| Environmental Policy |
The Sustainable Development Research Centre (SDRC) is committed to operating and providing advice and information to our clients and stakeholders such that the principles of social and environmental sustainability are promoted. We will:
- respect people's rights
- treat everyone with fairness and honesty
- provide a harmonious working environment free from discrimination
- respect the natural and social environment in which we live and work
- encourage and support our partners and other stakeholders to strive for the same sense of responsibility and commitments
- meet or exceed all relevant legislation, and any voluntary commitments
- allocate management and financial resources to implement these policies
- ensure that our ways of working meet these policies
- review these policies at least every two years
- measure our performance, set targets and publicly report the results.
We will also, through the work we do, encourage and advise others to engage with these principles.
SDRC will conduct all its transactions with fairness and honesty. Promises and commitments will not be given which SDRC does not have the intention to fulfil, or for which it does not have the resources to meet.
All transactions and financial reporting by SDRC, both in the UK and in any other territory in which it operates, shall be carried out with due observance of relevant laws and regulations.
The ethical behaviour of SDRC is dependent on the way in which individual employees conduct business on behalf of the company. In all matters, employees are required to ensure that ‘acting on behalf of the company’ includes the overriding requirement to uphold the company’s reputation for observing the highest ethical standards.
SDRC aims to work with and support the local communities in which it operates in so far as they impact on the local natural and social environment. Such support will be appropriate to the staff member and needs of the community.
SDRC is committed to providing a harmonious working environment in which employees are able to maximise their full potential and to contribute to business success, irrespective of their gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion, religious belief, or marital status.
SDRC is committed to identifying and eliminating discriminatory practices, procedures and attitudes throughout the organisation. SDRC believes that all employees are entitled to be treated with dignity and respect while at work and also when representing the business in any capacity outside of work. SDRC expects employees to support this commitment and to assist in all possible ways.
SDRCs sustainability policy is determined by the board of SDRC and shall be kept under review. The implementation of the policy is the responsibility of line management..
Sustainability and SDRC’s performance are matters of key interest to its stakeholders. SDRC communicates openly about these matters where this does not infringe upon commercial interests.
Sustainable Development Research Centre, Equal Opportunities Policy.
The Sustainable Development Research Centre is fully committed to provide a harmonious working environment in which employees are able to maximise their full potential and to contribute to business success, irrespective of their gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion, religious belief or material status.
The Sustainable Development Research Centre is committed to identifying and eliminating discriminatory practices, procedures and attitudes throughout the organisation. The Company believes that all employees are entitled to be treated with dignity and respect while at work and also when representing the business in any capacity outside of work. The Company expects employees to support this commitment and to assist in all possible ways.
The aim of the policy is to prevent discrimination, provide guidance to resolve any problem should it occur and prevent recurrence.
Sustainable Development Research Centre, Gender Equality Scheme
Statement from the Chief Executive
SDRC is committed to build an international respected centre at the leading edge of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Sustainable Development (SD), Social Enterprise Management (SEM) and Environmental Management (EM).
We warmly welcome our new legal duty to promote gender equality and to take account of the needs of all the people in our decision-making across the whole organisation. We aim to demonstrate best practice in recruitment and retention by providing excellent support to all our staff.
Sustainable Development Research Centre
The overall aim of SDRC is to expand research, teaching and knowledge transfer activities in the CSR, SD, SEM & EM. To achieve these aims SDRC will form international and national partnerships with academic institutions and the public and private industry sectors. At the beginning of 2003 SDRC was formed, in the period since then the SDRC has both met and exceeded its target outcomes. The development of the centre has been further underpinned by the recruitment of an experienced management team together with a research team consisting of established and newly qualified researchers. Present employment levels indicate more female staff to male, with female employees holding a wide range of positions of responsibility.
Legislative context – Gender equality duties
SDRC are aware of the Equality Act 2006 and its duties;.
The general duty (the Gender Equality Duty) requires public bodies to give due regard to the following when carrying out their functions:-
- To eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment on the grounds of sex
- To promote equality of opportunity between men and women
Functions include policy making, service provision, employment matters, and statutory discretion as well as decision making. “Due regard” means that public bodies and institutions should give due weight to the need to produce gender equality in proportion to its relevance to their business.
In addition, there are also specific duties that have to carried out to achieve the general duty. There are specific duties that have been agreed by the Scottish parliament, that only relate to Scotland. These specific duties are:-
- Gather information on how their work affects women and men
- Consult employees, service users, trade unions and other stakeholders
- Assess the different impact of policies and practices on both sexes and use this information to inform their work
- Plan and take action to achieve gender equality objectives
- Publish a gender equality scheme (GES), report annually and review progress every three years.
Sustainable Development Research Centre,Environmental Policy
The Sustainable Development Research Centre is committed, in partnership with others, to securing the protection and enhancement of the environment where consistent with its duties and within available resources.
In order to continually improve its environmental performance, SDRC has established an Environment Team, which is responsible for advising on the implementation and review of this policy.
The Principal Environmental Aims of SDRC are to:
- Comply with or exceed all statutory obligations and seek to minimise the environmental effects of its operations.
- Consider environmental issues when making major decisions and seek to achieve sustainable environmental results within available resources.
- Work closely with external stakeholders to reduce the impact of its business activities.
- To implement an environmental management system and commit to a programme of continuous improvement.
- Set environmental objectives and review past performance.
- Develop and promote environmental awareness at all levels within the SDRC.
- Respond to all environmental concerns relating to its business activities.
- Require its consultants, contractors and suppliers to comply with the provisions of this environmental policy statement.
- Promote awareness among stakeholders, including the public, of the environmental role of SDRC.
The Directors of the Sustainable Development Research Centre fully support the implementation of these principles.
Stephen Tinsley
Chief Executive Officer
September 2007
