Environment Statement

We all have a role to play in caring for the environment. At the Foundation, we constantly improve the way we work. This includes checking how our activities impact the environment. We also want to know how the projects and charities we support do the same. This statement outlines our key principles and activities.

Understanding and minimising our carbon footprint

• We use energy saving systems in our office. We recycle waste materials, re-use items and buy sustainable goods where possible.
• We keep digital records instead of using paper and physical documents. Almost all of our records are digital. This number increases as postal applications decrease.
• We minimise travel by combining visits to multiple charities. We use public transport when visiting charities, and to get to our office.
• We hold digital meetings when a physical visit is unnecessary. We have good technology for flexible and remote working.
• We review our investments in relation to the environment. And in particular, the extensive environmental, social and governance (ESG) work done by Associated British Foods Plc.

Our grant-making

We want our grant-making to support great organisations working in the environment sector. We also recognise there are opportunities to involve everyone in climate-protecting work. This means we factor the environment into our wider grant-making decisions.

• We are proactive in seeking environmental funding opportunities. We collaborate with others and engage in funder groups focused on the environment. We commission research where needed to inform our grant-making. We invite applications from charities working in key environmental issues. These include biodiversity, climate change, habitat restoration and preservation. We support charities working in the UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs). The UKOTs are critical for marine research, protection and conservation.
• We think about the environment in relation to all our grant-making. We consider the environmental implications of all work that our applicants propose. This includes capital projects and we expect capital project applications to include information on environmental sustainability.
• We maintain an environmental view across the charity sector. We expect applicants to tell us how they are addressing climate change challenges as part of their work. We also want to know how the environment is factored into their proposed projects.
• We listen and learn. We learn from leading scientists, environmental experts and experienced practitioners. We invite leading environmental charities and researchers to talk at Trustee meetings. We aim to keep our knowledge up to date and relevant. This is especially important in a sector that constantly changes and is so important.
• We enable greater impact for environmental organisations. We surveyed environmental charities across the UK. They told us they need better communications skills and capacity. We co-create free skills training and workshops for environmental charities.