Fortesqueue's recognises our responsibility to the environment and strives to achieve environmental best practice. We are not a major direct polluter. Our greatest impact is through our use of fuel, energy, water consumption and the waste associated with our business.
We are currently using BS 8901:2007 Specification for a Sustainable Event Management System as our guideline to government expected targets and standards that we intend to meet and exceed.
Improving our environmental impact within the events market will not happen overnight but we plan a step-by-step approach towards continuing to improve our environmental performance throughout our business in the coming years.
Early in 2008 we achieved ISO 9001 certification followed a few months later by ISO 14001 and BS OHSAS 18001 certification. We now have a full-time member of staff to manage and police all aspects of our quality, environmental and occupational health and safety systems.
Current actions
- We use the Belu Water company to supply all our bottled water at 'room' events. Each of the 9,552 bottles we bought in 2007 has provided clean drinking water per person per month in Tamil Nada in India. Belu also use their net profits to fund well digging in Mali (Sahara) and clean river water projects in the UK.
- We actively seek products that are biodegradable in order to reduce the impact our waste has on the long term effects of the environment.
- Through the use of recycling via Lambeth Council we contributed a total of 50,000 glass bottles to the Borough's recycling programme, and recycled 80% of our cardboard, metal and plastic waste from 'the room' by the river.
- We actively seek to reduce the amount of fresh water we consume during our food production by using steam as a means of cooking wherever possible.
- As a company we have a full paper, printer ink and toner recycling policy at our office.
- Kitch-N endeavours to create a low carbon emission catering policy. We design seasonal menus using mainly local and British produce.
- We have donated around 2,500 square metres of carpet per year to Crisis at Christmas for their shelters, along with some of our linings, for the past ten years.
- Wherever possible we endeavour to travel by public transport and encourage our clients to do the same.
- We endeavour to employ local people within our 'room' staff whenever possible. This currently makes up around 25% of our staff at peak times throughout the year.
