Embracing ESG at Insight Security

Introduction

Insight Security is a commercial enterprise supplying tried, tested and trusted, security and safety products to business and domestic users throughout the UK and abroad.

Our product portfolio includes in-house designed products as well as a variety of carefully chosen third party products which meet our exacting selection criteria, which encompass both performance and value considerations.

Our Company Ethos is “Customer 1st” and our key objective, is to supply our customers with solutions appropriate to their needs, which is why drawing on our extensive experience, we are happy to offer free impartial advice and a no quibble, money back guarantee.

Insight Security embrace its Corporate Social Responsibilities and have consciously and actively been working on its impact on sustainability since 2018.

Whilst we take our Corporate Social Responsibilities seriously, as a company we are not currently required to provide any formal reporting relating to our plans, targets and achievements. However during 2023, we started to explore the requirements and reporting concepts integral to ESG, which offer a structured methodology for quantifying achievements against the targets set.  

Although many companies have yet to embark on their ESG journey, some of those that have started the process, have discovered that it offers an opportunity to review and improve their operational practices to the benefit of the company as well as more broadly to the benefit of the planet.

The scope of ESG is potentially vast, and it will inevitably require significant effort to address in full, however as many of the larger companies that have already embraced it have found, it can often throw up opportunities to streamline operations and consequently reduce costs.

It is anticipated that all companies (whatever their size) will need to be actively addressing ESG by 2028 and to have set up a progress reporting structure to meet legislative requirements.

What is ESG?

ESG is a collective term for a business`s impact on the environment and society as well as how robust and transparent its governance is in terms of company leadership, executive pay, audits, internal controls, and shareholder rights (where appropriate).

It measures how a business integrates environmental, social, and governance practices into operations, as well as its business model, its impact, and its sustainability.

The three areas collectively covered by ESG are Environmental, Social and Governance, and each area must be addressed by every company.

At Insight Security, our ESG Action Plan will therefore be considered under those three key headings;

• Environmental
• Social
• Governance

The purpose of this document is to record the actions taken and implemented to date, and to show the direction in which our future efforts will be channelled.

Environmental;

Insight Security recognise their responsibility toward sustainability and to moving toward a net zero carbon emission by 2030. Our approach will be to target a stepped annual reduction in C02e, in identified areas, and to work together with partners who understand the impact that we can have by working together towards a zero emissions target.

Areas for consideration under the Environmental heading include;

• Energy efficiency
• Climate change
• Carbon emissions
• Biodiversity
• Waste management
• Circular economy

Tackling this task can be considered in three sections; Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3, each of which has a different focus, however tasks relating to the different Scopes can be carried out concurrently.

Scope 1 emissions

Scope 1 covers emissions from sources that we own or control directly – for example, the amount of energy or water we use daily in the business. It is the logical starting point as these things are directly under our control, and Insight has already implemented a number changes to move us toward our target objective. 

Scope 2 emissions

Scope 2 are emissions that we cause indirectly and come from where the energy we purchase and use is produced. For example, the emissions caused when generating the electricity that we use in our buildings would fall into this category.

Scope 3 emissions

Scope 3 encompasses emissions that are not produced by our company directly and are not the result of activities from assets owned or controlled by us, but by those that we are indirectly responsible for or reliant on up and down the value chain. An example of this is when we buy, use and dispose of products from suppliers. Scope 3 emissions include all sources not within the scope 1 and 2 boundaries

Action Plan for Insight Security

It is recognised that a realistic plan to achieve Net Zero status within this time-frame will require careful planning and considerable effort, and will need to be based on setting annual goals to make incremental progress year on year. The plan and its implementation will also require the active buy-in and full support of the company management.

Who is responsible?

While every member of the Insight team will need to contribute, Insight has assigned responsibility to the Insight Management Team, currently comprising; the M.D, the Operations Manager and the Warehouse and Distribution Centre Manager, for structuring, reviewing and implementing our plan. The Management Team will continue to meet regularly to update planned activity, set goals and monitor progress.

To ensure that the whole team at Insight are fully committed to our objectives, all current staff have been appraised of our objectives relating to ESG and are regularly updated on progress against our short and medium term goals. Education of new recruits will be undertaken as part of the initial induction program, after which they will be regularly updated with the rest of the team.

In addition to setting realistic and achievable targets for each year, we recognise that there is likely to be an ongoing growing administrative burden relating to the monitoring of progress against the plan, and to the keeping of financial and other records as appropriate to such achievements, and in line with legally required recording guidelines. 

