Sustainable Development Policy

Introduction

Mainstream Group (“the company) is committed to sustainable development. This means making the necessary decisions now to realise our vision of stimulating new business and increasing profitability, maximising wellbeing and protecting our environment, without affecting the ability of future generations to do the same.

The company takes account of sustainable development as a part of how we develop our policies, how we run our buildings, vehicles and facilities and how we buy and sell our goods and services. Goods and services will be purchased locally to the specified area of operation wherever possible to reduce the impact of unnecessary travelling.

All employees, contractors and delivery partners are responsible for making sure that their own activities contribute to sustainable development as outlined in Mainstream’s Sustainable Development Plan.

All employees, contractors, learners and delivery partners must where possible reduce the impact to the environment caused by work and training activities. This is a duty of care is borne by all to ensure the sustainability of the company and environment for future employees and generations respectively.

Mainstream recognises the potential negative impact that our development and training activities may have and the positive benefits that we can make as a community through the effective management of waste production. This will formulate Mainstream’s ongoing baseline measuring and future benchmarking.

This Policy applies to all constituent parts of Mainstream Group.

 

Aims and Objectives

Mainstream’s aim is to ensure it causes minimal impact on the environment and to monitor and lower where possible any impact made. Training and other services provided create waste and use valuable resources (direct effect). These are countered by Mainstream’s policy on regulating, motivating and raising awareness.

Mainstream is committed to achieving Net Zero emissions (compared to 1990 levels) in the UK by 2050.

Mainstream recognises its impact and is fully committed to providing protection and where possible improvements for future generations. Mainstream’s decision - making process sets clear objectives in its aim to achieve continuous improvements.

In all its activities Mainstream will;

• Ensure environmental legislation is complied with and fulfil our statutory environmental responsibilities.

• Reduce the use of natural resources, including energy in its own buildings, vehicles and in all other Mainstream activities.

• Avoid waste and encourage, through training - conservation, re-use and recycling of the Company’s products.

• Minimise or prevent environmental pollution from its actions and influence others to do the same. Where waste must be disposed, it must be disposed of in a responsible, legal and ethical manner.

• Reduce the need for movement of people, vehicles and goods.

• Where movement is necessary we encourage prior planning, car sharing, use of public transport, cycling and walking.

• Offer our services in a socially and environmentally - responsible manner.

• Promote understanding and environmental awareness through communication within the company and externally to others through our training services.

• Provide appropriate resources and the necessary training for staff to ensure they are able to fulfil their commitment to this policy.

 

Our objectives to reduce the impact upon the environment of Mainstreams operation.

A. Environmental Awareness

1. To promote the concept of sustainable development and individual accountability amongst staff and participants.

2. To conserve resources through an organisation-wide education programme.

3. To identify and promote opportunities for staff training in environmental matters.

4. To organise and/or support environmental awareness-raising events.

 

B. Environmental Initiatives

1. To establish environmental management procedures for activities that affect the Mainstreams’ impact on the environment.

2. To encourage staff suggestions on ways to improve practices which impact on the environment.

3. To identify specific responsibilities within job descriptions and contracts, which will support the delivery of Mainstreams’ Sustainable Development Policy.

 

C. Environmental Management

1. To adhere to the environmental strategies outlined within Mainstream’s Carbon Reduction Plan (COR014) in line with PPN06/21. This policy, plan and COR014 will be combined to a single plan by 30/11/2024.

2. To continually improve the environmental management system throughout all levels of the organisation, seeking external guidance as and when required.

 

Arrangements

Employees

It is the responsibility of all employees to understand, adhere to, promote and foster the ethos outlined within this policy to enhance the beneficial effects of operation. Although all departments have their own responsibilities, commitment of everyone to work as part of a team is one of the strengths on which Mainstream Group is founded.

All new employees will be inducted in the content contained within this policy. It is the responsibility of all Departmental Managers to ensure employees, contractors and delivery partners for whom they are responsible, understand any new or amended policies and the contents are communicated by them and adhered to.

The Directors and Department Heads will monitor the effectiveness of the policies which may be changed from time to time to ensure they are effective and comply with current legislation.

 

Sub-Contractors

Sub-contractors and external providers delivering services and goods to or on behalf of Mainstream will be issued an electronic copy of this Sustainable Development policy. Mainstream expects that all Sub-contractors and external providers adhere to the guidance outlined within this policy and any legislative requirements at all times and report any issues immediately to their contract lead and/or sustainability champion.

