities for paper, glass, tin are available at all buildings and employees and guests are made aware of these. Review the provision of bins/bags to facilitate this.
• Ensure suppliers of new electrical appliances have proper disposal facilities for old appliances in accordance with the WEEE Directive.
• Donate surplus furniture and fittings to local charities and businesses.
• Continue to recycle mobile phones and toner cartridges.
• We will maintain our policy for employees to print documents double sided wherever possible, recycle stock and only print emails when absolutely necessary.

Purchasing

• Prepare and implement a purchasing policy which takes into account environmental impact, fair-trade and product miles – to cover the buying of marketing material, office supplies, cleaning materials, capital equipment and refurbishment materials.

Travel

• A Cycle to Work Scheme is in place for all employees.
• Improve co-ordination of staff travel to minimise journeys and distribute supplies.
• Company bicycles have been bought for SACO Head Office in Bristol and SACO London – Holborn for employees to use on short journeys in place of motorised transport.
• Review current volumes of business travel – review use of public transport.
• Support the use of video and tele-conferencing via SKYPE for all SACO offices to minimise travel.

Staff Communication

• Continue to communicate policy to all staff and improve content on the intranet
• Re-energise the use of the Green Suggestion Box to identify and implement eco-friendly policies.
• Environmental awareness and training included as part of Induction Programme.