Sustainability Policy

Our sustainability policy

Mission Statement 
Via Ferrata Cornwall recognises that it has a responsibility to the environment beyond legal and regulatory requirements. We are committed to reducing our environmental impact and continually improving our environmental performance as an integral part of our business strategy and operating methods, with regular review points. We will encourage customers, suppliers and other stakeholders to do the same.

Supporting the local community in order to make a positive social impact is also at the heart of what we do. All our profits go to our launching charity BF Adventure to support Cornwall’s vulnerable children and young people facing some of life’s toughest challenges, including disabilities, trauma, domestic abuse, mental ill-health and more. We also accommodate schools and youth groups as a way of enabling young people to enjoy outdoor adventures and all the benefits that come with outdoor education.

Responsibility 
Adrian Richards, Director is responsible for ensuring that the environmental policy is implemented. However, all employees have a responsibility in their area to ensure that the aims and objectives of the policy are met. 

Policy Aims 
We endeavour to: 

  • Comply with and seek to exceed all relevant regulatory requirements.
  • Continually improve and monitor environmental performance.
  • Continually improve and reduce environmental impacts.
  • Incorporate environmental factors into business decisions.
  • Increase employee awareness and training.

Energy and Water 

  • We currently have 25KWH of solar panels and a 10KwH Wind Turbine onsite providing a proportion of our annual energy consumption.
  • We will seek to reduce the amount of energy used as much as possible and are working with Community Power Cornwall to develop our ‘Net Zero’ plans with a target of 2030. We will be looking to develop renewable generation on-site, add client electric car charging and will be investing in making all buildings/facilities more energy efficient.
  • Lights and electrical equipment will be switched off when not in use.
  • Heating will be adjusted with energy consumption in mind.
  • The energy consumption and efficiency of new products will be taken into account when purchasing.

Office supplies and equipment

  • We will evaluate if the need can be met in another way.
  • We will evaluate if renting/sharing is an option before purchasing equipment.
  • We will evaluate the environmental impact of any new products we intend to purchase.
  • We will favour more environmentally friendly and efficient products wherever possible.
  • We will reuse and recycle everything we are able to, making links with other local companies where needed to donate unwanted items.

IT 

  • We will remove e-mail footers and embedded jpg’s from internal and reply e-mails with trails
  • We will seek, after appropriate security and data removal processes, to have IT equipment re-used rather than direct disposal or recycling.

Transportation 

  • We will reduce the need to travel, restricting to necessity trips only.
  • We will promote the use of travel alternatives such as e-mail or video/phone conferencing.
  • We will make additional efforts to accommodate the needs of those walking, using public transport or bicycles.
  • We will favour ‘green’ vehicles and maintain them rigorously to ensure ongoing efficiency.
  • We encourage staff to car share on their commute to work where possible and will implement a cycle to work scheme.

Maintenance and Cleaning 

  • Cleaning materials used will be as environmentally friendly as possible.
  • Materials used in office refurbishment will be as environmentally friendly as possible.
  • We will only use licensed and appropriate organisations to dispose of waste.
  • Waste – we separate all waste streams, looking to maximise recycling and minimise the volume of ‘general waste’ transported offsite

Catering

  • The on-site Café run by The Cornish Barista uses locally sourced ingredients.
  • Our site is home to a poly tunnel which the young people that our charity BF Adventure supports use to grow food – we will continue to support this initiative as a way of reducing food mileage and educating the young people on healthy and sustainable living.
  • All raw and cooked food waste is composted onsite via our ‘Hot Composter’ with compost used onsite

Paper 

  • We will minimise the use of paper in the office.
  • We will reduce packaging as much as possible.
  • We will seek to buy recycled and recyclable paper products.
  • We will reuse and recycle all paper where possible.
  • We choose St Austell Printing Company for our flyers based on their sustainability awards.

Monitoring and Improvement 

  • We will comply with and seek to exceed all relevant regulatory requirements.
  • We will continually improve and monitor environmental performance.
  • We will continually improve and reduce environmental impacts.
  • We will incorporate environmental factors into business decisions.
  • We will increase employee awareness through training.
  • We will review this policy and any related business issues at our monthly management meetings.

Culture 

  • We will involve staff in the implementation of this policy, for greater commitment and improved performance. 
  • We will provide staff with relevant environmental training.
  • We will work with suppliers, contractors and sub-contractors to improve their environmental performance.
  • We will use local labour and materials where available to reduce CO2 and help the community.

Social Impact

  • The activities we develop are all made available to Cornwall’s most vulnerable children and young people via our charity BF Adventure. The charity supports ~5000 young people in acute need every year, some of these young people are in care and for many BF Adventure is the only source of alternative education they receive. BF Adventure enables these young people to identify and overcome their own social, emotional and physical barriers to unlock their potential – the activities are a proven tool to build their confidence, resilience and life skills, whilst providing much-needed fun. You can read more about the charity, which publishes a yearly Social Impact Report.

Our wildlife stewardship

Our sustainability journey expands into our work protecting our site’s flora and fauna. You can read more about our site and what we’re doing to encourage wildlife on our blog post!

Read more about our sustainability journey and wildlife!