This Statement is about how Jabez Cliff & Co Limited takes account of its economic, social and environmental impact in the way it operates as a business. By demonstrating our commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility we aim to align our business values, purpose and strategy with the needs of our clients, whilst embedding such responsible and ethical principles into everything we do.
The elements of this Statement cover our approach in dealing with our clients, suppliers and the local community principles in an effort to support reducing our energy, procurement, transport, water use and other business usage to reduce our carbon footprint and environmental impact.
Environment
Protection of the environment in which we live and operate is part of Jabez Cliff & Co Limited values and principles and we consider it to be sound business practice. As a British designer and manufacturer, care for the environment is one of our key responsibilities and an important part of the way in which we do business. We examine all of our products and the processes we use to manufacture them and make every effort to continually improve our environmental performance.
In this policy statement we commit our company to:
- Complying with all relevant environmental legislation, regulations and approved codes of practice
- - Protecting the environment by striving to prevent and minimise our contribution to pollution of land, air and water
- - Seeking to keep wastage to a minimum and maximise the efficient use of materials and resources by evaluating operations
- - Managing and disposing of all waste in a responsible manner
- - Providing training for all our staff so that we all work in accordance with this policy statement and within an environmentally aware culture
- - Regularly communicating our environmental performance to our employees and other significant stakeholders
- - Developing our management processes to ensure that environmental factors are considered during planning and implementation
- - Monitoring and continuously improving our environmental performance
The Directors will ensure that the Company reduces the environmental impact on the Company by:
- Reducing all our transportation requirements wherever possible and utilising public transport and such facilities as web-ex and conference call facilities
- By using vehicles that are regularly services and checked with regards to their emission levels and economically use their fuel
- Sourcing and buying locally to save fuel costs wherever possible
- Ensuring that all lights and equipment is switched off when not required
- Ensuring all water is used efficiently
- Using scrap paper for drafts and notes
- Printing in mono and double sided wherever possible
- Recycling all waste
- Shredding all business documentation and utilising as packaging material
- Selling any leather off cut, that we are unable to utilise, to a Gasket manufacturer based locally
- Utilising 75% of rubbers and foams used in the manufacturing process as packaging material
- Sourcing recycled materials wherever possible
- Working with like-minded suppliers who take steps to minimise their environmental impact
Our two main leather suppliers, J.E. Sedgewick and Pittards PLC Group both actively review their environmental impact and release the following statement on the matter:
J.E. Sedgewick
"The leather that we source for the saddle manufacturing industry is a by-product from the meat industry and raw materials are only sourced from farms in the UK, Southern Germany and Switzerland".
Pittards PLC Group
Pittards PLC Group produces technically advanced leather for many of the world's leading brands of gloves, shoes, luxury leather goods and sports equipment. In creating leather from the hide ans skin by-products of the world meat and dairy industries, Pittards enhance the beauty and performance of a natural renewable material. The Company has always taken a responsible attitude to the environment and has led the leather industry in adapting and changing manufacturing processes to take into account the health and safety of its employees and the impact of its operations on the environment.
"We are committed to creating value for our stakeholders and the communities in which we operate, whilst contributing to the goal of environmental sustainability".
Specifically, the Pittards Group will:
- Meet and strive to better relevant environmental standards and legislation.
- Annually review environmental objectives and targets with a view to continually improving the Group's environmental performance.
- Use only those hides and skins which are by-products of the meat, wool and dairy industries world-wide.
- Communicate openly on the nature of our activities and report progress on environmental plans and performance.
- Organise activities and operations in such a way that environmental impacts are assessed and minimised.
- Aim to minimise waste through the stringent use of all materials, supplies and energy.
- Use renewable or recyclable materials and components wherever possible in operations.
- Maintain a research and development activity, aimed at more efficient and more environmentally acceptable technology.
- Include environmental considerations in all investment decisions.
The Directors recognise the importance of environmental considerations. As a responsible organisation, Jabez Cliff & Co Limited seeks to follow, in all areas of its activities, policies which support this. It is considered that with best practices observed, timber and wood products (as used in our trees) are the ultimate sustainable and recyclable materials, requiring low energy consumption to process and area thermally efficient in use.
