The Fusion company is committed to its environmental responsibilities towards its customers, employees and the community at large.

Protection of the Environment

All sites actively recycle materials and minimises packaging to minimise waste. Where the company are asked to source packaging materials recyclable materials are always used where the end client agrees. Biodegradable packaging is used as void infill where possible.

The company seeks to continually improve its environmental performance by audit and education of its employees. All suppliers’ Environmental Policy’s are assessed as part of the accreditation programme and preference is given to those suppliers that use Best Practice in relation to environmental issues.

Our Environmental Policy encompasses the following key elements:

· Use of environmentally preferred materials.

· Reduce, re-use and recycle wherever possible.

· Use energy efficiently throughout the Company utilising energy efficient lighting and light timing monitor systems wherever possible.

· Our print and laser operations use environmental disposal/recycle contractors to process waste ink/toner and cleaning rags.

· We provide environmental awareness training to maximise our employees understanding of environmental issues and to highlight the Companies policy and programmes.

· We maintain safe and healthy places of work in line with the Companies Health & Safety Policy and No Smoking Policy; and

· All company vehicles comply with emissions standards for noise and pollution.

Our Environmental Objectives:

1. To maintain our plant, vehicles and equipment to the highest standards thereby taking pre-emptive measures.
2. To design packaging that is recyclable and is energy efficient.
3. To minimise the use of power by utilising light timers and long-life bulbs where possible; and
4. To develop best practice guidance through the management of the published Environmental Policy document.

1. Introduction

The Fusion Company is committed to conserving energy, water and other resources, reducing waste and phasing out the use of ozone depleting substances by minimising the release of greenhouse gases and other such substances damaging to health and the environment.

This has been translated into a procurement policy requiring teams to purchase goods and services that:

· Comply with all environmental legislative and regulatory requirements.

· Promote environmental awareness amongst our suppliers and contractors and encourage them to offer environmentally preferable options at competitive prices, where appropriate favour environmentally preferable products made from recycled materials.

· Consider the environmental costs and benefits relevant to the contract in assessing whole life costs.

· Are relevant to the contract and evaluate the performance of tenderers in providing goods and services taking into account any relevant manufacturing processes; and

· Will raise staff awareness of environmental issues affecting procurement by providing relevant information and training.

2. Value for Money

It is the Company’s policy that where possible, environmental requirements and value for money in any procurement exercise should be balanced against each other to ensure that the end purchase meets the requirement fully.

3. Whole life costs

Fusion policy on purchasing requires that purchasing decisions are based on value for money. This is defined as the optimum combination of quality and whole life costs to meet user’s requirements and allows investment in more expensive products initially which will result in reduction of costs in the long run.

The main decision-making criteria include:

1. Direct running costs, such as energy, water and other resources over the product or service lifetime.
2. Indirect costs, such as high costs for energy inefficient equipment having to be operated.
3. Administration costs, such as handling and control costs for special and hazardous materials.
4. Spending to save where investment in something results in savings in the future.
5. Recyclability, by creating markets for our own waste and buying recycled products.
6. Cost of disposal, by paying more at the outset for a more durable, reusable or disposable product.
7. Emissions.

4. Development of suppliers

Where environmental issues relate directly to the performance of the contract and therefore, the achievement of value for money, it may be appropriate to work with the supplier to improve these aspects of performance in the contract. Additionally, to encourage suppliers to consider ways in which processing services or manufacturing goods can aid long term sustainability. A simple way of introducing environmental issues into contracts is to ensure the inclusion of suppliers who use environmentally friendly paper for producing reports.

5. Service, Research & Consulting Contracts

Where it is relevant to the performance of the contract, contractors must adhere to the Fusion Environmental Policy. They should be told what this is and asked as part of their Method Statement for details of how they will comply with this.

6. Waste reduction

Reduce:

The cost effective and environmentally sound option is to use less and therefore order less and checking whether the purchase is necessary, for example ask the following questions:

· Is the product fit for purpose?

· How many do you really need?

· Can you encourage staff to retain what they have for longer?

· Is there any redundant equipment in the organisation that can be used?

· Has the option to repair, upgrade or refurbish been considered?

· Can the product be used for the whole of its useful life, and if not, what alternatives are there? Could it be relocated or even hired out in future?

· Is the product over specified, i.e. can it be made from lower grade material or less material without degrading quality?

· Is the product covered by a long warranty? Manufacturers must be encouraged to stop producing products which become obsolete quickly and so require replacement.

· Is the packaging the necessary minimum to provide protection?

Re use:

If appropriate, look for goods that are:

· Repairable and easily upgraded and supported with guaranteed stocks of easily replaceable parts.

· Designed to be disassembled and easily replaced; and

· Protected with packaging that the supplier will accept back for reuse, recycling or recovery.

Recycle:

Try to reduce the use of virgin materials by:

· Specifying products are made from recovered or recyclable materials (with labelled components and easy snap apart disassembly (e.g. printer cartridges).

· Setting targets to maximise the number of products from manufactured parts and recycle materials to non‑recycled alternatives; and

· Identifying, evaluating and revising any standards or specifications unrelated to performance that prevent the purchase of such products.

7. Integrating the Environmental policy into purchasing

The key points to remember are:

· Work with suppliers.

· Treat whole life costs as quality issues; and

· Build on existing systems.

