17 September 2018
The IFoA believes we all need to take steps to reduce our environmental impact, but knowing how to begin and which steps to take can be a challenge for all of us – simply put, where do we start?
At the IFoA, the use of WRAP Guidelines helped us navigate this large task, providing a useful framework to get us going. We began with a survey to all staff, which showed that people who work at the IFoA really do have a vested interest in the environment – but it also showed us where they needed to know more. Staff advised us that education was high on the agenda, so with this in forefront of our minds our plan was forming and our IFoA Environmental take over was underway.
Along the way we created the IFoA’s first ever Environmental Policy, which we are incredibly proud of and which has complete Senior Management support.
We also put ideas into practice that engender change and help to build commitment to the policy. Approaches we have taken consist of: building on the IFoA’s values, educating people, learning from experience of others, and providing incentives.
With this in mind we have managed to:
- Engage with all aspects of the business through lunch and learns (highest turn out recorded to date) and having Project Team Members in different Directorates, locations and who have a variety of skills in different fields.
- Spread the word through articles using the IFoA intranet.
- Increase waste management activities.
- Include awareness in our induction programme to set the tone for our environmental values from the get go.
- Provide incentives for staff to see that little things do count, like turning off the computers overnight.
- Give Ecoffee cups to all staff as an incentive in return for pledges to change behaviours.
- Go public with our commitment and plan
- Reduce the use of paper (and therefore toner, electricity etc.) by 27% in the last year, across the UK office sites.
- Introduce more advanced video conferencing facilities to help reduce travel between offices.
- Introduce Collaborative Tools to reduce the need for printing.
- Take part in Plastic Free July with staff educating others with their own achievements.
- Add an environmental criteria rating to procurement activities and create an environmental procurement policy.
Our work is to be continued with the Senior Management and Resource and Environment Board’s support to develop and embed an environmental culture at the IFoA.
People from a range of different areas have been involved in this work:
- Anne Moore, Director
- Anna Barker-Hodges, Risk and Project Management Analyst
- Marc Crew, Head of Facilities
- Lewis Burke-Smith, Procurement Business Partner
- Inge Studnik, Human Resources Business Partner
- Lisa Leath, Communications Executive
- Victoria Campbell, General Counsel Coordinator
- Rebecca Deegan, Manager –South East Asia