Purpose
To harness creativity and design as a force for good—creating meaningful experiences that contribute positively to our communities, our digital landscape, and the planet.
Mission
We partner with values-aligned organisations to deliver thoughtful, full-service solutions. By combining strong ideas with purposeful design, we solve real-world challenges for people, brands, and the environment.
Vision
A world, both digital and physical, where creativity is used responsibly and intentionally to make a lasting, sustainable impact.
Environmental Policy aims
We endeavour to:
- Incorporate environmental considerations into our business decisions, including decisions about the types of companies we are prepared to take on as clients.
- Continually improve and monitor our own environmental performance.
- Promote environmental awareness among our clients and suppliers.
Environmental Policy priorities
1. Delivering our work
- We will continue to seek to deliver best practice environmental performance in our client work, particularly through maximising the efficiency of the websites we design
2. Travel
- We will continue to run our business in a way which reduces the need to travel, including through promoting the use of travel alternatives such as video/phone conferencing and through continuing to encourage and facilitate home-working.
- We will seek to use the most sustainable modes of transport for all necessary business travel.
3. Company administration
- We will prioritise environmental considerations in our key business decisions.
- We will promote our commitment to environmental responsibility to all of our clients and suppliers.
- We will continue to support a range of local environmental organisations and causes financially and in-kind.
Our Environmental Management System
We have developed an Environmental Action Plan to ensure we meet the requirements of this policy. The Environmental Action Plan, together with this policy, comprises our Environmental Management System (EMS). Our EMS is independently certified by Green Small Business. Our certification is maintained through an annual audit carried out independently by Green Small Business.
We will update this policy at least annually.
Created: September 2022
Managing environmental impact
Designworks has identified a number of areas where direct action has been taken to minimise the environmental impact.
- Our office space and energy is managed and supplied by Westmorland and Furness Council. We are based in Kendal Business Hub which has solar PV panels and has an EPC A rating.
- Our website has a carbon rating between B and D (as measured by websitecarbon.com), with the majority of pages rated B, the homepage rated C, and the portfolio pages rated D. B rating is cleaner than 78% of all web pages globally and generates 0.341 Grams CO2e per pageview.
- Our web host provider uses Green Energy.
- We use electricity responsibly and switch off electrical items when not in use.
- We reduce the amount of paper used in the office by using electronic files.
- All waste is recycled wherever possible.
- Cleaning products and other consumables are purchased for their environmental and Fairtrade merit.
- We aim to use local suppliers that use green energy and have an environmental policy.
- Paper specification for print work is based on recycled pulp or paper from sustainable forests.
- We avoid any unnecessary car journeys. When we do travel by car, we use an electric vehicle which runs on green tariff electricity.
- We are members of the Bike to Work Scheme and encourage commuting to work by bicycle or on foot. Our office space provides secure bike storage, changing rooms and shower facilities.
- We support organisations that help protect the environment and we are members of Lake District Foundation, South Lakes Action on Climate Change, and Sustainability & Energy Network in Staveley.
Through our work:
- We were involved in creating Kendal Climate Citizens’ Jury.
- We promote sustainable modes of transport, especially cycling, and have worked with Westmorland and Furness Council on various cycling projects. We were instrumental in starting Kendal Cycle Club which is an inclusive club and encourages new cyclists.
Designworks will continually monitor its practices and implement policy and schemes to minimise the impact on the environment. Staff are verbally informed of any changes in environmental policy and practices.
