Sustainability Policy
Bridge 5 Mill aims to be an example of how it is possible to work in a sustainable way, to turn ideas
into action for a sustainable future; by this we mean a future that is greener, safer, healthier and
equitable, and where we live by a one-planet philosophy.
We recognise that our own activities, the operation Bridge 5 Mill and the day to day activities of
our staff, can have a positive and/or a negative impact on the environment. As an organisation we
also have a responsibility to ensure that we create a safe, healthy and inclusive workplace for our
staff, volunteers and visitors. Therefore, we have produced this over-arching policy and have put in
place a sustainability action plan to monitor our activities and to improve our performance.
We aim to address our operations through the following eight areas:

Food and Drink: We have developed a food and drink policy to ensure that all food and
drink purchased for Bridge 5 Mill is vegetarian or vegan, locally sourced, fair trade and/or
organic, and supports local businesses or social enterprises.

Purchasing and Procurement: We have developed an ethical purchasing and
procurement policy ensuring, wherever possible, that the products and services used in
Bridge 5 Mill are necessary, locally sourced, fair trade, ethical, ecologically sound, recycled
and/or recyclable.

Energy and Water: We purchase our electricity from a 100% renewable energy generator.
We continually seek to identify ways to reduce our energy and water usage and are working
to secure funding to generate more of our own renewable energy.

Travel: We encourage staff, volunteers and visitors to Bridge 5 Mill to walk, cycle or use
public transport, whenever possible, whilst recognising the need for some people to use
cars.

Buildings and Local Neighbourhoods: We continue to identify ways in which we can
make Bridge 5 Mill a more environmentally and socially responsible building. We promote
culturally diverse events and welcome and support a wide range of tenants. We work to
increase biodiversity within our local neighbourhood and our permaculture garden is used
as a training resource.

Inclusion and Participation: We seek to provide staff and volunteers with sufficient
support and training to ensure they are able to work to their full potential. We work with all
local communities, both geographical and issue-based, to create a more sustainable future
and promote equality and diversity in all our work.

Partnership and Promotion: We will continue to support existing partnerships and develop
new partnerships to achieve the best outcomes and actively promote and celebrate our joint
achievements.

Waste: We endeavour to reduce the amount of waste we send to landfill by only purchasing
goods that are necessary, durable or made from recycled materials, and we ensure that all
goods that can be are reused or recycled.
We will continuously improve our environmental, social and financial performances by reviewing
our activities annually and setting out new targets in our sustainability action plan.