SP & the environment
We’ve long been aware of our responsibility to the environment. That’s why we’ve developed our own environmental policy and a plan of action that dovetails with the St Ives Group Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme.
We actively seek ways to reduce our carbon footprint by:
• Reducing transportation miles by eliminating slack in the supplier chain
• Reducing material usage by minimising waste
• ISO14001 accreditation
• Pursuing recycling opportunities for our waste wherever possible.
St Ives and the environment
The board has established an environmental policy which is implemented through the Group’s existing management structure. The policy concentrates on achieving a deliverable improvement in performance in consultation with suppliers, customers and employees.
Specific areas targeted for continuous attention include the adoption, where practicable, of processes which reduce the Group’s emissions of volatile organic compounds, noise and dust, minimising and recycling of waste products, recycling of water and securing reductions in energy consumption.
The Group continues to make progress towards improving its performance in the areas identified for attention and, during the year, completed Group-wide ISO14001 accreditation.
The targets set for the year to contain the net financial impact on the Group of the Climate Change Levy have been met and new targets set for next year in order to recoup as much of the Levy as possible.
The key performance indicators used to measure environmental performance are:
Waste sent to landfill;
Water consumption; and
Gas and electricity usage per square metre of substrate (usually, but not always, paper or board).
In absolute terms, however, the Group recorded an improvement in all three key performance indicators: total gas consumption at all sites fell, year on year, by 10.4% (2008 – 3.3 per cent fall compared with 2007), total electricity consumption fell by 8.0% (2008 – 0.4% fall compared with 2007) and total water consumption fell by 4.6% (2008 – 1.9% increase compared with 2007). Total waste sent to landfill was reduced by 53.1% (2008 – 13.3 per cent reduction compared with 2007).
Individual targets are set on a site by site basis to improve the Group’s overall environmental performance and these are set out in the Group’s latest Environmental Report which is available, on request, from the Company Secretary or by clicking here.
waste sent to landfill
Waste sent to landfill per metre squared of substrate consumed was reduced by 45%;
water consumption
Water consumption per square metre increased by 10% (in 2008 a 5.8% reduction was achieved)
energy efficiency
Energy efficiency (energy used per square metre) increased by 6% (in 2008 a 3.7% decrease was achieved) compared to the previous year’s figures.
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