Q. Noting practicing what you preach, regarding environmental sustainability – what has been the carbon footprint impact from all IOSH business travel combined this fiscal year (FY) or year-to-date (YTD)? And if it isn’t recorded, why not?
A. To deliver our charitable objects, we are responsible, flexible and selective in dedicating time and resources to travelling when and where necessary. This approach builds and maintains vital relationships, identifies and pursues good opportunities, and supports our members and customers. All our staff make a business case when they wish to travel on behalf of IOSH. This challenges all of us to consider whether travel is the best way of carrying out the activity. In many cases, we participate in events instead. If we do travel, we do so as wisely as possible. However, our members ask us to attend some in-person events and certain strategically important international meetings and events are in-person only. When we travel, we make the most effective use of that time.
Our corporate travel partner does track emissions for the trips we book through them, so we are monitoring our carbon footprint and this informs our decision-making as well.
Since 2020, we and our employees have reduced carbon emissions from commuting by car with remote or hybrid working for much of each week. At our offices, our energy contracts are now predominantly carbon neutral and we habitually recycle 96 per cent of the waste we produce. We manage our grounds at the Grange to be biodiverse as well, removing and storing CO2 from the atmosphere. We will continue to seek opportunities to offset our carbon footprint, such as paying additional fees for offsetting at source.
IOSH
