Sustainable Development Policy
Edition 3
KEEP WALES TIDY
33-35 CATHEDRAL ROAD, CARDIFF, CF11 9HB
Revision
3
Description
Created by/date
Gareth Davies
October 2013
Approved by/date
Lesley Jones
October 2014
REGISTERED CHARITY NO: 1082058 REGISTERED COMPANY NO: 4011164
The policy sets out Keep Wales Tidy’s commitment to Sustainable Development.
Keep Wales Tidy recognise that the behaviour of staff, the board of trustees, volunteers and other
stakeholders is key if we are to deliver on our Sustainable Development targets and challenge not
only our working practices but our behaviour and actions.
Responsibility for implementing the policy
Overall and final responsibility for sustainable development in the Company lies with the Chief
Executive, Managers and the Board of Trustees of Keep Wales Tidy,
Scope
This policy applies to all staff and trustees, together with volunteers who work within the remit of
Keep Wales Tidy policies.
Introduction
The Vision of Keep Wales Tidy is one of “a beautiful Wales cared for and enjoyed by all”
In order to achieve the Vision, Keep Wales Tidy has established the following 4 over arching key
aims:




Strengthening Keep Wales Tidy’s position as a leading community-based environmental charity in
Wales, connecting people with their local environment.
Developing people’s understanding and appreciation of our environment, leading to behavioral
change.
Enabling individuals and communities to take action to improve our environment and quality of life.
Demonstrating that environmental action leads to economic and social benefits and wellbeing for
all.

Definition of sustainable development
Keep Wales Tidy supports a widely held definition of that Sustainable development means meeting
the economic, social, cultural and environmental needs of people and communities without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs and includes the application
of the following principles:











Ensuring a strong, healthy and just society;
Living within environmental limits;
Using natural resources prudently;
Achieving a sustainable economy;
Promoting good governance;
Using sound science responsibly;
Applying the precautionary and polluter pays principles;
Avoiding adverse international impacts;
Ensuring that the people of Wales use only their fair share of the world’s resources;
Promoting and facilitating the use of the Welsh language and strengthening Welshspeaking communities;
Protecting and enhancing Wales’ natural environment.
2
Keep Wales Tidy has identified Sustainable Development as a means of ensuring that best
practice relating to environmental, economic and social considerations is adhered to, and we will
do our best to demonstrate transparency, fairness, and propriety in all its dealings, to ensure that
the integrity of the company is not undermined in the eyes of the community it seeks to serve.
Through the use of a working plan, the Company has identified its significant sustainable
development impacts and is committed to continual improvement of our performance by:









Ensuring the continued delivery of quality services to our employees, volunteers, the
environment and other stakeholders;
Improving the local environment;
Considering the balance between economic, environmental and social aspects of our work
decisions against sustainable development principles;
Listening to and working with our volunteers, employees, funders, Welsh Government and
other stakeholders to ensure continuous improvement in the sustainable development of our
work;
Complying with all relevant environmental legislation associated with our activities;
Reducing the amount of resources consumed by means of recycling and re-use;
Educating and informing staff, trustees and volunteers to ensure that they understand their own
personal impact on their local environment;
Operating an efficient and co-ordinated office environment to ensure that all activities are in line
with best practice, and to minimise the production of waste in respect of raw material, energy
and water use;
Reporting internally and publicly on our performance at a minimum annually
This means that we will




Operate a Sustainable Development team that sets practical goals and works towards
objectives set out in our action plan;
Operate an Environment Management System that regularly measures and monitors our
performances against these targets;
Engage in dialogue with our stakeholders locally, regionally and nationally and form relevant
partnerships to deliver on our objectives together with community and environmental benefits;
Look at not only our operations but how we influence our stakeholders to make them more
environmentally sustainable.
Monitoring and Reporting
We will seek to improve our performance with regard to this sustainable development policy by
implementing the targets identified in our Environmental review reporting internally and publicly on
our economic, environmental and social performance.
This policy will be reviewed on an annual basis.
3