As a responsible, ethical company, Unitas believes we have a duty to the city we work in and the effect that our work has on the environment – both in Stoke-on-Trent and globally.
We have what we believe to be an effective and achievable Environment Policy here. Our teams worked hard to ensure that our commitment within the policy was realistic and achievable simply because otherwise why bother? We want to ensure that we make promises we can keep and that they can be relied upon.
As you can see, the policy promises Unitas will work to improve our performance, use energy efficiently and cut down on the waste we generate. We want to protect biodiversity and resources. We strive to be a good neighbour to the people who live and work close to us.
Our environment commitment starts as soon as we employ a member of staff. As part of our initial staff training, we ensure everyone working for Unitas goes about their duties in as environmentally friendly way as possible, conserving resources, reducing waste and lowering our carbon footprint wherever possible. This training is ongoing and wherever possible is fed to staff at new sites and on new projects.
Our Commitment
Corporately, Unitas has made great strides to reduce our carbon footprint and live up to the promises we made in our Environmental Policy.
So far, we’ve:
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- Invested in two electric hybrid vans, electric charging points at our depot and commissioned a new fleet of 239 vans that are fuel efficient. This is produced a saving of 46g/km CO2 per vehicle, which is an overall saving of 11,086 g/km CO2 for the whole fleet of 241 vans.
- Added a shop van facility to each end of the city during working days to cut down on our tradespeople’s travel time when they need parts (more coming on this very soon…)
- Introduced a Cycle Salary Sacrifice Scheme where staff can hire the bike and equipment over a 12-month period and pay back the costs from their gross salary to reduce carbon emissions.
- Committed that 95% of our waste is recycled; the bulky household items are shredded and used for energy, the mixed construction is separated and used for hardcore and soil and the plasterboard is recycled and used for back boards. The remaining 5% is asbestos and goes directly to landfill.
- Ensured a robust waste management policy standard that all service streams follow. Our scrap metal funding is then paid back into our Helping Hands fund to assist local community groups.
Going the Extra Mile
For many of our employees, the environmental practices go far beyond what they “have” to do and has become far more personal. Having formed their own Environmental Group, they now meet monthly and have set their own agenda, practices and goals.
From forming, the group has:
- Installed and maintained a vegetable patch – we’ve had fresh berries, carrots and potatoes so far!
- Installed Bee Hotels and Bird Feeders around our Cromer Road site.
- Introduced a peaceful garden with a seating area for our staff to use.
- Taken part in community litter picks
- Completed outreach projects with local schools. Our joiners volunteered their time to make bird houses for a local school.
In short, we take our personal and corporate commitment to the environment around us seriously. We hope that reflects through our actions.