Should a Sub-contractor and/or external provider fail to adhere to the guidance outlined within this policy then the right to work for or on behalf of Mainstream may be revoked, in the worst case. Each case will be investigated and judged on its own merit with the following remedial action/s or sanctions imposed:

• Suspension (removal of work for defined period)

• Curtailment (restrictions or conditions imposed on continued work)

• Revocation (removal of right to contract to Mainstream)

 

Commuting

Protecting the environment begins before you arrive at work or for training and can be enhanced through various methods of travel. Mainstreams aim is to reduce single occupancy car use and encourage more sustainable forms of travel.

There are a number of ways employees, contractors and delivery partners can travel sustainably. It may not always be the case that sustainable travel is either practical or indeed possible. Mainstream will however, always encourage the use of sustainable transport options which may include the following:

• Walking

• Cycling

• Car Sharing

• Low Carbon emission vehicles

• Trains

• Buses

• Effective workload management and routing to minimise car use

 

There are a number of benefits to travelling sustainably, including:

• Reduced cost to employees, learners, contractors travel, car parking etc.

• Efficient use of vehicle, i.e. Car share

• Reduce time staff spend travelling

• Happier more productive workforce

• Improve staff health

• Less congestion – reduced travel time

• Improved relationship with the local community – less parking issues, noise

• Reducing the individual, and companywide, carbon footprint

• Sourcing local training venues to reduce contractor, delivery partners and learner travel Purchasing and Contracts

 

We aim to support local markets, ethical, fair trade and socially responsible initiatives.

 

Water

Water is a valuable resource which is both limited and extremely expensive to produce. Employees, contractors and delivery partners have a duty of care to use water in a controlled and responsible way. The company provides facilities i.e. toilets which conform to EU standards for water usage, these limits will only be met if the facilities are not abused. Where water is used, we ensure the use is to be limited to the minimum amount required.

 

Waste

All waste must be disposed of in the correct waste receptacle and only within approved bins owned or operated by Mainstream. Through controlling waste Mainstream is able to manage the disposal via approved waste carriers. There is a waste hierarchy practiced within Mainstream and this is to be applied by all working, training or contracting to or on behalf of Mainstream.

 

• Prevention. Using less material in design and manufacture, keeping products longer and/or re-use where possible. Using less hazardous materials. • Preparing for re-use. Checking, cleaning, repairing, refurbishing, whole items or spare parts.

• Recycling. Turning waste into new substances, articles or products. Includes composting if it meets quality protocols.To provide, wherever cost effective and practicable, means of collecting waste products which can be recycled. To encourage staff and participants responsible and active use of recycling opportunities through the segregation of waste. Prevention Preparing for re-use Recycling Other Recovery Disposal.

• Other recovery. Includes anaerobic digestion (breakdown of organic material by micro-organisms), incineration with energy recovery and materials from waste such as back filling.

• Disposal. Landfill and incineration without energy recovery.

This hierarchy must be applied at all times so the amount of waste being referred to landfill can be reduced.

 

Pollution

To take steps to prevent damage to public or ecological health where such materials are in essential use. To use best current practice for handling hazardous waste.

 

Electrical Waste

Electrical and electronic equipment contain many substances that need to be disposed of in a controlled and managed manner. Although many harmful/hazardous manufacturing products have been banned for some years there is still a vast amount of controlled substances contained within electrical equipment.

All electrical waste is to be disposed of in line with The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations (WEEE). Employees, contractors and delivery partners must dispose of their electrical equipment in a responsible manner and submit a certificate and/or confirmation of destruction to Mainstream upon completion of disposal.

