Sustainability and Environmental Policy Statement
Read our Sustainability Board statement
Overview
The Sustainability and Environmental Statement has been prepared by Jonas Software UK who are fully committed to becoming a sustainable business. This commitment forms a fundamental part of our wider Corporate Social Responsibility strategy endorsed through the creation of the Jonas Foundation. The purpose is to establish a framework for integrating the protection of the environment within our Group’s strategy, as well as our operations, and defines the principles of conduct for environmental management. The environmental strategy is an integral and fundamental part of our commitment to reduce the impact from operations on the environment. We consider the environment to be one of the central elements of the concept of sustainability.
Our approach to sustainability is to promote a culture of collaboration by working with environmental partners to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, ‘offset’ unavoidable emissions, reduce waste, and educate stakeholders by improving sustainability performance through the way we run our business and to influence others. We recognise that our operations can greatly contribute to creating a more sustainable world.
Our sustainable development is also key to environmental aims and supports our commitment to being a responsible business with a social purpose beyond our immediate boundaries. This can be achieved by aligning our business strategic direction with our sustainability and environmental plans.
Jonas Software UK aim to:
- Incorporate sustainability factors into business decisions.
- Exceed relevant regulatory requirements.
- Continually improve and reduce our environmental impacts.
- Engage our employees in the vision.
We have demonstrated our commitment by the setup of the Jonas Foundation and the formation of the Sustainability Board. Jonas businesses host quarterly ‘Town Halls’ and Group events where they take the opportunity to inform and update employees on the progress of their various initiatives and progress.
Principles of our Sustainability Policy
In our businesses, we aspire to:
- Continue to work with partners to reduce our impact on the environment and create a culture within the business that promotes sustainability with all our stakeholders.
- Integrate sustainability concepts and opportunities into our everyday business decisions.
- Evaluate the environmental aspects of the business.
- Improve and assess our environmental performance:
- By promoting responsibility for the environment within the organisation to communicate and implement this policy throughout the business.
- Reduce the usage of energy, water, and other non-sustainable resources.
- Minimise waste by reduction, re-use, and recycling methods.
- Act to prevent pollution, source goods and services responsibly and reduce our carbon footprint.
- Aim that our policies are developed in a way that is complementary to this policy.
- Identify and provide appropriate training, advice and information for employees and encourage them to suggest new ideas and initiatives.
Where possible, provide appropriate resources to meet the commitments of this policy.
- Continually look to reduce carbon emissions and fully offset that which cannot be avoided.
- Implement business controls to ensure compliance with relevant legislation and adoption of codes of practice for contracts and client requirements, including arrangements for crisis management and incidents.
- Report, both internally and externally, on our sustainability and environmental initiatives.
- Make key suppliers aware of our policy and practices to encourage them to adopt sustainable management practices.
- Monitor our sustainability performance and progress against objectives and targets.
- Value diverse skills and contributions by improving diversity and equality.
- Increase the development of strategies of benefit to health and wellbeing.
- Ensure all employees are aware of our Policy and embrace its principles.
The Jonas Commitment
To progress our sustainability strategy, the Sustainability Board governs and champions various initiatives as the first point of contact for sustainability/environmental issues; and provides guidance and considers different partners to explore sustainability strategy.
The purpose of the Board is to consider and recommend to the business new environmental initiatives with the agenda of integrating sustainability into the services we offer our clients and employees by considering our obligations to secure the well-being of future generations in how we support and participate in the environment in which we operate.
The Board implemented the following initiatives during 2022-23:
- Partnering with Carbon Footprint Ltd to assess our annual carbon and GHG impact across all our businesses.
- Working with Carbon Footprint Ltd to move from being Carbon Assessed to Carbon Reduced and then Carbon Neutral, which was achieved in November 2023.
- We partnered with a leasing provider to introduce an Electric Vehicle scheme under HMRC’s Salary sacrifice scheme, the Government’s ongoing commitment to incentivising employers to provide EV cars to employees.
- Attended a ‘Tree Planting/Carbon Offsetting’ event where we planted 200x Hazel saplings.
- Promoted the WWF carbon calculator for broader education of our employee base.
- The audit of miles travelled by both car and air to understand our impact further.
During 2024, the Board will:
- Continue to work with Carbon Footprint Ltd to have our Carbon and GHG impact audited annually.
- Consider at least one tree planting event for employees to attend during the year.
- To continue to offset our impact by investing in Sustainable Development Goal schemes like offshore wind farms, solar power farms and cook stoves.
- Continue to meet frequently and promote the work of the Board through newsletters, Town Hall publications and at our annual all-hands event.
- Review new initiatives and schemes that can help our employees support the goals of moving from Carbon Neutral to Carbon Zero.
Jonas Software will regularly review this policy on an annual basis and as the business evolves, ensuring it continues to be in line with current best practice.
