Flagstaff acknowledges the Australian Government’s commitment to the Kyoto Protocol and its goal to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.

Flagstaff also recognises the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) # 13 on Climate Action and the following six climate positive actions Governments should follow:

• Green transition - Investments must accelerate the decarbonization of all aspects of our economy
• Green jobs and sustainable and inclusive growth
• Green economy - making societies and people more resilient through a transition that is fair to all and leaves no one behind
• Invest in sustainable solutions - fossil fuel subsidies must end and polluters must pay for their pollution.
• Confront all climate risks
• Cooperation – no country can succeed alone

Our Commitment

Flagstaff acknowledges it has a role to play in ensuring that it is a contributor towards meeting the Government’s target commitments by continually striving to ensure its properties are energy efficient and alternative more efficient energy sources are fully investigated.

Our commitment is to:

• Reduce the adverse environmental impact we make through our travel patterns and working practices
• Reduce, as far as is practicable, the adverse environmental effect of our services
• Use our influence as a purchaser to specify environmentally friendly goods and services as far as is practicable
• Use our influence with customers as a supplier of sustainable services to promote the merits of adopting sustainable practices
• Investigate opportunities to provide innovative waste management solutions to our customers

Action Principles

Our environmental management practices include:

• A commitment towards taking initiatives and supporting any initiatives taken by business divisions and individuals
• Seeking continual improvement of our environmental performance
• Involving all business divisions in the development and implementation of sustainability policies
• Ensuring that we respond promptly and take full account of sustainability concerns expressed by stakeholders
• Assessing all new policies, activities and practices for their effects on the environment
• Ensuring that employees and contractors working for us uphold our environmental standards, and are aware of their responsibilities under this sustainability policy
• Monitoring performance and compliance

Words in Action

Flagstaff is committed to practise sustainable and eco-friendly business practises.

• Recycling is a core business activity where we encourage businesses in our community to recycle paper, cardboard and soft plastic. We then sort, process and bale the items for recycling.
• We advocate and lead by example the education and collection of sorting of recycling office paper and cardboard material
• All our businesses recycle paper, cardboard and soft plastics with recycling bins placed across the business.
• Solar energy is used to operate our recycling depot.
• Our commercial laundry uses the most up to date machinery for energy efficiency as well as environmentally friendly chemicals and practises.
• Our Life Choices cooking programs use paddock to plate methodologies to show participants about growing their own fresh ingredients for their cooking.
• Water tanks assist with water collection in our laundries.
• Eco friendly packaging is used in our Fine Foods containers.
• Recycling book and clothes programs through the Community Street Library and Clothes Library.
• We continue to provide work skills development through our construction course using waste pallets for building furniture and wooden items.
• Flagstaff Print, Mail and Digital recycle all paper items and utilise unused small paper bundles for small jobs
• Plastic drink bottles are highly encouraged and can be provided in the workplace.
• Flagstaff manages energy usage using energy efficient light bulbs, smart meters for solar use, purchase of energy efficient equipment and maintaining our equipment for effective use.
• Our woodwork team gather excess wood and sell it as fire wood.

How we can help other businesses

Flagstaff’s Paper to Paper division has arrange of recycling services to help businesses throughout the Illawarra and Shoalhaven. Choose from:

• Cardboard and Paper Recycling (links)
• Secure Shredding
• Film & Plastics
• Box of Destruction

For further information call (02) 4272 0222 or email [email protected]