Ref	Action	Activities	Impact	Lead	Progress
1	To ensure all staff and subcontractor partners are made aware of this policy and understand their role and responsibilities regarding sustainability within their work practices	Communicate awareness through training and check understanding of the contents of this policy to staff and partners, providing further information and guidance as required.	Greater awareness, contribution and commitment sustainability and environmental impact	Contractor Lead All	All staff are aware of this policy and understand their roles and responsibilities - complete Company internal system has been introduced to view all company policies and procedures. Ongoing communication for new staff / subcontractor partners as and when required.
2	Ensure learners understand the importance of environmental sustainability	Policy and actions to be covered in learner induction	Greater awareness, contribution and commitment sustainability and environmental impact	Contractor Lead All Instructors/ Assessors	To be delivered within the induction of all new staff, learner, contractors and/or delivery partners.
3	Minimise the use of paper with a view to increasing electronic mediums	Where possible reuse or recycle office waste i.e. paper, computer supplies and other equipment no longer required Monitor of the number of toner cartridges and paper consumed	Reduced landfill, reduced carbon	Sustainability Champion All	Unwanted paper recycled as scrap for staff use. Box in place on each copier. Paper recycling bins in main office. Monitor the disposal and the carrier conducting the waste removal. Implementation of remote IAG, onboarding and online learning to reduce waste and carbon footprint
4	To minimise carbon emissions and other impacts by avoiding unnecessary business travel	Increase teleconference meetings wherever possible Encourage the use of travel by public transport and car sharing wherever possible Ensure learners are allocated to assessor/s rationally, based on factors such as geography, learners already within setting etc.	To reduce year on year the total carbon emissions from staff travel	All staff	Ongoing Implementation of remote IAG, onboarding and online learning to reduce waste and carbon footprint.
5	To research and produce a ‘baseline’ estimate of our company environmental impact in terms of waste minimisation, recycling and energy consumption	To continue to work with approved waste management contractors. Continue to operate ‘Switch it Off@ campaign’ To continue working with our building contractor to develop ways of making our building more efficient	Greater awareness, contribution and commitment sustainability and environmental impact	Director, lead for quality, compliance	We introduced low wattage lighting and automatic lighting in low use areas and waterless urinals saving approx. 700.000 litres of water per annum. The roof of the former Mainstream House building was recoated for thermal efficiency. Ongoing
6	Driving Goods Vehicles	Driver training in commercial vehicles of all classes.	To plan the training so that the training ratio remains 2:1 to maximise the use of the vehicle and reduce emissions through reduced vehicle use. Utilise Mainstreams DVSA test centre to reduce unnecessary journeys to Canterbury and Gillingham test centres.		Training is now planned on a lesson basis, 3hr lessons are given on a 1:1 basis with 4 lessons per vehicle being held per day. This maximises the use of the vehicle. Discussions expected before September 2024 about piloting use of an electric HGV
7	Streetworks	Civil engineering or Highways Maintenance activities.	Re-use and/or recycle products throughout training and control fuels in case of unplanned or unwanted discharge	Training Team	Ongoing
8	Warehouse & Storage	Logistics training including the movement and storage of inventory.	Minimise impact to environment through the effective sourcing of warehouse equipment and consumables. Reduce or eliminate the use of fossil fuel vehicles and swap to electric trucks where applicable and/or possible.	Training Team	Constant process of monitoring a remaining current with new vehicle technologies
9	Classroom based training	Domiciliary Care, First Aid, Manual Handling, Fire Marshal, Team Building, Self-Improvement and Numeracy & Literacy training carried out within a classroom environment	Wherever possible recycle or re-use paperwork and work electronically to reduce the need for photocopying.	Training Team	Courses to be booked and planned at central locations. Joining instruction to include the locations and directions of local public transport links
10	Fuel Usage	The use of fuel in vehicles	The greater the amount of fuel burnt the greater the emissions created.	Training Team	Though using local training routes, the distance travelled and recorded on mileage sheets will be greatly reduced. Skills Bootcamp learners are taught about Safe and Fuel Efficient driving (SAFED) Virtual training aids are being explored by the board of directors and training managers to further decrease the emissions generated from the combustion of fossil fuels. Information on alternative fuel sources is being monitored and commercial viability is continuously being assessed.
11	Participant travel	Participants travelling to and from training locations.	The more individuals travelling to and from training venues the greater the impact to the environment and local communities through congestion.	Training Team	Through engagement with local employers and other sources of learners the distance travelled to and from training venues will be minimised. Our Online Learning system has significantly reduced the number of days in which the learner attends the training centre.
12	Staff Development	Develop knowledge and skills of employees.	Through inductions contained within the training programmes themselves the dissemination of information to employees will always be the most current information.	Training Team	Programme delivery for all will be monitored at bi-annual intervals to ensure the correct and current training materials will be used.