At Liberata, we are committed to managing and growing our business responsibility. As an organisation that is in the business of producing real-life outcomes and results, responsible corporate behaviour is integral to the way we do business day-to-day.
We do our best to make a positive contribution for our employees, clients, shareholders, suppliers and the people and communities who receive our services.
We focus on how we manage our people, operate in our marketplace, support communities in which we operate and strive to minimise our impact on the environment.
Our people
Our employees are our most valuable asset and are at the heart of everything we do.
Marketplace
We are committed to managing relationships with stakeholders underpinned by rigorous standards of ethical business conduct.
Communities
We are delighted to support the worthy initiative of “Backing Young Britain” as we are firm believers in the long term social benefits of supporting young people into work.
In Cumbria the Job Centre Plus listed Liberata as one of the regions top 10 employers and we are part of a Local Employment Partnership. We employ over 250 people from the local area at one of our Shared Service Centres in Barrow-in-Furness supporting multiple Local Government clients across the UK.
We have supported various Apprenticeship Programmes and have our own student programme where we provided paid work placements to Students for 2-3 days per week as part of their college course. Some of these students have since joined Liberata on permanent contracts.
We have also supported the Prince’s Trust’s ‘Get into’ programme through our Newport office in conjunction to help disadvantaged young individuals ‘Get back into work’. It encompassed work experience, training, mentoring and a paid short work placement.
Liberata’s approach to environmental management
Liberata is committed to achieving the highest standards of environmental performance and minimising the harmful effects that our business activities may have on the natural environment. We adopt a positive and proactive approach to the issues of carbon reduction and sustainability; and recognise that we have an ethical and legal responsibility to constantly challenge and improve environmental practices throughout the organisation. We are currently in the process of obtaining ISO14001 accreditation and aim to achieve company-wide accreditation within the next 6 months. In addition to seeking accreditation of its Environmental Management System, we are also specifically monitoring and setting targets for the reduction of the organisation’s carbon emissions in line with our participation in the Department for Energy and Climate Change’s Carbon Reduction Commitment Scheme.
Environmental policy
To support our efforts to reduce the environmental impact of the company, Liberata’s Environmental Policy provides a strategic and practical framework, aligned to ISO14001 standards and an Environmental Programme to achieve consistent environmental management across our Business Centres. The policy outlines an organisational hierarchy from the Senior Management downward, as well as an Environmental Steering Committee. The roles and responsibilities associated with this are set out to create a comprehensive support structure throughout the company, for the implementation of Liberata’s Environmental Programme. The policy also sets out the aims of the Environmental Programme, establishing operational sustainability principles around key areas such as premises management, energy, water and waste management, transport and carbon reduction. The Programme’s focus is on the improvement of energy efficiency, reducing waste and reducing the organisation’s carbon footprint. An inspection, auditing and performance monitoring strategy is also established by the policy, to ensure adherence to the Environmental Programme throughout the organisation. You can read our environmental policy here.
Improving energy efficiency and reducing waste
Reducing energy consumption and improving efficiency is a core element of Liberata’s Environmental Programme. Energy use reduction strategies include a ‘turn it off’ policy, with all PCs powered down and lights turned off at the end of the day. Our Business Centres use energy saving bulbs where possible and thermostats are in place to regulate temperature, prevent unnecessary energy consumption for heating or cooling and our kitchens are also provided with hot water heaters for efficient water heating. Electrical equipment such as fridges and dishwashers are considered for their energy efficiency performance rating during the purchasing process. Our waste management strategy is based on the principles of ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ in order to promote resource efficiency and minimise its impact on the environment. Our initiatives include the recycling of all paper, printer cartridges, computers and other electronics, card, vending machine cups and confidential waste. Our printers supply bleach free recycled paper and all marketing collateral is printed on paper from sustainable sources, using vegetable based oils for printing.
Carbon emissions reduction
In line with our commitment to tackling climate change and to support our full participation in the Carbon Reduction Commitment Scheme, our Environmental Policy also includes a requirement to reduce our carbon footprint. In line with this, a carbon emissions assessment was performed in August 2009, to establish a baseline against which to set targets. The assessment reported Liberata to have a relatively low carbon impact but we are currently setting targets to further reduce our impact on the environment. The following elements are integral to our carbon emission reduction programme:
- Reducing energy consumption
- Reducing travel
- Reuse of equipment
- Recycling equipment
- Extending life of IT equipment
We endeavour to reduce emissions through unnecessary business travel, utilising both telephone and video conferencing as sustainable alternatives. Where travel is unavoidable it is our policy to encourage use of public transportation, if at all possible and the company Car Scheme Policy includes provisions for car pooling, to reduce unnecessary journeys.
Our Suppliers
In addition to internal measures to reduce carbon emissions, we require a similar level of commitment from our suppliers. During the selection process for potential suppliers, we request confirmation of suppliers’ compliance with ISO 14001 and the WEEE Directive. We also require suppliers to detail a carbon footprint of the services proposed and demonstrate how they are seeking to minimise their carbon footprint, as part of the evaluation criteria for contracts. In order to win contract renewals for ongoing services we ask that suppliers resubmit this information, to ensure continuing commitment to carbon emissions reduction.