Corporate report

Companies House Biodiversity Report 2022

Published 16 May 2023

Section 6 Biodiversity and Ecosystem Resilience Duty to the Environment (Wales) Act 2016

The Environment (Wales) Act was introduced in March 2016. It’s a statutory duty with which Companies House must comply. Part 1 of the Act sets out Wales’ approach to planning and managing natural resources at a national, regional, and local level.

Section 6 of Part 1 places a duty on Companies House to:

• maintain and enhance biodiversity so far as it is consistent with the proper exercise of these functions
• promote the resilience of ecosystems

To assist in implementing the duty, Companies House is required to publish a plan on how it intends to comply with the above and to report on progress.

Context of biodiversity for Companies House

Companies House is categorised as a Category 2 organisation under Part 1 Section 6 of the Environment (Wales) Act 2016. Category 2 means the following Nature Recovery Action Plan for Wales (NRAP) Objectives are relevant:

• NRAP objective 1 requires us to engage and support participation and understanding to embed biodiversity throughout decision-making at all levels
• NRAP objective 2 requires us to safeguard species and habitats of principal importance and improve their management
• NRAP objective 3 requires us to increase the resilience of our natural environment by restoring degraded habitats and habitat creation
• NRAP objective 4 requires us to tackle key pressures on species and habitats
• NRAP objective 5 requires us to improve our evidence, understanding and monitoring
• NRAP objective 6 requires us to put in place a framework of governance and support for delivery

Companies House’s ISO14001:2015 System

Companies House continues to maintain an accredited ISO14001:2015 Environmental Management System (EMS). The EMS enables Companies House to identify and control its environmental impacts and measure its environmental performance.

The accreditation covers those activities based at our headquarters at Crown Way, Cardiff. This ensures that over 95% of Companies House employees are covered by a certified EMS.

As part of the EMS, Companies House have developed several objectives, in line with the Greening Government Commitments (GGCs), to reduce its environmental impact and enhance environmental performance. There are 5 objectives.

Objective 1

Reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions by 62% from the 2017 to 2018 baseline by:

• ensuring plant equipment is well-maintained and regularly serviced for optimum performance
• implementing energy-saving initiatives and identifying cost savings where possible

Objective 2

Reduce overall waste generated by 20% from the 2017 to 2018 baseline with no waste going to landfill by:

• operating and implementing a robust waste management procedure onsite
• engaging staff through effective communication and education

Objective 3

Reduce water consumption by 8% from the 2017 to 2018 baseline by:

• reducing water usage on site through communication and investing in better water infrastructure
• engaging staff through effective communication and education

Objective 4

Sustainable procurement by:

• ensuring measures are in place to buy more sustainable products and services with the aim of achieving the best long-term overall value for money for society

Objective 5

Maintain and enhance biodiversity onsite by:

• improving the biodiversity across the Crown Way estate, where possible, and promoting its resilience

To achieve Objective 5, Companies House will ensure that 5 tasks are implemented.

Task 1 - embed a framework of governance and support to ensure biodiversity is addressed throughout decision-making at all levels

This will be achieved by continuing to embed biodiversity into the organisation’s business planning process and via the EMS.

The relevant NRAP objectives are 1 and 6.

Task 2 - provide environmental education to raise awareness and encourage action

An environmental working group (EWG) will be maintained that engages staff in environmental issues and initiatives.

The EWG also has a SharePoint Site that contains lots of educational material, helpful advice and guidance and includes the operational and system procedures we have in place for the EMS.

The relevant NRAP objective is 1.

Task 3 - promote ecosystem resilience through effective management of land

A nature recovery plan has been drafted highlighting areas of the estate that can be improved to promote biodiversity. Companies House will commit to this plan and complete it over the next three years.

The relevant NRAP objectives are 2 and 3.

Task 4 - tackle key pressures on species and habitats

Companies House’s EMS ensures that measures are implemented to control, and reduce, the environmental impacts associated with the activities and services we operate onsite.

