Environmental Policy

Introduction

Steenbergs sources, blends and packs natural herbs, spices, flavours, teas and hot chocolates, sourcing these wherever possible as organically grown and fairly-traded.  It purchases the raw materials in bulk format, mixing these to its inhouse blends as required, then packs them into smaller retail packaging for sale to retailers and direct to consumers.  

Steenbergs believes that a healthy world is necessary for the well-being of all people and their communities, as well as all animals and plants that make up this beautiful world.  We see one of humanity's key challenges to be how to sustainably balance the demands of people and the earth's ecosystems, particularly in terms of the soil, land, water and air.

For Steenbergs, it is fundamental to who we are as people that we strive to minimise the effects of our commercial activities on the world, by choosing ways of working that have the least worst environmental and societal impact of the options available to us.  Where we remain unhappy with those options, we will try to strive to catalyse changes to improve our work and the products and services available to us.

In particular, Steenbergs impacts the environment through the use of electrical energy, water and the creation of waste.  Most of the waste directly produced consists of waste packaging from raw materials and packaging materials.  In addition, indirect waste is generated through its retail packaging and transit packaging materials.

Overall, we wish to minimise the potential harmful effects of our commercial activities wherever and whenever this is practicable and work to secure measurable environmental benefits from our Environmental Management System.

Environmental Policy

We are fully committed to the protection of the environment through the following actions:

  • The prevention of pollution;
  • The fulfilment of our compliance obligations;
  • Continual improvement of our EMS to enhance environmental performance.

Further, to ensure that our commitments made herein are robustly upheld, our EMS is independently inspected once a year by a UKAS-accredited inspection body against the British Environmental Standard BS 8555.

In addition to Steenbergs compliance obligations, we seek to operate with the following key environmental principles:

  • To include environmental considerations in our daily business activities;
  • To conduct ongoing environmental monitoring of Steenbergs' impacts;
  • To maintain an environmentally responsible purchasing policy;
  • To reduce, recycle and reuse waste within Steenbergs and our packaging for customers;
  • To optimise energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions relative to business activity;
  • To minimise and control the use of water on the premises.

Policy objectives

Products

Steenbergs aims to provide plant-based products with an environmental and social advantage, by (inter alia) considering the environmental and societal impact of its products and processing at all stages from farm through to end customer and then to waste. 

Purchasing

Steenbergs aims to minimise its impact on the environment through responsible purchasing of products and services, by: 

  • Maintaining the use of local suppliers for some products, e.g. corrugated packaging, labels and stationery;
  • Purchasing raw materials, wherever feasible, from organic and fairly traded suppliers first and only then consider non-organic sources, and never any that might adversely impact on animal health;
  • Purchasing cleaning materials that have the least wicked environmental impact and always to meet organic standards as a minimum;
  • Continuing to explore the practicality of relevant green innovations and new ways of operating, e.g. energy use, packaging and water efficiency, and look for suppliers that are similarly minded;
  • Continuing to assess and monitor the environmental and societal impact of our suppliers and work with them to improve environmental performance.

Waste

Steenbergs aims to maintain and improve its management of waste produced on its premises and waste generated by customers from receiving its products by:

  • Preventing pollution;
  • Minimising (reducing and/or recycling), wherever possible, its solid waste streams;
  • Seeking to use a little packaging as possible and, where needed, using recycled, biodegradable or recyclable packaging wherever feasible and minimising the use of petroleum-based or other unsustainable materials;
  • Adopting a purchasing policy for packaging sensitive to their potential environmental impacts;
  • Ensuring satisfactory disposal of waste that cannot be reused or recycled.

Energy

Steenbergs aims to optimise its use of energy through efficient use of electricity and transport options by:

  • Maintaining the use of consolidated third-party transport rather than insourced distribution;
  • Minimising the use of aeroplanes for travel and distribution;
  • Minimising the volume of raw materials and packaging purchases and so deliveries;
  • Using public transport for business travel wherever possible;
  • Minimising and monitoring our use of electricity consumption relative to business activity;
  • Purchasing renewable energy;

Water

Steenbergs aims to manage its water resources efficiently by:

  • Minimising and monitoring its total water consumption relative to business activity;
  • Ensuring that water systems on the premises are not wasteful;
  • Using "green" chemical chemicals that minimise their impact on freshwater resources.

 

Axel & Sophie Steenberg
2nd September 2019