Touchstone Group Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) Policy
The Touchstone Group, incorporating Touchstone FMS and Xpedition strives to embed Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) into its business practices and to meet its responsibilities to society. Touchstone’s Management and ESG Committee both have a role in shaping and steering the Group’s approach.
Touchstone seeks to:
- Always comply with both the letter and the spirit of the law
- Ensure there is no bribery or corruption in any of its dealings
- Act with integrity in its dealings
- Manage ESG considerations and risks effectively
Touchstone’s Core ESG Principles are set out below:
1. Environment
Touchstone wants to play its part in contributing to the UK Government’s targets of cutting greenhouse gases. It recognises the potential impact of the business on the local and global environments and aims to minimise the negative environmental impacts arising from those activities, and has put in place a number of processes to help us reach carbon neutrality. To help meet its targets, Touchstone purchases 100% of its electricity from verified renewable sources, eliminating its Scope 2 carbon emissions
This policy states Touchstone’s commitment to environmental sustainability and applies to all premises and activities within the control of the Touchstone Group.
Touchstone has the following objectives:
- Efficient energy & water consumption
- To minimise waste production as far as is practicable and to reuse or recycle waste where appropriate
- To dispose of equipment, and any other physical assets by using environmentally responsible organisations
- To minimise pollution where practical
- To promote environmentally responsible procurement of goods and services
- To raise staff awareness of the Company’s environmental impact; to promote sound environmental awareness and provide employee guidance
- To off-set the remaining emissions to achieve carbon neutrality, by purchasing credits from carbon offsetting projects
1.1 Sustainable Travel
Business travel forms part of the company’s carbon footprint. The company aims to minimise business travel and the associated environmental impact through the following measures:
- Promotion of an agile/hybrid working mode
- Provision of appropriate technology that enables employees to communicate effectively from home
- Using varied means of travel: walking, cycling or public transport or car sharing
- Approval process for overseas travel prior to booking
- Ongoing promotion of the UK ‘Cycle to Work scheme’
- Continued measurement of business travel as part of the annual carbon footprint assessment
2. Social
2.1 Employees
The company is committed to providing equal opportunities in employment and supports a diverse workforce. It believes diversity, inclusion and equality are key principles necessary for it to operate successfully across its many sectors of business activity.
The company ensures that it will not discriminate against job applicants or employees on the grounds of their sex, marital status, pregnancy or maternity, sexual orientation, disability, age, race (including colour, nationality or national or ethnic origins), religion or belief or gender reassignment. It is the company’s policy to make every effort to provide a working environment free from harassment, intimidation and discrimination.
The company is dedicated to providing support for employee mental and physical wellbeing and provides an employee assistance programme (EAP), mental health first aiders and mental health awareness training.
The company is also dedicated to the development of staff. The Company offers ongoing professional development opportunities and has established a mentoring programme that offers staff the opportunity to be guided and assisted by a member of the team (Xpedition only).
2.2 Health & Safety
Ensuring the provision of a safe working environment.
3. Company Ethos
Being fully responsive to the needs of the customer and providing an assured service that fundamentally incorporates all relevant legislative considerations.
4. Corporate Governance
Corporate Governance covers the rights and responsibilities for the management of the company.
Touchstone ensures that its management structures and policies reflect the need for clear leadership, accountability, equality and probity in the management of the business.
As a well-established private business in areas of specialised technical expertise Touchstone seeks to maintain an appropriate balance of duties between its management, shareholders, and employees. These relate to the following areas:
- Management structure – it has an appropriate division of powers and responsibilities between Its, CEO, Board & Chairman and has checks and balances for its management team
- Employee Relations and workplace grievances
- Monitoring Supplier relationships
5. Charitable
5.1 Charities/Community Engagement
Touchstone Group is committed to sharing its success with those less fortunate by providing resources to important causes. Every year, the Charity Committee, with input from employees, selects a number of charities, national and community, to support and for which employees can be directly involved in fund raising and volunteering.
6. ISO Accreditation (Xpedition only)
Xpedition has adopted the ISO 27001 framework for Information Security Management System. Information Security Management which includes a formal methodology of risk assessment, and the selection of appropriate controls to manage these identified risks. ESG is incorporated into these business processes and policies.
7. Reporting
Through its commitment to ESG, Touchstone plans to maintain internal reporting on its ESG approach and performance each year.
