Environmental Policy

Progressive is committed to the principles of sustainable development and environmental responsibility. In all of our business operations we recognise our obligation to improve our environmental performance. Early in 2007 we developed a comprehensive environmental policy, based on internal research and consultation with environmental experts, in order to ensure our corporate responsibility in this regard was being met. We undertake six monthly reviews of our use of resources and feed back our findings to all members of staff at ‘State of the Nation' meetings. We then conduct a full review of our environmental policy on an annual basis.

Our policy is outlined below and includes several different core elements:

Waste and recycling

Progressive has been working to minimise waste and increase the amount of material being recycled for several years now.

  • Within all of our buildings there are clear and accessible recycling points for several types of materials including paper, plastic and cans.
  • As part of our environmental policy we encourage a culture of responsible use of resources amongst staff. Printing and use of copy paper is kept to minimum through the use of electronic files and double-sided printing.
  • All used paper is collected weekly by LEEP Recycling and taken for recycling. This includes our confidential waste paper which is placed in LEEP Recycling red confidential bags and sealed by Progressive with a security tie before being uplifted. The bag is held in a secure area before being transported to the shredder and is not opened until it enters the shredder. The resultant shredded paper is then recycled in the same way as our general office paper.
  • We are also committed to purchasing recycled stationary products where possible.
  • In terms of interviewing, we have moved towards increased use of paperless interviewing techniques (using CAPI technology). This not only removes the necessity for paper; it is more energy efficient as it requires no additional printing or use of transport once the machines are with the interviewers as data is sent via use of secure broadband technology.
  • Progressive will always provide a copy of results presentations on disc rather than in hard-copy format unless requested to do otherwise.


Energy and resources

Progressive's offices use energy efficient light bulbs wherever possible and all photocopiers have timers to switch off if not in constant use. Staff are trained in energy efficiency and posters around the offices remind individuals to switch off lights, pc monitors and other electrical items when not in use. As part of our policy, our electricity usage is monitored to track progress in this area.

Transport

We take a responsible approach to transport for both internal staff and field interviewers, whilst remaining sufficiently flexible to get the job done on time and in budget.

  • Progressive encourages car sharing amongst employees travelling to work and also provides shower facilities for employees who commute to work using a bicycle.
  • When planning projects, all staff follow guidelines which were developed by Progressive with a transport policy consultant in order to minimise environmental impact.
  • Where possible we are working to reduce carbon emissions by minimising the short haul flights used for business travel. Where this is not possible, we make an annual donation to plant trees in Scotland to offset our emissions through Carbon Offset Scotland.
  • Our large and geographically widespread network of field interviewers allows us to cover most locations in Scotland without the necessity for travel of over 10 miles thereby limiting our carbon footprint considerably.


Procurement

We are continually working to ensure our procurement reflects our commitment to technologies, products and services which demonstrate a duty of care towards the environment. We request information from all suppliers regarding their environmental policies.

Staff training and awareness

We ensure all staff are aware of our environmental policies through training and our annual ‘Green Week' when our policies are reviewed and money is raised for environmental charities such as Sustrans or Carbon Offset Scotland. Staff are encouraged on an ongoing basis to provide further suggestions for ways of improving our environmental policy, via a dedicated "green" forum on our intranet system.