The steps to follow are:

1. Define how purchasing can support Fusion’s strategy for making its operations as green as possible.

2. Decide priorities for action on environmental issues and risks.

3. Decide the type and quality of supplier information required.

4. Decide the most cost-effective methods of collecting information.

5. Build any relevant factors into your assessment systems.

6. Prioritise suppliers.

7. Collect information from priority suppliers and hold seminars to provide two-way information flows.

8. Process and evaluate information from and about suppliers.

9. Agree goals and timescales for improvement with suppliers; and

10. Monitor, review and provide feedback to both suppliers and the system.

8. Best practice for waste disposal

Under the Environmental Protection Act there are legal responsibilities which the buyer cannot delegate to the contractor. A Duty of Care (see 6.4) exists which binds all original producers of waste to take all reasonable steps to ensure that it is dealt with properly and legally. Therefore, it is essential that reputable contractors are used to avoid costly prosecution.

The purchaser must make sure that:

a) The contractor provides a transfer note for every transfer of controlled waste describing the type and amount of waste and the name of the carrier used.

b) The waste carrier has a certificate of registration issued by the Environment Agency. A check needs to be made that the registration number tallies with the number on the transfer note.

c) Any disposal sites used are licensed for this purpose.

d) A track is kept of what happens to the waste when it leaves the premises; and

e) The security of the contractor’s operations is up to the required standards.

Fair Trade

The Fusion3PL Company aims to:

• Pay fair prices to our suppliers.
• Encourage the use of resources and production methods that are environmentally sustainable.
• Establish long-term trading relationships with our supplier groups, providing stability and security of trading.
• When using agency staff, to offer fair wages, above average working conditions and involvement in the local community.
• Working with organisations that explicitly aim to provide benefits to their workers, e.g. non-governmental organisations or community groups that are trading to generate income to support social and development programmes, or private businesses with a genuine commitment to their workers’ welfare.
• Making advance payments, or facilitating credit, where requested, and paying the agreed price at the agreed time.
• We retain a political consciousness and do not do business with any manufacturer who supports an oppressive regime. We ensure that profits from our business do not benefit any government or organisation who infringes upon human rights.

Corporate Responsibility Policy

Fusion 3PL Ltd recognises its responsibility to its employees, customers, suppliers, and the wider community. We have therefore brought together our existing operating principles into one framework policy under the heading of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The principles encompassed in this policy cover all areas of the Group’s operations. Fusion will comply with all relevant national and other applicable laws, and aim for continuous improvement in financial, social and environmental performance.

Fusion is committed to:

Providing a supportive, rewarding and safe working environment, by:

· Upholding the human rights of our employees;

· Supporting the principle of equal opportunities and diversity in employment as per our Equal Opportunities and Diversity Policy which includes working towards achieving a diverse workforce, recruiting, employing and promoting employees only on the basis of objective criteria and the qualifications and abilities needed for the job to be performed;

· Offering fair levels of remuneration and reward;

· Providing employees with opportunities for education, training and promotion;

· Encouraging communication, feedback and dialogue with employees through a clear and open system of internal communications;

· Protecting the health, safety and welfare of employees;

· Providing a grievance procedure by which employees can raise issues of possible concern;

· Creating and maintaining a safe and healthy working environment for its employees through the implementation of our Health & Safety Policy; and

· Striving to create a workplace in which there is mutual trust and respect and where every person feels responsible for the performance and reputation of our Company.

Conducting business relationships in an ethical and fair manner, by:

· Being committed to integrity and honesty in all our business relationships, including those with customers, suppliers, communities and our employees;

· Expecting the highest standard of ethical behaviour from Fusion employees and from those who act on the Company’s behalf in the performance of their professional responsibilities and in their own personal conduct; and

· Advising all employees through induction training and continuous training of their ethical responsibilities and how the Company will help in ensuring that these responsibilities can be fulfilled.

Supporting communities in which we operate, by:

· Providing local employment opportunities and training; and

· Providing either financial and/or resources to organisations or projects that have a clear community benefit, within agreed financial limits.

Minimising our environmental impact by:

· Applying the principles and provisions laid out in our Environmental and Sustainability Policy.

Encouraging our contractors and suppliers to adopt and implement these Corporate Social Responsibility principles, by:

· Building long term relationships with our contractors and suppliers;

· Disseminating our Corporate Responsibility Policy to our contractors and suppliers; and

· Encouraging our contractors and suppliers to adopt recognised standards (e.g. ISO 14001)

The Managing Director assume responsibility for oversight of Corporate Responsibility issues. This Policy and its implementation will be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that it remains appropriate and relevant to Fusion and is committed to providing the necessary support in order to ensure that the business units can fulfil the requirements outlined in this policy. This policy will be communicated to everyone working for or on behalf of the Fusion.

Anti Slavery

POLICY STATEMENT

Modern slavery is a crime and a violation of fundamental human rights. It takes various forms, such as slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour and human trafficking, all of which have in common the deprivation of a person’s liberty by another in order to exploit them for personal or commercial gain. We are committed to acting ethically and with integrity in our business dealings and relationships and are committed to preventing modern slavery in our own business and to helping prevent modern slavery in our supply chains.

We are also committed to ensuring there is transparency in our own business and in our approach to tackling modern slavery. Under the Modern Slavery Act 2015, we are legally required to disclose the steps we take to tackle modern slavery. We expect the same high standards from all of our employees and suppliers.

This policy applies to all persons working for us or on our behalf in any capacity, including employees at all levels, directors, officers, agency workers, suppliers, seconded workers, volunteers, and interns.