Companies House will also ensure that the EMS continues to encourage collaborative working with key stakeholders, thus increasing Companies House’s ability to help reduce pressures on species and habitats within our neighbouring community.

The relevant NRAP objective is 4.

Task 5 - monitor the effectiveness of the plan and review

Companies House will monitor all activities undertaken to encourage biodiversity onsite and within the local community, including:

• monitoring and reporting the number of employees actively involved in biodiversity activities
• reporting on the number of community hours spent improving the external environment to Companies House
• increasing the area of land dedicated to enhancing biodiversity onsite
• monitoring biodiversity by using indicators such as species presence and absence

The relevant NRAP objective is 5.

Biodiversity report – progress to date

Task 1 - continue to embed a governance framework to ensure biodiversity is addressed throughout decision-making at all levels

Companies House continues to maintain certification to ISO14001:2015 (since 2002), against which we are audited bi-annually. This international standard ensures Companies House can identify and control its environmental impacts (including its impact on biodiversity), while also providing processes to monitor and measure its environmental performance.

Having a certified EMS enables Companies House to:

• increase the prominence of environmental management within the Companies House strategic planning process
• engage leadership with regard to environmental management
• be proactive with initiatives to protect the environment from harm, by identifying and implementing appropriate control measures to minimise risks
• improve environmental performance while meeting its environmental objectives and targets
• implement a robust communication platform to communicate environmental issues associated with Companies House activities and services

Management review and management reporting

Throughout the year, the environmental management team report on the EMS and environmental performance, accumulating in the environmental management review. During a reporting year, the following takes place:

• the formal management review takes place with the chief executive officer, the director of people transformation, the director of strategy, policy and external communication, the director of finance and commercial, and the head of commercial
• assurance statements are submitted to the Business Board every quarter, providing confidence that the EMS can fulfil its role
• the director of strategy, policy and external communication is the ‘board environmental champion’ ensuring that the environment is on the agenda at leadership level
• the environmental management team have sight on projects and business cases before they are approved, to ensure the environment is considered

The environmental working group

The environmental working group (EWG) was established in 2017 and meets on a quarterly basis to discuss environmental issues. The group consists of key personnel from across the business, who bring passion and a wide array of expertise and ideas to influence decisions on environmental issues. The key purpose of the group is to:

• encourage a culture of environmental stewardship within Companies House
• inform the organisation on decisions made and environmental issues
• to discuss and embed the objectives of ISO 14001 BSI Environmental Standard across the organisation

On a quarterly basis, the EWG:

• reviews and tracks the organisation’s environmental performance and monitors progress against its targets
• tracks risks and issues, opportunities, and achievements, and identifies further efficiencies that may be explored and implemented
• communicate environmental issues to ensure continuous improvement and identify areas where staff can make a difference

Annual reporting

As part of the organisation’s annual reporting disclosure requirements, there’s a requirement for Companies House to include a comprehensive sustainability report. The report highlights our environmental performance across the following areas:

• energy usage
• business travel
• greenhouse gas emissions
• waste
• water
• paper usage

Task 2 - provide environmental education to raise awareness and encourage action

Companies House has been proactive in its approach and is keen to promote a culture where environmental issues remain high on the agenda. The environmental working group SharePoint site highlights national and local articles and campaigns. Over the past three years, Companies House has promoted:

• recycling (at home and in the office)
• digital sustainability (at home and in the office)
• bicycle salary sacrifice scheme
• World Environment Day
• published tips for being more energy efficient and ways to save energy at home this winter (2022)
• procurement of reusable sugar cane water bottles (to reduce single-use plastic items) from our staff restaurant
• Earth Hour
• staff invited to help plant new trees onsite to replace some that needed to be removed
• promotion of tree planting or tree nursery volunteering opportunities with the CoedCaerdydd Project
• personal blog posts by staff on environmental issues
• reduction of water leaks by improving water pipe infrastructure
• ZIPP taps to decrease water usage
• No Mow May
• eco-friendly grit purchased for external areas when temperatures drop
• improved environmental induction information for all new staff, which is also publicised on the environmental working group SharePoint pages

