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Section 6 Biodiversity and Ecosystem Resilience duty of the Environment (Wales) Act 2016

(PDF, 1.14 MB, 24 pages)

Our Environmental Policy

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) recognises that our activities and services can have a positive and negative impact on climate change, nature, and ecosystems both locally and globally. 听Our environmental policy addresses how we manage environmental risks, impacts and responsibilities. We are committed to continual improvement and sustainable development.

We will shape our environmental culture, by meeting our environmental compliance obligations, and we will aspire to reduce the impact on the natural environment from our operations to maximise and enhance environmental improvement. To prevent pollution and minimise environmental risk we shall:

• continue our carbon net zero journey and set a target for when the听IPO听can become carbon neutral
• work to eliminate landfill waste by following the waste hierarchy
• purchase in an environmentally responsible manner
• consider the impact on the environment in any activities we undertake underpinning the ambition of being the best听IP听Office with shared values and behaviours
• aspire to reduce the impact of travel domestically, internationally and from commuting
• enhance and conserve biodiversity and ecosystems on our estate
• reduce our use of finite resources
• educate, train and motivate employees to carry out tasks in an environmentally responsible manner; encourage all employees to reduce the environmental impacts associated with their work and encourage them to become carbon literate
• continue to promote and encourage the office鈥檚 involvement in sustainable local initiatives through our corporate social responsibility program.
• meet all relevant compliance obligations and requirements
• commit appropriate resources and give managers enough responsibility to implement this policy
• manage our environmental risks and opportunities through an environmental management system (EMS) certified to the international standard ISO 14001:2015. The scope of the听IPO听EMS听covers our operations at Concept House and our archive facility at Nine Mile Point
• set and achieve environmental objectives and targets and continually assess and improve the effectiveness of our environmental management system
• ensure early identification of environmental impact during change processes and project management setting a clear long-term direction with flexibility to adapt to new ways of working
• provide a healthy, flexible, and sustainable environment for our people to work in
• make our environmental documentation available to interested parties and stakeholders
• identify the needs and expectations of stakeholders, including UK and Welsh governments, on environmental expectations and initiatives for our mutual benefit
• make this policy available to all staff and interested parties via governmental approved media and review it on an annual basis

Adam Williams
Chief Executive
16 July 2025