Our current efforts in the UK are focused on improving the day-to-day things we can all do to help the environment, particularly these:
- Electricity produced for us by power stations and gas energy. The carbon dioxide they release contributes to global warming.
- Use of paper, catering materials, plastic cups, office furniture, computers and electronic equipment, fluorescent tubes. A lot of these items are currently taken to landfill sites for disposal.
- Commuting and business travel – cars are widely used. They cause various problems: congestion, car parking problems, loss of non-renewable resources, global warming, ground-level ozone, and acid rain.
In 2000, we created a working committee, called the Environmental Operations Group, which has responsibility for proposing environmental initiatives to the UK CSR Council in each business unit. The group's priorities are energy conservation, waste minimisation and the development of integrated transport plans.
We’re also currently improving our environmental management system including:
- extending an environmentally-focused supplier programme
- improving our environmental audit process
- developing a communication strategy for internal and external purposes
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In 2001, we signed up to the UK Government's initiative of Making a Corporate Commitment. The objectives Zurich UK has set for improving efficiency and environmental performance show how seriously we’re taking it. One immediate achievement has been successfully negotiating a long-term contract to make sure that at least 10% of electrical energy will come from a 'green' and renewable source – wind power.
Objectives
We recognise that by reducing the electricity produced for us from fossil fuels, we can also reduce the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere - and since carbon dioxide is one of the major contributors to global warming this is one of our main environmental targets.
Our key targets are:
- to reduce annual electricity and gas energy consumption by 1% at 41 major locations until 2010
- to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from electricity and gas energy by 20% between 1999-2004
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We’re constantly developing policies for commuting and business travel that help to reduce fuel consumption, pollution and congestion. Recent activities have included:
- free bus for employees between corporate centres in Cheltenham
- sharing best practice with employers in Cheltenham
- discussion with the employee bicycle-users' group in Cheltenham
- parking being offered as a 'flexible benefit' for employees in Swindon
- survey of employee travel patterns in Cheltenham, Swindon, Fareham and Portsmouth
- development of travel plans for commuting in Cheltenham, Swindon, Fareham and Portsmouth
- implementation of travel plans in Cheltenham eg. Consolidation of operations
- reviewing of the needs of cyclists in Swindon and Cheltenham
- actively promoting videoconferencing.
Objectives
Please look at Environmental Goals for our objectives for 2002-2007.
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We’ve been working for many years to reduce waste by:
- reducing paper consumption by using e-mail
- repairing and reusing office furniture
- reusing envelopes and recovering silver in Print Management
- recycling waste paper, alloy drinks cans, toner cartridges, plastic cups
But we still need to know more about what’s being bought, used and thrown away. So we’re developing more effective and efficient management information systems. Up to 30 employees have volunteered to work with the Global Action Plan. They have received training and they are helping to measure the quantity of materials consumed, reused and recycled.
We’ve also set up a recycling program that gives building managers more responsibility for limiting, reducing or mitigating the quantity of waste.
Objectives
Please look at Environmental Goals for our objectives for 2002-2007.
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