This Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Policy provides a framework for setting specific objectives and measuring our performance against them, and is a declaration of our commitment to uphold the following principles in all that we do:
- Accountability: we are accountable for our impacts on society, the economy and the environment.
- Transparency: we are transparent in our decisions and activities that impact on society and the environment.
- Ethical behaviour: we behave with honesty, equity and integrity.
- Respect for stakeholder interests: we respect, consider and respond to the interests of our stakeholders.
- Respect for the rule of law: we accept that respect for the rule of law is mandatory.
- Respect for international norms of behaviour: we respect international norms of behaviour.
- Respect for human rights: we respect human rights and recognize both their importance and their universality.
These principles have guided us to set policy goals that we have categorised under the headings Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG):
Environmental
We shall identify the sources of pollution and waste relating to our activities and implement measures aimed at preventing these, using the waste management hierarchy, and ensuring proper management of unavoidable pollution and waste.
To improve sustainability, our use of energy, water, and significant materials shall be identified, and measures taken to reduce our use of these resources. Where possible we shall complement or replace non-renewable resources with alternative sustainable, renewable and low-impact resources, including recycled materials.
We shall mitigate climate change impacts related to our activities by measuring, recording and reporting on our significant emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) – carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and fluorinated gases (HFCs, PFCs, NF3, SF6). We shall implement measures to progressively reduce GHG emissions within our control, taking a lifecycle approach to assess net reduction.
We shall take steps to reduce vulnerability to climate change, addressing both risk and opportunity.
We shall work with and support our customers in their achievement of sustainable environmental improvements and, where we have the freedom to choose, shall purchase from suppliers who are aligned with our environmental principles.
In addition to meeting our legal obligations we shall comply with, and maintain certification to, the latest ISO 14001 Environmental Management System requirements.
Social
Health and safety at work and in our delivered products and services is a critical factor in the company’s business. We are fully committed to operating safely and to taking occupational health, including mental health, seriously. We have established, and will review and update, programmes that promote health and well-being. As well as meeting our legal obligations we shall comply with, and maintain certification to, the latest ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System requirements.
We uphold the principles of the International Bill of Human Rights, which states that “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.” If we consider operating outside of the UK or engaging with suppliers whose goods or services derive from outside the UK, we shall exercise due diligence to ensure that we not only meet our legal obligations but behave responsibly; we shall be alert to the risk of complicity in human rights abuse. We are committed to creating a work environment free of harassment and bullying, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, and avoiding discrimination whereby we would nullify equality of treatment or opportunity on prejudicial grounds that have no legitimate basis for making a distinction. This commitment extends to providing equal pay for work of equal value. Our detailed policy on this topic shall be reviewed regularly to ensure that it takes account of emerging prohibited grounds. We operate published processes to address workers’ grievances in a way that is equitable and based on dialogue and mediation, and to enable workers to raise concerns over suspected malpractice, commonly known as whistleblowing.
We recognise that the creation of jobs that provide meaningful and productive work and the provision of fair compensation to the workers who perform that work are among the most important social contributions that we as a company make. We do not treat labour as a commodity and are committed to providing secure employment for our workers within contracts that ensure the worker is legally recognised as such. We provide conditions of work that enable our workers to enjoy a good work-life balance, taking into account hours of work, weekly rest, holidays, health and safety, and the ability to combine work with family responsibilities. As well as training and development related to the worker’s role, the company will provide a programme of broader initiatives to promote human development.
We facilitate social dialogue between the workers and the company through a Staff Partnership Forum whose members shall be chosen by the workers and be afforded the time and other resources required to enable them to perform their representative duties effectively. As well as enabling staff to communicate their views to the company, the forum shall allow the company’s management to engage with the workers, via their representatives, to share relevant business updates and changes and to consult appropriately.
We are committed to protecting the sensitive information of our business and of our stakeholders, including the personal data and the privacy of our workers and other individuals. As well as meeting our legal obligations we shall comply with, and maintain certification to, the latest ISO 27001 Information Security Management System requirements.
We demand the highest levels of integrity from our leadership team to set an example to our workers for anti-corruption, including bribery, and the leadership provides commitment, encouragement and oversight for implementation of the anticorruption policies. Training is provided to employees to raise the awareness of corruption and the ways in which they can avoid it, and report instances of its perceived occurrence or potential for occurrence.
The consumers of our products and services are business-to-business customers and we engage with them collaboratively, acting responsibly and with integrity, and striving to continuously exceed their expectations. To ensure that our customers’ expectations are satisfied we shall comply with, and maintain certification to, the latest ISO 9001 Quality Management System requirements.
We respect the rights of others to ownership of their property. This is especially significant for us in relation to intellectual property rights and we are committed to the avoidance of counterfeiting and piracy of any components that we use, including software.
Within our local communities we shall engage with educational establishments to provide sponsorships and learning opportunities for their students. Through strong relationships with universities, colleges and secondary schools we shall provide channels into base level recruitment, including through apprenticeship programmes. We shall support community services that improve social value by providing charitable donations and by encouraging our workers to be volunteers for such services, including the provision of appropriate financial support and availability of their time within normal working hours.
Governance
The Company shall strive to have a diverse board and shall employ a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who is independent of the chair of the board. The CEO and the senior leadership team shall demonstrate leadership commitment to corporate social responsibility through decision making and behaviour and shall actively encourage workers to practice such responsibility by integrating it into the organisational culture.
We shall be transparent and honest in our accounting and in our financial reporting. We shall have policies that motivate executives to take a strong vested interest in the company’s ongoing success using a healthy balance of long-term value, profitability, sustainability, integrity, safety and excellence.
The CEO shall ensure that the company has in place an effective and integrated management system comprised of detailed policies and defined processes which allow this policy to be reliably implemented and to provide assured reporting of the level of compliance.
The CEO shall ensure that company objectives are set, and revised periodically, to reflect our commitment to corporate social responsibility, that these objectives are described in such a way that their success can be measured, and that the degree of achievement is reported to relevant stakeholders at least annually.
Policy Authority and Review:
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ITI Operations has endorsed this Corporate Social Responsibility Policy and requires that all ITI Operations businesses and employees comply with it. Our Corporate Social Responsibility Policy shall be reviewed annually to monitor its effectiveness, and to ensure that it remains relevant and appropriate to the organisation’s vision. ITI Operations shall authorise or take any reasonable action that it deems appropriate and fit (inclusive of disciplinary action) to ensure this policy is enforced.
Document Owner and Approval:
The QA and Safety Manager is the owner of this document and is responsible for ensuring that this policy document is reviewed in line with the requirements of our Management System(s). This document is available to all members of staff on the Corporate Intranet. It does not contain confidential information and it can be released to relevant interested parties, as appropriate.