Social Value Action Planning Tool

At least one of your customers has encouraged you to use this tool to generate an Action Plan. The simplest way to keep them informed is to update it regularly with your progress. You can also use the 'EXPORT PLAN' button at the bottom of the page to send it directly to individuals, such as potential new customers. You could also add it to your website, if you have one, to make a more public statement.

Your governance structure will depend not only on the size and scale of your business but also how it is structured. Governance can range from a small group of staff to external committees with dedicated staff. It is also acceptable to embed sustainability into existing governance structures. Consider diversity and inclusion as part of developing your governance structures to ensure a range of voices are heard and scrutiny comes from a range of perspectives.

The products and services central to your business operations are likely to impact on biodiversity across the globe and well beyond your direct control. Ensure your procurement processes consider biodiversity as part of your commitments to ethical or responsible purchasing. Make commitments that relate to protecting ecologically sensitive habitats part of your approach to sustainability and reporting if appropriate.

Even the smallest site (including the garden of a humble home office) can offer refuge to wildlife. There are lots of resources available to help you start thinking about how best to encourage biodiversity but the Wildlife Trust is a great place to start. If you have large or multiple sites you could be providing both a habitat for wildlife and creating spaces that benefit the wellbeing of your staff, customers or visitors. There may also be compliance issues you should be aware of as a minimum. If you are developing plans for your business ensure they are aligned with regional or national Biodiversity Action Planning initiatives that may be in place.

There may be opportunities to support local biodiversity or ecological restoration projects in the local area using staff volunteering initiatives. Consider how you can support staff to contribute to this type of project in your area.

A policy is a simply written statement outlining your organisation's commitment to managing environmental or sustainability impacts. It outlines the key areas of your business you hope to improve and so can include environmental, social and/or economic considerations and targets. You could use this Action Plan as the basis of your policy as it provides an overview of sustainability areas for you to focus on.

A simple blog post, a conversation with your customers or an update on your website is enough to share your progress, large or small. Think about developing a case study to showcase your work. Even the smallest initiative can be an excuse to tell a positive story about your business.

An increasing number of larger organisations are making commitments either to source 100% of their energy from renewables or to generate their own. Consider the feasibility of generating your own renewable energy

It may be appropriate for your organisation to obtain certification that provides assurance in relation to your carbon reduction activities. Organisations, operations and products can all be certificated, consider which might be relevant to your context. The Carbon Trust might be a good place to start this exploration.

Understanding the carbon impacts of your business operations is an important first step in developing an action plan to help you manage and reduce them. Broadly this means looking at the energy you consume, travel and transport, waste production the type of catering you provide and the impact of the products you purchase. This activity is the first step in developing a carbon action plan. You can also use a carbon calculator tool such as this one from the Carbon trust

A carbon reduction plan will enable you to demonstrate your commitment to de-carbonisation and evidence that you are responding to the climate challenges in a focussed way. It will detail your key impact areas and detail your plans to reduce them. Use this editable template to get you started.

Changing staff behaviours is at the heart of reducing carbon emissions (particularly in the short-term). Providing meaningful training and support for staff so they can become carbon literate and understand carbon impacts as they relate to your organisation will help them take action. Many organisations are exploring the carbon literacy project as a way forward.

Regular reporting of progress against carbon reduction commitments is recognised as good practice. This could include a mixture of progress against specific targets and case studies and examples of projects.

Important! It is best to look at carbon offsetting after you have reduced your carbon footprint as much as you can first. Carbon offset schemes allow individuals and companies to invest in environmental projects around the world in order to balance out their own carbon footprints. The projects are usually based in developing countries and often designed to reduce future emissions. However there are also options around offsetting projects locally to support the communities where you are based. For a fuller overview please see this briefing note NETpositive Futures has produced.

The food we consume comes with a large carbon impact across the whole life cycle of our food, from ground to plate. Whilst we should not try to control the diet of our staff we can reduce the carbon footprint of the events we might host or on-site catering facilities. This might be as simple as providing meat free options or plant based meals. Have a look here for more information on the carbon impact of food The University Caterers Organisation (TUCO) has developed a free tool to calculate the greenhouse gas footprint of your menu choices.

Businesses tend to struggle with similar issues. Explore ways to learn from the lessons of others, network to build a support mechanism and consider how partnerships or collaborations could support business resiliance. You (or your staff) might consider mentoring as a useful starting point.

The beauty of a small business is that it can be really responsive to changes in circumstances. Make sure you are using your size to full effect by accessing business support that is specifically tailored to your context, especially if you have ideas for growth or innovation.

Being pro-active about positioning your business to respond to tenders with fast turnaround times can be especially important to smaller organisations. The good news is there is help you can access to make this happen for your business.

The Sustainable Development Goals were adopted to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. They will impact on business practice over the next decade at least as governments are challenged to demonstrate progress against the targets within them.

The SDGs could be at the heart of your sustainability activity with targets and evidence of progress part of your journey. Have a look at the South Yorkshire Police Sustainability Strategy to see how they have included the SDGs in the strategy.

Identify how your business activities contribute to the global goals or how they could contribute. A mapping exercise may be needed to identify both risks and opportunities from the SDGs for your business operations.

Your staff are often at the front-line when it comes to communicating with your customers. Make sure that communications messages are disseminated clearly and effectively so that messages are consistent no matter which messenger is used. Training for front-line staff is likely to be essential to ensure this happens consistently.

