INTRODUCTION

As a company that specialises in corporate travel and events, we recognise our responsibility to protect our communities and our planet, so that the destinations where we operate can remain beautiful and resilient for generations of travellers to come. We seek to create positive environmental and social impact across our operations, supply chains and communities.

PURPOSE

This policy aims to integrate a philosophy of sustainable development into all activities and business operations across the TAG. We are committed to actively being environmentally aware while supporting programs that minimise negative impacts on the environment. We will identify TAG’s undertaking to reduce carbon emissions, air pollution and waste through ecologically sustainable business practices.

POLICY SCOPE

This policy applies to all staff who are employed by TAG office operations globally. Offices are in the UK, US, APAC, South Africa and Saudi Arabia.

DEFINITIONS

Sustainability:

Operating and behaving in a manner which equally considers environmental responsibility alongside social and financial responsibility, to meet the needs of the present and create a foundation for future generations to meet their own needs

Sustainability Performance:

Operational need, environmental impact and social responsibility are key considerations resulting in the effective and efficient use of resources, including gas, electricity, water, transport, construction materials and procurement practices which encourage environmental stewardship

Office:

All TAG global offices

POLICY STATEMENT

At TAG, we are committed to minimising the negative environmental, social and cultural impacts associated with our commercial activities and services. This commitment forms an essential part of how we operate our business and reflects our support for the principles of sustainable development and sustainability. 

We endeavour to integrate sustainable measures into our business, whilst inspiring best practice to the communities we serve. Our environmental impacts are currently related to waste recycling, energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and water use.

TAG commits to:

  • Abide by all relevant environmental laws and policies pertaining to locations and operations undertaken
  • Drive cultural change throughout the company in relation to environmental considerations to minimise our environmental impact in our daily business operations
  • Use responsibly sourced renewable resources, where possible, and implement environmentally responsible waste management practices 
  • Monitor and regularly review our sustainability procedures to ensure best practice and adjust practices, as required
  • Continually improve our environmental and social sustainability performance by measuring progress through annual benchmarking evaluation; facilitated through TAG's sustainability partner, EarthCheck (https://earthcheck.org/), the world’s leading scientific benchmarking certification and advisory group for travel and tourism

TAG is committed to the objectives within the policy and will ensure adequate resources are provided to inform and educate our employees and other stakeholders.

COMPANY COMPLIANCE

We commit to compliance with all relevant environmental laws and regulations applicable in every region TAG operates, ensuring we apply a systematic environmental management approach that is consistent with the international standard ISO 14001. We will work with advisers, auditors and other specialist entities, as necessary, to implement our environmental policies. In the absence of regulations, we will closely align with the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2015.

POLICY APPLICATION

All staff must comply with this policy in their conduct of official business with TAG.

POLICY REVIEW DATE

This policy will be reviewed annually. The next review date is August 2024.

OBJECTIVES

To date, four TAG offices have partnered with EarthCheck by way of benchmarking our performance and ensuring continuous improvement. It is our objective to continue to implement the EarthCheck program with one additional TAG office included annually, until all offices are part of the program.

We will offset our footprint associated with all data collected via EarthCheck software, including purchased electricity, water usage, employee business travel, purchased goods and services and waste generated in operations. 

We also commit to offsetting our annual UK/US Conference, TAGFEST ‘23.

We will invest in carbon offset projects we deem to be in keeping with our company principles of efficiency and technology innovation. 

TAG are committed to creating an inclusive and diverse workforce that reflects the values of equality and social responsibility. 

COMMITMENTS 

Sustainable Office Procedures:

  • Office Lighting - All lights in the offices are either on timers or sensors to reduce the instance of lights left on when they are not required.
  • Office Heating & Cooling - Regular maintenance, monitoring and optimisation of heating and cooling appliances and power consumption is done to ensure all are running efficiently and effectively.
  • Water Usage - All employees are encouraged to conserve water. Where possible, offices will install dual flush toilets and purchase dishwashers with a water rating of 4 or above.
  • Power Supply - All appliances are switched off at the wall at the end of the day. This includes computers that can be powered down, monitors and all other gadgets that do not need to be on standby.
  • Consumables - No disposable cups are used for meetings. Staff are to use ceramic cups from the kitchen and wash after use. Only 100% recycled paper is to be used for office paper, toilet paper, paper hand towel and serviettes. Consumable resources are ideally to be made from recycled content or at least from renewable sources. TAG promotes the Close the Loop system for resources, if available (e.g. printer cartridges and batteries). Catering for office functions and meetings is sourced locally from the Preferred Suppliers list. Any packaging, cutlery or cups provided by caterers is either reusable (best), compostable (OK) or at least recyclable. TAG employees can refer to the TAG Purchasing Policy for the procurement of consumables for further information. 

