Resources

Introduction to Policies

Policy documents play a key role in setting clear and actionable guidelines for your business or organisation. When developed effectively, they can provide accountability and transparency, helping to ensure that your sustainability commitments are embedded across your organisation.

Policies also serve as a communication tool, helping you to demonstrate your environmental responsibility to your stakeholders, customers, suppliers and wider team. This can help support your efforts in aligning with your organisation’s goals, legislative requirements and further net zero ambitions.

In this section, we’ll cover how to develop a single Environmental Policy. This will include elements such as your:

  • Travel
  • Waste
  • Procurement and Supply Chain
  • Carbon Footprint

Depending on your business size or structure, you may choose to develop further policy documents for each individual element.

Why you should have policies in place

Defines your mission, purpose or goals around sustainability.
Enhances your brand image and reputation, demonstrating environmental leadership and awareness.
Provides accountability and focus for your teams to work towards measurable improvements.

Get started

Step one

Beginner

Developing a strong policy framework is key to embedding sustainability into your business. This guide will help you develop a single Environmental Policy, including your approach to Travel, Procurement, Waste and monitoring your Carbon Footprint.

Step two

Intermediate

For businesses with existing policies, or if you have recently developed a new policy, conducting a self-assessment ensures that your commitments are relevant, measurable and impactful.

Step three

Expert

Sustainable practices, achieving net zero and working within the circular economy can quickly become a core part of your business culture, supported by the proper roll-out of your policies.