LTB 462/17 – Royal Mail Group Environment Focus Week – Mon 28 August to Fri 1 September 2017:
No. 462/2017
22 August 2017
Our Ref: E1/17
Royal Mail Group Environment Focus Week – Mon 28 August to Fri 1 September 2017:
To: All Branches
Dear Colleagues,
Royal Mail Group Environmental Policy and Strategy:
The scale of Royal Mail Group’s operations means it inevitably has a significant environmental impact. Managing that impact is a strategic imperative for RMG. The stated environmental strategy and approach is to help preserve the natural environment in which the organisation operates and this has the added benefit of controlling costs and supporting performance. RMG has made environmental considerations a fundamental part of how Royal Mail does business. The aim is to do so through influencing the workforce and aiming to identify and address environmental issues resulting from RMG business operations as well as aiming for continuous improvements across RMG sites and our logistical operations.
The RMG environmental strategy focuses on the following four aims:
• Energy: Reducing energy use in the RMG fleet and property to cut greenhouse gas emissions;
• Waste: Minimising the amount of waste RMG creates and diverting more waste from landfill;
• Water: Reducing RMGs demand for water and the amount of water that is lost or wasted on RMG premises;
• Customers and Suppliers: Working with RMG customers and suppliers to address environmental impacts.
RMG continue to align and maintain accreditation of the management system with environmental standard ISO14001. RMG continues to develop standards that cover energy use in buildings, waste, water, fuel and carbon management, expanding the strategy from 2017 onwards. During 2016–17, RMG developed and deployed standards for UK operations that meet the updated ISO standard – ISO2015. They cover environmental management, legal compliance, energy use and carbon management, and the management of waste. RMG plans to transition the environment management system (EMS) to the updated ISO standard for all UK sites in 2017–18.
*The Royal Mail Group Environment Policy, which is reviewed annually, is attached. Royal Mail
Group Environment Focus Week – Mon 28 August to Fri 1 September 2017:
The primary themes for the forthcoming RMG Environment focus week are energy and water and additionally the launch of a joint campaign to raise awareness and remind the workforce of the importance of responsible elastic band reuse, cutting waste and not littering the UK streets with elastic bands. The CWU is supporting these environmental messages, supporting the aims of eliminating littering and promoting the maximum reuse of elastic bands.
The ‘Environment Focus Week’ Worktime Learning and Listening (WTLL) brief will be issued to managers for delivery to the front line during the last week of August and the material will be launched as follows:-
• 28-08-2017 – WTLL
• 28-08-2017 – Regional Comms Messages in the weekly e-mail
• 28-08-2017 – Slides to run on the plasma screens
• 04-09-2017 – RMTV
The CWU and Unite/CMA are supporting Environment Focus Week and Royal Mail Group and the Unions are encouraging all ASRs to support the initiative and take part. The Royal Mail Group Head of Environment Management Ron Symonds has stated that Area Health and Safety Reps can be fully involved and it would be great if Royal Mail can count on the support of all CWU ASRs in the efforts to improve RMG’s environmental performance.
Please see attached an “Inspection Checklist”, which will be issued as part of the communications to all unit managers. ASRs can also use the checklist to inspect workplaces and cross-check with managers on the findings.
The WTLL brief attached is also encouraging all RMG staff to support the environment agenda through personal commitment and actions.
With increasing legislative focus on reducing energy & carbon, Royal Mail needs to look at how the organisation can become more energy efficient. Looking at how the company uses energy at its offices and sites and the impact the organisation’s actions or inactions have is an important step in improving RMG’s energy efficiency, which in turn will help to improve its reputation as a responsible business as well as save money.
In addition, water is a finite resource with only a small percentage of the Earth’s water suitable for human use. By improving water efficiency Royal Mail Group can reduce its impact on this precious resource and ensure availability for future generations.
Royal Mail also has to be mindful of its activities and the potential to cause pollution, including leaks and spills that may occur, as these can have far reaching impacts and consequences to business costs and standing in the community.
Improved energy efficiency reduces impact upon the use of fossil fuel energy and can reduce costs incurred by the business in using and maintaining the building infrastructure and fleet.
Facts:
A 2°C increase in office temperature can create enough CO2 in a year to fill a hot air balloon [The Carbon Trust]. We all have a part to play in improving our energy and fuel efficiency whilst working and to be conscious of our actions and the impact they may have on our energy and heating use.
Improving water use, not only helps reduce the cost of supply, but also helps reduce our energy costs (hot water). By becoming more water efficient we are safe-guarding a finite resource, demand for which increases annually.
Of all the water in the world, only 3% is fresh. Less than one third of 1% of this fresh water is available for human use, with the UK having less available water per person than most other European countries.
Preventing Pollution reduces our impact on the environment, and ensures the ecosystems that surround and support us survive and thrive.
Benefits of Improved Environmental Performance:
Reduced overheads and energy bills provide additional funds for investment and improvements. Reduced carbon and energy use can also help strengthen the ability of RMG to win contracts and maintain investor confidence. Using less water, means there is more for the natural environment, without which the human race would struggle to survive. By preventing pollution the business is also reducing the financial risks to Royal Mail Group, through fines, clean-up costs and reputational damage (loss of investors/drop in share price).
