The journey to sustainability

By Jamie Wright, Managing Director, Incentive QAS

At Incentive QAS we believe that climate change is the most critical sustainability issue today. As a business we pride ourselves on our sustainable policies which impact how we carry out our business on a day-to-day basis, how we interact with our clients and always focus on making a positive impact on our environment.

We’ve revised our purchasing policies and supply chain partners to ensure that we are reducing our impact on the environment wherever possible and working with likeminded companies who place the utmost importance on sustainability.

Our intention is to be net zero by 2030 and we are well on our way having achieved Planet Mark accreditation. This certification recognises continuous improvement, encourages action and builds an empowered community of like-minded individuals who make a world of difference.

Our accreditation has been based around the following commitments and key targets; 

• 2022 – Switch to 100% renewable energy in all properties where we directly procure energy
• 2024 – Have a carbon neutral vehicle fleet through use of electric or hydrogen vehicles, offsetting remaining carbon production where current technology will not allow 
• 2028 – To minimise our scope 3 emissions by supporting our staff to be carbon neutral in their personal lives
• 2030 – Be a 100% carbon neutral business through the use of latest technology and products across all services, working with carbon neutral supply partners and offsetting any remaining carbon emissions.

Reducing Carbon Footprint

We’ve adopted several measures to reduce our carbon footprint:

• We have introduced hybrid vehicles to reduce dependency on fossil fuels and lessen carbon emissions in line with our plan to operate a carbon neutral fleet by 2024;
• Energy and utilities are conserved to the maximum by all reasonable measures having switched to renewable energy sources;
• All staff plan their journeys to minimise environmental impact;
• Phone-conference alternatives are used wherever possible;
• All Incentive Group activities are in line with a ‘zero waste’ principle, applied as far as the site infrastructure allows;
• Furniture and other consumables are ordered from low impact sustainable sources;
• Conversion to paperless records;
• 100% of paper and cardboard is recycled;
• Printing of documents is to be commissioned on chlorine-free recycled paper.
• All Incentive activity will aim to contribute to socioeconomic progress, equality, diversity and empowerment, at all levels, local and global.

Net Zero

Achieving net zero is crucial and within the Incentive Group we are well on our way to achieving it by 2030.  We have revised our purchasing policies to acquire more environmentally friendly products and invested in several sustainability projects which will create a legacy for our staff and company, demonstrating our continuous and lifelong approach to this important subject.

One example of this is our commitment to source and supply paper products from Metsa Tissues Katrin range. Metsa are a Finland based paper mill who own and harvest their own forest.  Their sustainable harvesting takes both environmental and social values into account, including nature and biodiversity.

Across the company we have multiple sustainability goals.  We implement and operate the ISO 14001 environmental management system to further enhance our performance. Our main sustainable drivers are to:

• Design and implement systems to enable the reduction, reuse and recycling of waste;
• Help improve energy efficiency and reduce energy waste;
• Use products from sustainable resources wherever possible;
• Take all measures to prevent pollution;
• Meet or exceed relevant environmental legislation, regulations and other requirements;
• Endeavour to purchase from suppliers who share our concern over the environment and take measures to ensure their own operations reflect this concern;
• Understand our clients’ legal obligations and ensure compliance.

Everything we produce should be designed to reduce our carbon footprint, or certainly not to cause harm to the environment. 

We’ve identified where we can make positive changes, and are using environmentally friendly products wherever possible. Cleaning chemicals are being replaced with water-based solutions and we’ve adopted a number of innovative products in order to reduce our impact upon the environment, as well as improve the working environment for our staff and clients.

We have been working with Greenspeed and Lotus Pro who provide environmentally friendly cleaning products which are efficient, innovative and sustainable. The products enable staff to use minimal amounts of water in combination with ecological, plant-based cleaning agents.

As an industry I feel like we’re positively addressing reduce, reuse and recycle policies and replacing long established products and systems with more sustainable resources wherever possible.