How to write an environmental policy

Your environmental policy doesn't have to exist in isolation. If you have other policies in place, such as for quality and health and safety, it makes sense to integrate it with them.

Ways to extend the scope of your environmental policy

You can show that you take sustainable development seriously by:

• considering the life cycle of your products and services and designing them to be as sustainable as possible
• buying materials and resources that come from renewable sources
• modifying your processes to reduce the amount of waste generated
• reusing or recycling your waste, or passing it on to other businesses to use as a resource
• going beyond your legal obligations and anticipating changes so that you can make adjustments before legislation comes into force
• involving employees and other stakeholders in sustainable development - by involving them in training and offering incentives to encourage buy-in to your strategy

See how to make your business more sustainable.

Environmental policies and corporate social responsibility

You could extend the scope of your environmental policy to cover your business' social responsibility.

By developing a corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy, you show that you are:

• Dealing with suppliers and employees in a responsible way - for example by being open and honest about your products and services and avoiding pressure selling. It also means going beyond the legal minimum when dealing with employees and promoting best practice.
• Building up a good relationship with the local community - for example by supporting a local charity or sponsoring a local event.
• Minimising your impact on the environment and cutting pollution and waste - by using energy efficiency measures, eg switching off lights, reducing the use of water. You could also consider minimising waste and reducing the environmental impact of your business generally, eg buying locally to cut fuel costs.

See corporate social responsibility.

You can download an example environmental policy (DOCX, 15K).