Procurement:

  • Local suppliers, contractors, and diverse service providers are used, where possible. 
  • Special consideration is given to employing and empowering local employees.
  • TAG has a preference to source locally made and/or grown or manufactured products. 
  • TAG staff are encouraged to adhere to sustainable procurement policies when purchasing goods, sourcing products and materials that are socially and environmentally sound in accordance with Fair Trade principles.

Waste Management:

  • TAG has implemented a general and recycling waste management program.
  • All employees are encouraged to dispose of waste in the appropriate and designated points, segregated by the type of waste in most offices.
  • Waste is then measured before being collected and disposed of appropriately by specialist contractors. 

Business Travel for Office Based Staff:

  • Staff meetings and training sessions use video and web conference technologies as much as possible to reduce staff and trainer travel requirements.
  • Employees who take a flight or use car hire to travel have the data recorded so the appropriate benchmarking data is collected for offsetting the carbon emissions.
  • Staff itineraries are electronic, but if printed, are printed on 100% recycled content paper.
  • Staff are encouraged to use environmentally friendly means of travel to work by either walking, cycling or taking public transport (most offices are fitted with bike racks and shower/change room facilities to encourage this practice).

Environmental Programs:

  • Where appropriate and reasonable, TAG has invested in an indoor plant program, which is designed to reduce carbon levels and eliminate certain pollutants in our work environments, such as benzene and nitrogen dioxide.
  • TAG commit to participating in region specific waste reduction and recycling initiatives that recycle products such as e-waste, soft plastics, clothes, batteries, printer cartridges and other reusable or recyclable items.
  • TAG global and local sustainability teams are committed to researching and implementing various additional environmental initiatives and programs which align with our commitment to sustainability and waste management programs.

Corporate Social Responsibility:

  • Pay Equity - TAG will conduct regular pay audits to ensure that there is no gender pay gap within the organisation. We are committed to providing equal compensation for equal work, regardless of gender or minority status.
  • Gender Diversity in Leadership - TAG commits to increasing representation of women and minorities in management roles. We will set measurable targets for the percentage of female and minority managers and regularly assess our progress toward achieving a balanced leadership.
  • Diversity Training - TAG commits to fostering an inclusive workplace culture through diversity and inclusion training. This includes educating our employees and managers about unconscious bias and fostering an inclusive workplace culture. 
  • Equal Opportunity - TAG commits to offering unbiased career development opportunities for all employees, irrespective of gender or minority status.
  • Community Support - We will engage with local communities to support initiatives that promote gender equality and fair wages. We believe in making a positive impact, not only within TAG, but also in the broader society. 
IMPLEMENTATION

The TAG Sustainability Policy is implemented and communicated in the following ways: 

  • Presentation to Global Executive Leadership Team
  • Emails to all staff
  • Information workshop held with Sustainability Leaders
  • Information on Sustainability on TAG website (https://www.tag-group.com/group) 
  • Included in TAG's onboarding program for all new staff

Suppliers, contractors, volunteers and work experience staff are made aware of this policy by the relevant supervising staff member and regular monitoring is undertaken to ensure compliance.

MONITORING

TAG’s environmental performance will be tracked and monitored using EarthCheck software. These will be used to set goals for continuous improvement.

Each TAG office will undertake a resource audit once a year to ensure we are accurately calculating our benchmarking data. This data supports our ongoing commitment to environmental protection, reducing carbon emissions, continual improvement, legal compliance, local employment and preference of purchasing local products and services. 

RESPONSIBILITY

The TAG Global Executive Leadership Team are responsible for ensuring our environmental principles are followed. We actively encourage people to participate and contribute to the development of environmental initiatives as they affect our business.

Name: Jens Penny
Position: Chief Executive Officer – TAG
Date: 21 August 2023