Task 3 - promote ecosystem resilience through the management of land

Companies House has completed stage 1 of its nature recovery plan, which included:

• allowing wildflower meadows to grow on the Crown Way site
• planting of fruit trees in the northwest corner of the site
• planting of berry-bearing shrubs to support local bird populations
• introduction of three bug hotels to promote insect populations
• grassed areas not to be mowed between April and October, encouraging the natural growth of grass to attract pollinating insects

Next year we are looking to implement stage 2 of the nature recovery plan, which is the improvement of existing and the introduction of new flowerbeds across the Crown Way Estate. The use of ‘colour splash’ flowers will provide habitats for bug populations, while also providing areas of natural beauty that staff can use to remove themselves from the office and reconnect with nature, promoting wellbeing.

Task 4 - tackle key pressures on species and habitats. Companies House recognise the following as key pressures on the environment and is committed to implementing measures to help relieve these pressures

Pesticides and herbicides

Companies House is keen to ensure that only eco-friendly products are sourced and used where necessary, to negate the negative impact many pesticides and herbicides have on species and habitats. Over the last 3 years, Companies House has reduced the number of pesticides and herbicides used on our grounds at Crown Way, Cardiff.

Resource use

Following a series of major water leaks through the financial year 2019 to 2020, extensive works have been conducted on our external water pipe network that serves the estate. This has dramatically reduced Companies House’s water consumption.

LED bulbs have been installed throughout the Cardiff office to reduce the amount of electricity consumption associated with lighting.

As part of an office refurbishment, ZIPP taps have been installed to provide instant hot running water and all kettles have been removed.

Following our biomass boiler breaking down in quarter 4 of 2020 to 2021, measures have been implemented to prevent further breakdowns:

• Companies House will maintain an inventory of spare parts for the boiler to avoid waiting times
• the boiler will be switched on occasionally in the summer months to avoid problems associated with long downtimes
• the service contract for the biomass boiler will be reviewed to ensure faults are responded to as quickly as possible

Emissions to air, land and water

To reduce our emissions to air, land and water, Companies House have implemented several measures, via our EMS, to control our environmental impact. Measures include:

• a waste procedure that ensures that all waste streams are segregated and disposed of following the waste hierarchy (see Appendix B)
• a new sustainable business travel policy, and booking system, that requires line management approval prior to any travel being undertaken was introduced
• a tailored emergency spill procedure, with regular training and toolbox talk of key personnel, so that spillages are dealt with promptly and effectively and do not damage the environment
• an effluent procedure to ensure that domestic water drains and foul water drains are distinguishable, ensuring only rainwater is disposed of through the surface water drainage system

Task 5 - monitor the effectiveness of the plan and review

Companies House has an ISO 14001:2015 accredited environmental management system that monitors and works to limit Companies House’s impact on the environment, including biodiversity. An environmental objectives and targets register is maintained that keeps track of planned biodiversity initiatives, with the aim of ensuring that they are completed.

As part of the organisation’s annual cycle of audits, the register is frequently audited by an external auditor to ensure the objectives and targets are smart and promotes a constant programme of improvement across all areas.

Companies House

December 2022

Appendix A: resource use figures

	2021 to 2022	2020 to 2021*	2019 to 2020	2018 to 2019
Water consumption (m3)1	3,485	5,622	18,735	9,552
Electricity consumption (KwH)2	3,269,345	3,383,091	4,004,245	4,061,395
Gas consumption (KwH)3	582,536	856,818**	484,434	519,775

*Data from April 2020 onwards is significantly lower because of reduced staff in the offices due to COVID-19. **Gas consumption for 2020 to 2021 is higher, because of the biomass boiler breaking down during Quarter 4.

Appendix B: waste hierarchy