Energy & water

Domestic energy supply will be switched to fully renewable at next opportunity

All lighting uses energy efficient bulbs and home office maximises natural light

All domestic appliances are rated at least A for energy efficiency

Office appliances set to maximum eco settings

Smart Meters are installed to monitor and control energy use

Energy efficient gas boiler installed in 2020

Water supplied by Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water - the UK’s only not-for-profit water company

Rainwater harvesting is in place for external water use

Travel

In order of priority essential work travel will be made via:

• Bike/walk

• Public transport

• Car share

• Car

Where possible, international journeys will be made by train.

I will move to an electric vehicle car club once it becomes available in Cardiff

Waste

Cardiff sends zero waste to landfill. All waste is separated for collection:

• Recyclable - reprocessed into raw materials

• Food waste - processed through anaerobic digestion for energy generation

• Non-recyclable - processed for energy generation

• Where electronic waste (WEEE) cannot be repaired or repurposed (I do love repairing things - check out my instagram!) it is disposed of through appropriate reprocessing facilities

Waste minimisation and reduction measures include:

• Local sourcing of food & coffee via farmers markets (unpackaged)

• Use of packaging free/refillable shops for cleaning products

• Use of reusable/refillable bottles and cups when out and about

• Use of rechargeable batteries

• Double-sided printing and reuse of used paper into notebooks

• Reuse of packaging materials

Wildlife

Where possible procurement and travel decisions will support environmental and biodiversity regeneration. Additional measures to support nature in and around the workplace include:

• Creation of hedgehog highway, feeding station and hedgehog house

• Wildlife-friendly planting - including new trees - to support birds and bees. No peat or pesticides used.

• Bird feeders, bee hotels and water

• Wildflower planting

BCorp business will be given preference where available.

Minimum standard for all suppliers:

• Compliance with UK laws and regulations including those relating to social and environmental performance

• Public statement of good governance including policies relating to ethics and corruption

Suppliers are selected against the following criteria. A minimum score of three is required and preference will be given to those scoring five.

• Supplier is local (Wales) & independently owned

• Supplier is owned/run by minority/underrepresented individuals

• Supplier is a social enterprise or demonstrably purpose-led

• Supplier shows evidence of best practice beyond legislative minimum on issues such as diversity and fair work

• Supplier holds independent certification of social, fair work and environmental standards

Other suppliers may be considered where timing and availability dictates but only in exceptional circumstances.

I was the first CIPR Chartered Practitioner in Wales and as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations have a longstanding commitment to its Code of Conduct for ethics and professional standards.

For the business, I have adopted the CIPR code of conduct as the basis for its company ethics policy. Employees are required to adhere to the following standards of conduct and ethics:

• maintain the highest standards of professional endeavour, integrity, confidentiality, financial propriety and personal conduct;

• deal honestly and fairly in business with employers, employees, clients, fellow professionals, other professions and the public;

• respect, in their dealings with other people, the legal and regulatory frameworks and codes of all countries where they practise;

• uphold the reputation of, and do nothing that would bring into disrepute, Matt Appleby Consulting Ltd;

• undertake professional training and development in order to raise and maintain professional standards personally and within the business and wider profession.

I commit to at least one day per month volunteering time in my role as a director of the not-for-profit Riverside Real Food, the organisation behind Cardiff’s farmers markets. It’s mission is to make sustainable, healthy food available across the city and to provide a platform for independent producers and farmers to grow their businesses.

I chose to work with clients who are having a positive direct or indirect impact on the environment, communities or local economy.

Over the last year, this has included:

Puffin Produce: Launching Root Zero, the UK’s first carbon neutral potatoes, grown in a way which supports biodiversity and soil health and sold in 100% plastic-free packaging

Food Cardiff: Development of the Food Strategy for Cardiff, a key element in the city’s Silver Sustainable Food City Award. Promotion of summer and autumn festival which distributed more than 20,000 plants and growing kits

Street Food Circus: creates events which act as incubators for small independent street food vendors. Many go on to start bricks and mortar businesses.

Zero2Five: Food innovation centre at Cardiff Metropolitan University, which, through Welsh Government’s Project HELIX has delivered a boost of £185m for Welsh food & drink business

Castle Quarter Courtyard: the demolition of a disused nightclub behind Cardiff’s historic arcades create seven new spaces for independent hospitality businesses, while preserving the heritage of the listed buildings

Castle Dairies: launching a new partnership between two of Wales’ best known family-run food brands, Castle Dairies Welsh Butter with Halen Môn natural sea salt