The Company is an involved supporter of the policies adopted by Forests Forever and a signatory to its recommended policies. Forests Forever is a campaign by Britain’s’ timber industry to help safeguard the forests of the world by encouraging forest management, responsible trading and the promotion of the positive environmental aspects of using timber.
As signatories to the Forests Forever policy, we actively seek from our supplier’s evidence of commitment to continuous improvement in environmental performance, information on the source of wood products and evidence of good forest management practice. Jabez Cliff & Co Limited will only source materials from suppliers who are operating within the laws of the laws of their own country.
With the growing public awareness of the environment and environmental issues, and with many customers specifically requesting certified timber, we have made positive moves towards stocking products originating from sustainable and correctly managed forest, and in particular FSC certified products; FSC products have their forest of origin independently inspected and evaluated according to environmental, social and economic criteria agreed by the Forest Stewardship Council AC.
FSC (the Forest Stewardship Council) is an international, non-profit making association whose membership includes environmental and social groups and progressive forestry and wood retail companies working in partnership to improve forest management worldwide.
The Company aims to adopt environmental standards at least equal to legal requirements and to integrate environmental considerations into its decision making in such areas as transport, energy usage, treatment plants, waste disposal and health and safety.
Employees
The Directors will also ensure that we deal responsibly, openly and fairly with employees and potential employees by:
- - Ensuring that all of our facilities will promote a safe and healthy working environment
- - Ensuring we regularly train our employees, and will provide all the necessary Personal Protective Equipment
- - Promoting a culture of safety awareness and, in the event of accidents, we will investigate all instances accurately and thoroughly
- - Ensuring employee working hours will comply with the prevailing legislation
- - Ensuring that overtime, when available, will be allocated on an equitable basis and will be managed to ensure that the demands on the individual are reasonable, and we will always provide adequate breaks
- - Ensuring they will be paid at market rates, and in accordance with prevailing legislation
- - Ensuring no employee will be allowed to work in hazardous areas without suitable training. No-one under the age of 15, or in a forced labour situation, will be involved in our business, and no-one under 18 will be required to work on a night shift
- - The Company operates to an Equality Policy which will not tolerate discrimination, and our thorough Grievance Procedure supports this stance
- - The Company has a disciplinary Code which applies to all employees. This ensures that all individuals have the opportunity to be represented at formal investigations, and in the event that they disagree with the findings, they have the automatic right of appeal to a more senior management forum
Local Community
The Directors will also ensure that our work with the local community involves:
- - Working and supporting local and national charities
- - Encouraging volunteer work in community activities
- - Supporting local schools
- - Recruiting staff from within the local community, where possible
Clients
The Directors will also ensure that we deal responsibly, openly and fairly with clients and potential clients by:
- - Ensuring that all our advertising and documentation about the business and its activities are clear, informative, legal, decent, honest and truthful
- - Being open and honest about our products and services and telling customers what they want to know, including what we do to be socially responsible
- - We will avoid pressure selling techniques
- - Ensuring that if something goes wrong we will acknowledge the problem and deal with it
- - We will listen to our clients so that this can help us improve the products and services we offer to them
- - Ensuring that we benchmark and evaluate what we do in order to constantly improve our competitive edge in the marketplace
The Directors will also ensure that we deal responsibly, openly and fairly with suppliers by:
- - Ensuring that we use local suppliers as much as possible
- - That we will endeavour to pay on time
- - Not expecting any discounts to have a detrimental effect on their business
The operational and ultimate responsibility for the commitment to our corporate social responsibility principles lies with the Directors of Jabez Cliff trading as Barnsby. Every employee of Jabez Cliff & Co Limited is expected to give their full co-operation to the above principles in their activities at work. Consultants or visitors are also expected to apply our environmental principles.
The effectiveness of the Policy Statement will be monitored and reviewed at least annually by the Directors to ensure the Company’s continuing compliance with any relevant legislation and to meet new business requirements and to identify areas in need of improvement. We will also ensure that all areas changes will be brought to the attention of employees as necessary.
James Hitchen
Managing Director
Jabez Cliff & Co Limited