Links Sustainability Policy

Links sustainability Policy is based on the following key principles:

•  To ensure sustainability plays a key role in our business decision making.

•  To fully engage our staff in promoting, executing and improving our policy.

•  To engage, encourage and work with local charity and community groups.

•  To promote to all customers and suppliers and to encourage them to adopt sound sustainable management practices.




Areas of Action – Practical Steps

1. Travel | Links will:

• Actively encourage staff to cycle, walk, or use public transport to get to work, and suppliers and customer meetings, where it is practical and cost effective.

• Use the train for European travel where appropriate.

• Avoid travelling to clients and supplier meetings when other alternative methods are available and practical such as email, telephone and web cam. Where meetings are necessary, all attempts will be made to plan similar meetings in the same location to prevent multiple journeys.

• Make allowances for staff to work from home where and when appropriate.

• Manage and record all business mileage and emissions.

• Openly review, monitor and report on all KPI’s.


2. Sales and Purchase – Links will,

• Monitor record and reduce the purchase of all office consumables including paper and identify other opportunities to reduce office waste.

• Recycle office paper, computers, ink cartridges and other office equipment.

• Aim to reduce the office energy consumption buy purchasing energy efficient equipment, energy saving labels and by good housekeeping.

• Purchase electricity from a supplier committed to investing in renewable energy sources.

• Use fair-trade suppliers for office beverages.

• Review the life cycle of all products bought and sold and the environmental aspects and potential impacts associated with the manufacture, use and disposal of the product.

• Use couriers that are making efforts to combat CO2 emissions or who carbon trade.

• Openly review, monitor and report on all KPI’s.


3. Design and Build

Although Links work in an industry where our clients expect individual and dynamic designs, Links recycle and reuse as many elements as possible, into future designs, to reduce waste and extend product life through multiple ownership. This can be achieved through hire or part hire, part purchase.

Links aim is to advise all clients on the percentage of purchase that will go into land fill and explore ways to carbon offset any items, once recyclable options have been exhausted.

Links will ensure that raw materials such as wood and ply are either recycled or sourced from sustainable source.


4. Carbon Foot Print

Links will endeavour to find the most cost effective and sustainable solution for our clients, whilst maintaining our high levels of service and working practices. This can be achieved by using local labour and suppliers/manufacturers.


5. Land Fill

As technology improves Links are actively encouraging our clients to choose, and our suppliers to provide, alternative materials for banner and graphic printing. With biodegradable and recycled materials and water based ink technology, we are on the way to replacing PVC’s and other long life substrates.


6. Supporting Charities and the Local Community

Links appreciate the importance of charity organisations within the local community. Where possible, Links will support them by offering products and services at cost, on loan, or free of charge at our discretion. In return, we may ask the charity or organisation to add a link to our web site from their site.

Links has a policy of not sending out Christmas cards. Instead each year a donation is made to a charity, nominated by our employees. The chosen charity changes on an annual basis.


7. Suppliers and Other Stakeholders

As part of our ethical and sustainability strategy Links have regular dialogue with our suppliers and other stakeholders to ensure that they are making attempts to replicate our own working practices. This can include requests to change product materials from existing to those that are more environmentally friendly, recyclable or sustainable. Where suppliers are importing products we request proof of province to ensure that human rights have not been breached.

Links work closely with our suppliers and encourage “business partnerships” rather than traditional customer supplier relationships.


19th October 2009

Download our sustainability policy.