Find ways to ensure your customers can communicate with you and respond to the stories you are sharing with them. Social media can be a great way to establish dialogue with your clients but an old-fashioned feedback form can be just as effective. Think about what will work for you and your customers.

Businesses should make an effort to seek out new innovations within their sector, especially in relation to resource efficiency. Are there new options that can future-proof your company from rising costs? Are your customers keen that you offer new and improved products and services. Keeping up-to-date can be crucial.

Social innovation that benefits people, communities and the wider society are highly sought by customers and especially those in the public sector. Develop plans and embed practice that supports innovation in your business model.

Share examples of social innovation in practice to both raise the profile of your activity and provide inspiration to others. Leaders continue to push the boundaries of excellent practice and share their approaches for community benefit.

Businesses are encouraged to explore issues and challenges relating to Modern Slavery and embed meaningful responses within their existing process and practice. These should be communicated to customers to provide appropriate assurances. This could be a code of conduct or similar approach. You are encouraged to link to your own activity in this area in the evidence box provided. Here is an example of a Code of Conduct which covers Modern Slavery considerations

Provide your own suppliers with modern slavery information or guidance and ask them about their own approach and any assurances they can provide. A good starting point for resources and best practice is the Ethical Trading Initiative website

Training staff about issues relating to Modern Slavery including how to identify the signs of slavery and human trafficking will help reduce the risk of modern slavery occurring in your business. You may be the entire workforce in which case access some training yourself! A free, online course is offered by the Open University which might be helpful.

A responsible business is transparent and understands that Modern Slavery is more than a compliance issue. Legislation has driven rapid progress in this area and best practice is developing quickly. Businesses obliged to produce a transparency statement are encouraged to provide evidence of their commitments including appropriate governance and reporting mechanisms

Those rescued from Modern Slavery often need help to rebuild their lives. Some employers have developed schemes to support these individuals to re-join the workforce. Your organisation may be in a position to provide similar access routes to employment. Have a look at this Co-op initiative

Modern slavery issues could be highlighted in your own operations or you could become aware of something concerning in your supply chain. You should have a response that is appropriate to the nature and size of your business and recognises the need to act swiftly (best practice is to inform stakeholders within 48 hours). Complex international businesses may need a dedicated incident plan but individuals should know how to access information, guidance or report Modern Slavery concerns

A simple sustainable procurement commitment (buying 'greener' or more ethical products or services ) can be used to communicate what is important to your business. You may use certified products or services or choose to have your own certified. A public commitment demonstrates to your customers how you consider and address the impacts within your supply chain. Include them as part of your sustainability approach and report on progress accordingly.

There is a business risk attached to not having any understanding of your supply chain. There may also be opportunities to source more ethical or environmentally sound alternatives (those which produce less waste, have a lower carbon footprint, use less raw materials or are produced with less damage to the environment, and where good labour practices are followed). The starting point is understanding where the products your business depends upon come from and how they are made and transported. Don't be afraid to ask questions of your own suppliers.

Offering apprenticeships can be a great way for a business to grow talent and expand their staff base at low cost and risk.

Your business may be unable to support a full time apprenticeship programme but it could still offer work experience on shorter placements. Schemes are usually run locally so try your nearest College or University as a starting point.

Create a workplace culture that supports good mental health benefits for everyone. The human cost of poor mental health is considerable but there are also business costs associated with poor performance. The Stevenson Review provides a comprehensive starting point with many no-cost or low-cost options that can be introduced to help support a thriving workforce.

Providing mental health resources in the workplace could save a life. The NHS signposts to a range of support and resources you could make accessible to staff or visitors.

Inviting an expert speaker into your workplace can be an easy way to keep yourself up-to-date on what is important with regards to diversity. These can be linked to your industry and also support staff cohesion more generally.

Your business might be able to make a real difference locally by participating in work-experience schemes with more challenging audiences. These might equip young people, ex-offenders or other disadvantaged groups with new skills at the same time as improving the local area. These include, armed forces veterans, long term unemployed, homeless employees, mothers returning to work, survivors of modern slavery.

The vulnerable in your community might be the elderly, at-risk youth, migrants or others living in isolation. Supporting or developing schemes to support these groups might be an activity you can link to staff volunteering or community outreach initiatives.

There are likely to be a range of ways your organisation could help reduce crime in your local community. From provision of surveillance to effectively managing spaces so they discourage anti-social behaviour. More information and suggestions can be found in this Bre Trust briefing paper

The national Rough Sleeping Strategy outlines ambitions to eradicate homelessness by 2027 and there are likely to be local inititives in your area. Consider how your organisation could contribute to these local efforts.

Many organisations already have a strong reputation for supporting community activities. From wildlife conservation or growing projects such as Britain in Bloom to volunteering at food banks or youth clubs. Consider how you can maximise your community contribution through your staff engagement programme.

Your business might be able to make a real difference locally by participating in work-experience schemes with more challenging audiences. These might equip young people, ex-offenders or other disadvantaged groups with new skills at the same time as improving the local area. Both the Princes Trust and the Career Transition Partnership have information to explore this.

From careers fairs to work experience placements there are likely to be a range of ways you can support skills developments in conjunction with local schools and colleges. The Young Enterprise Scheme is a well-established example.

Low-carbon skills across the whole of society are essential to meet the ambition of a zero-carbon future. A significant social value contribution your organisation can make is via outreach programmes and partnering locally to support skills development around carbon literacy. Consider if this is relevant to your organisation and how you could provide access to low-carbon training and/or development for the communities where you operate.