Energy Saving Actions For All:
• Switch off lights when leaving a room, or when not required.
• Ensure photocopiers and other office equipment is switched off or on stand-by mode
during long periods of inactivity.
• Keep all radiators and other heating equipment uncovered and unobstructed, this
improves efficiency of the heat output and reduces the risk of fire.
• Ensure doors and windows are closed when heating or air conditioning is operating.
• If too hot, do not open the window; speak to your line manager who can request a
change to thermostat settings.
• Small portable heaters must not be used, speak to your line manager on alternatives.
• Closing window blinds at night/early evening can help to reduce heat loss during the
winter.
• Adjusting window blinds during the day will help reduce heat gain during hot weather.
• Report all faults to energy using equipment immediately to your Line Manager.
• When driving always respect the designated speed limits, avoiding harsh accelerating
or braking.
• Always complete your vehicle checks and ensure tyres are legal and at the correct pressure.
• Avoid unnecessary idling when stationary in a vehicle.
Water Saving:
• Report all dripping taps/free flowing cisterns to your Line Manager.
• Report any leaks (or evidence of leaks, e.g. water on the floor) immediately to your Line Manager.
• Where available use water saving settings on any equipment.
Pollution Prevention:
• Always use available spill kits and absorbent granules to prevent any leak/spillage from entering the drains or other unprotected areas (such as grassed areas). Report incidents quickly to your Line Manager.
• Be conscious of any litter on site or inadvertently dropped whilst out on delivery/ collection – always pick up dropped items and take back to your site.
• Ensure your vehicle (where appropriate) is registered to enter any congestion charging zone prior to leaving your unit.
Elastic Band Use – Royal Mail Group Environment Focus Week – Mon 28 August to Fri 1 September 2017:
During 2017–18, Royal Mail with the full support of both Unions, CWU and Unite/CMA will be running a high profile campaign to encourage all staff to re-use elastic bands. This initiative will be launched next week during Royal Mail Group Environment Focus Week – Mon 28 August to Fri 1 September 2017. See attached “RM/CWU/Unite Joint Environmental Initiative & Statement”. The agreed Joint Statement can be printed, circulated and displayed on Notice Boards to help raise the profile of this agreement. Your help and support will be much appreciated.
Every year, Royal Mail uses around 338 tonnes of elastic bands at a cost of over a million pounds, to keep bundles of mail together.
Since last year, due to the good all round efforts made by the workforce, Royal Mail has managed to reduce the number of elastic bands purchased by eight per cent but much more can be done if all offices across the UK make the effort. The reduction last year was achieved by encouraging staff members to reuse elastic bands as much as possible. There are a number of mail centres leading the way in reusing elastic bands and supplying their local delivery offices with used bands. For example, Leeds Mail Centre is tackling this problem in a big way.
Royal Mail’s policy around reusing elastic bands and not littering remains a top priority and while the bands are re-used within some delivery offices and mail centres, more can still be done by others. It is a misconception that it is unsafe to use elastic bands more than once.
The elastic bands used by Royal Mail are biodegradable, helping to minimise our impact on the environment. The natural rubber content in them means that they will start to biodegrade in an outdoor environment within a year.
Internal communications have been used regularly to remind the workforce to reuse rubber bands. However, sometimes elastic bands will be dropped by postmen and women in the course of their work out on deliveries in particular and this at times brings a lot of public criticism, complaints and bad publicity, damaging the reputation of Royal Mail and its workers.
It’s also been recognised that the littering of elastic bands in rural areas is a potential threat to wildlife and the environment on top of being a wasteful cost to Royal Mail. Many animal welfare, countryside and wildlife organisations from time to time raise this point with Royal Mail and the Unions.
Simply reducing the number of bands used, reusing bands where possible and returning bands to the delivery office or mail centre after use will make a huge difference in helping keep costs to a minimum and doing our bit for the environment. Everyone should act responsibly towards the environment to pick bands up that have been dropped and reuse them where possible.
Remember the Elastic Bands three R’s:-
• Reduce
• Reuse
• Return
Site Inspections
As part of the Environmental Awareness Week, all Unit Managers should undertake a site inspection based upon the attached Inspection Sheet environmental areas. (These items are also included in the Inspection templates associated with SHEMS Standard 17.01.).
Where possible; Unit Manager and CWU ASRs and Unite/CMA ASRs should aim to undertake a joint Environmental Inspection during any ASR visits within the awareness week.
Attachments For ASR Information:
• RMG Environmental Policy
• Managers Environmental Awareness/Focus Week Site Inspection Sheet
• WTLL for Environment Awareness/Focus Week (Energy, Water, Waste & Pollution)
• RMG Opps Bulletin – Energy, Carbon and Waste Reduction
• Infographic Sheet – Switch Off, Turn Off, Recycling, Close Windows, Carbon Emissions
• Elastic Bands Campaign Joint RMG/CWU/Unite CMA Statement
• RMG Intranet Article – Elastic bands – Reduce, Reuse, Return
Yours sincerely
Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer
17LTB462 Royal Mail Group Environment Focus Week – Mon 28 August to Fri 1 September 2017
Aug – WTLL Energy Water and Pollution Final
Aug Energy Carbon and Water Reduction
Aug Environmental Awareness Story with CSR
