Environmental Policy
COMMITMENT:
Miller Samuel Hill Brown is a service provider. A significant proportion of the UK's energy supply is used by office-based businesses. We consider and recognise that the Firm must do its best to operate in such a way that is sustainable in the long term and minimises damage to the environment in areas where our activities have an impact.
With the Scottish Government’s commitment for the country to be net-zero by 2045, Miller Samuel Hill Brown are committed to working towards this target and have set an internal target of 2035 for the business to be carbon neutral/net-zero. The firm will achieve this through its commitment to reducing waste and using resources efficiently and to carrying on our business in a socially responsible way. We are committed to reviewing our Environmental Policy regularly in light of legislative change and new technologies and strive to make an impact in all areas that have a bearing on the environment.
APPROACH:
Energy
As an office based service provider, energy use is our main impact on the environment. We are committed to ensuring our energy supply is from renewable means and are continuously striving to reduce our energy consumption in a number of ways.
Office Equipment
All staff are directed to switch off all office equipment, including PC monitors, when not in use. All PC workstations are also shut down each evening. Should a member of staff forget to do this, our PCs are set to switch off automatically at 7pm every evening. We also keep our PCs up-to-date with the latest software to ensure maximum efficiency with regard to power consumption.
All other office equipment (such as multifunction printers) are switched off manually every night. We are also in the process of upgrading our servers to make them more energy efficient.
Lighting
Staff are encouraged to switch off lights wherever possible during the day. All lighting is also switched off each evening by the member of staff closing the office.
Air Conditioning and Heating
The firm has multiple AC units which can be controlled individually. This means that only the AC units needed are in use at any one time. These are also switched off every evening. The building’s heating system is controlled centrally but is only switched on during cold weather.
Recycling
The Firm is proactive in encouraging recycling initiatives. We encourage the use of recycled paper and the responsible recycling and disposal of all products, including the return of toner cartridges and shredded waste to be recycled. We ensure that our confidential waste is disposed of securely off-site and that waste is then recycled.
We promote recycling within the office, for example of glass and aluminium. We have also removed individual bins at workstations in favour of multiple centralised bins which are separated into general waste and recycling.
Use of Paper
Our business is paper-intensive, however we are reducing its use. The firm has adopted a ‘paper-light’ policy whereby only essential documents are printed, we have also recently moved to a new case management system which will further facilitate this. By default, correspondence should be sent to clients in electronic format by email. Where possible, documents should also be viewed electronically and not printed. Where documents must be printed, our printers are set by default to double-sided black and white. We also have a ‘scrap paper’ pile where damaged/used paper can be re-used for note taking etc.
All incoming mail is scanned to the system and shredded then recycled by our offsite providers. We endeavour to purchase paper and products manufactured from recycled and environmentally managed sources.
Travel
All staff are directed (where possible) to use public transportation when travelling on firm business. The firm also encourages staff to commute by way of public transport, which the vast majority of employees do.
The firm has also recently introduced a hybrid working policy which has vastly reduced the number of employees commuting each day. This has also contributed to a reduction in the firm’s energy use.
The firm also encourages meetings to take place by way of video conferencing software where possible.
Water Use
The firm’s water use is generally low, however, we are committed to ensuring it is used efficiently. All toilets have a dual flush system. We also no longer use plastic bottled water dispensers for staff and clients. We have replaced this with a plumbed-in dispenser which removes the need for plastic water to be delivered on a regular basis. Staff are also encouraged to use their own water bottles or glasses to drink water – no single use plastics are available.
