Environmental

The global development agenda is at a pivot point. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement have raised ambitions and we are committed to aligning our activities to support both. To achieve this, we are taking action to increase our contributions to key SDGs where we can have the most impact over the coming years and we will follow the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) from 2022 as part of our overall approach to risk and opportunity management. Newable is also integrating climate change and risk management procedures that account for impacts related to forestry and soft commodities into the due diligence work conducted by the Newable Capital Investment Committee.

Newable is committed to doing its part to limit the rise in global temperature and we have set a goal to achieve Net Zero Emissions by 2030 for carbon in our utility use and transport. This will include reporting on our energy consumption on Scope 1 (direct emissions from controlled sources) and Scope 2 (indirect emissions from purchased energy) greenhouse gas emissions, in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, along with intensity metrics on our impact per employee. Newable will use this reporting and leverage external expertise to fully understand its carbon footprint and to develop a Carbon Roadmap from 2021 to help achieve carbon neutrality.

Newable is taking a comprehensive approach to the review and improvement of our sustainability performance. We are optimising our consumption at group level by implementing an Environmental Management System (EMS) by the end of 2021 at all group locations. Through these measures we will ensure that all of our employees are engaged in our green growth, support our plan to increase consumption of renewable energy and reduce our water and energy usage.

Newable’s aim is to build confidence to help businesses addressing the challenges they face and, to do this, we provide the tools, capital and advice needed at critical points in their lifecycle. Our unique position means that we are ideally placed to influence and support businesses in making sure that that their growth is sustainable - and this extends to the partners with whom we collaborate.

We are committed to being a positive influence on the communities in which we operate. We will not pollute or cause health issues for those living in our communities and our wildlife through business waste or by-products. This pledge includes proactive engagement to support local communities and environments. Newable believes that community engagement in mitigating environmental impacts is essential and so we are empowering our staff to do just that. We encourage staff to limit their carbon footprint through a cycle to work scheme which makes purchasing a bicycle more affordable and we also aim to provide 35 volunteering hours for each employee with an option to participate in green schemes.

Newable is putting forward a Green Agenda to change the way we engage with our stakeholders ensuring that sustainability is a common thread in all that we do. We will take a proactive approach to this through implementing new engagement and assessment procedures for all stakeholders and by encouraging suppliers, partners and clients to share our sustainability and environmental values. We will promote initiatives in environmental preservation and human rights throughout our supply chain by working closely with vendors, distributors, suppliers and customers. We will share our environmental policy with suppliers, partners and clients and implement annual training for employees on stakeholder engagement to encourage the adoption of sustainable management practices alongside our green products and services. This activity forms part of our Green Agenda, which seeks to develop green products and services in each business unit by 2022 and to engage with 30% of stakeholders annually on ESG matters by 2022.

Newable will optimise consumption and decrease waste by ensuring that the majority of our output contributes to building a circular economy rather than going to landfill. To that end, we are committing to send no waste to landfill by 2030. Furthermore, we will follow the Five Rs principle of Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose and Recycle with regard to waste production. We already ensure chemicals are stored, used and disposed of in full compliance with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 and we minimise our use of paper and other office consumables. However, going forward, we are setting new targets within each business to reduce paper usage by 10% in 2022 including by encouraging electronic documentation wherever possible. We will also closely track our waste output across the business via our EMS to ensure waste is either recovered or recycled. This activity is complimented by our group-wide campaign to reduce the use of single-use plastics by 20% by 2022.