Our Commitment To Working Sustainably

We are a signatory to the SDG Publishers Compact

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The SDG Publishers Compact is a United Nations initiative that was launched in 2020 in collaboration with the International Publishers Association. It aims to accelerate progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

Having signed the Compact, we are now using the SDG framework to develop a range of sustainable working practices.

In August 2021, we were delighted to receive an EcoVadis Gold Medal sustainability rating following an assessment of our policies, practices and measures on the environment, labour and human rights, and ethics. We're passionate about continuing this work and want to keep pushing to achieve a more sustainable working environment. 

Of course, there is more to do! Please check back for updates.

 

Our core activities are now carbon neutral: 

  • Energy: our electricity comes from renewable sources
  • Travel: essential business travel is offset using the cotap.org scheme

We are encouraging staff to lower their commute-related carbon emissions by offering: 

  • Flexible & hybrid working policies  
  • A Cycle-to-Work scheme available on request 
  • Access to electric vehicle charging stations onsite

12 responible consumption and productionCommitment to sustainable practices has become a key criterium when evaluating suppliers:

  • Our pension scheme is now managed by a supplier which invests in ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) impact funds by default.
  • Our information services are now exclusively online and our IT cloud-based. So, we are following AWS and Microsoft’s commitments and progress toward net zero.

We have implemented a zero-waste policy:

  • We have comprehensive recycling and Terracycle schemes in place. We currently recycle 75% of our waste.
  • We use the PaperLess finance document management system.

We are passionate about creating a working environment that promotes staff health and wellbeing:

IFIS is an educational charity committed to supporting the needs of the global food community: 

  • Free access to FSTA: our database is available through the Research4Life programme and our staff volunteer with R4L working groups
  • Access to training materials: we provide free access to our webinars and guides to all researchers and students
  • Sustainability collection: a 6-month rolling database of sustainability-related research has been developed and is free to use!