Actions within the plan can be considered under; Scope 1, Scope 2 or Scope 3 elements, and associated targets and recording may include a mix of “Cost” or “Activity” focussed measurements within each of these 3 elements.

Addressing the Scope 1 element, Insight instigated initial steps toward our overall target during our company year ending 30th September 2020. Since that time, we have made significant progress in addressing and taking direct action to reduce our carbon footprint as related to our internal environment and operational activities.

Scope 1 – Insight Progress to date

1.       Energy Usage

1.1.    Invested in replacing fluorescent lighting with more efficient LED lighting within our office and warehouse premises.

1.2.    Installed sensor switches and timers where viable to control lighting or equipment

1.3.    Switched from space heating to infra-red unit people heating in warehouse environment.

1.4.    Installed Air Conditioning in main sales office to replace the individual electric fan heaters used during winter months and electric fans used during warmer periods.

1.5.    Implemented draught exclusion measures to protect staff in the offices.

1.6.    Adjusted water heating facilities (for teas, etc) between Kettle or Hot Water Urn subject to staff numbers.

2.       Packaging

2.1.    Reduced use of plastic bubble wrap packaging by switching to use of recycled paper or shredded cardboard.

2.2.    Purchased commercial grade cardboard shredding machine to produce shredded packaging in-house.

2.3.    Reduced Purchase of virgin cardboard / wraps for packaging.

2.4.    Reduced cardboard sent for waste, by utilising for shredded packaging.

2.5.    Arranged to receive waste cardboard (estimated at circa 2 tons per year based on current volumes), from other tenants on our Industrial Estate – which we convert to shredded packaging (saving our packaging costs, and also helping those tenants with their cardboard waste reduction).

3.       Waste Reduction

3.1.    Reduced waste via recycling materials internally wherever possible.

3.2.    Donated waste metal material arising from our minor assembly and finishing work, to a metal recycling company located on our industrial estate.

3.3.    Moved away substantially from generating paper records and literature, and toward the paperless office, in order to reduce paper waste and simplify GDPR conformance.

4.       Staffing & Education

4.1.    Educated all staff in respect of actions we have taken and requiring their contribution to our aim to move toward Net Zero Carbon emissions status by 2030. This has led to the improved awareness and effectiveness of embracing simple actions such as turning off equipment when not in use, considering water usage, etc.

4.2.    Adjusted working practices to allow some staff “Work from home” days to help reduce commuting.

4.3.    Replaced business telephone system to facilitate optimum remote working capability.

4.4.    Organised car sharing or Railway commuting for staff where viable.

4.5.    When recruiting new staff, we are mindful of their current or proposed residential location, and endeavour to recruit locally where viable in order to minimise the impact of commuting or possibly working from home.

5.       The Circular economy

5.1.    Insight embrace the concept of the circular economy and have for many years adopted simple practices such as recycling suppliers packaging for reuse with goods shipped to our customers for example.

5.2.    We also use recycled materials for our own manufactured products wherever viable and source bought-in packaging materials from responsible companies whose own products are produced from recycled materials.

5.3.    There are occasions when we need to use some form of plastic packaging, however we have moved away from this form of packaging wherever possible and have adopted alternatives. An example of this is our move to use paper parcel tape as an alternative to plastic parcel tape, to seal boxed goods for distribution. This means that the packaging arriving at the customers door is at least compostable as a last resort.

Addressing Scope 2 & 3 areas

Whilst Insight are not manufacturers in their own right, we have over many years developed a number of unique products which are manufactured exclusively for us.

In order to reduce the carbon footprint associated with product manufacture, wherever viable, we use local companies for the manufacturing process and UK sourced materials where possible.

To help to support the carbon reduction plans of our customers, where possible, we use recycled materials in our manufacturing process. An example of this is in the production of our non-aggressive anti-climb Roller Barrier Cups, which are manufactured from recycled polycarbonate where quality recycled polycarbonate material which will not compromise the manufactured product, is available.

Social;

Under the Social heading, areas for consideration include;

• Employee engagement
• Customer satisfaction
• Service to the community
• Corporate giving
• Social Impact
• Supply chain impact
• Education & Training
• Health & Safety
• Human resources

Employee engagement is fostered through education and introduction to the company ethics and policies during our new employment induction program, supported by regular subsequent team updates and discussion. This leads to a sense of inclusivity, and to team members jointly or individually proposing possible improvements to our business practices, procedures or forward direction.

Our Customer 1st ethic ensures a high level of customer satisfaction as evidenced by the many glowing customer testimonials received and our consistent rating of over 95% google 5 star reviews.

In respect of Service to the Community and Corporate Giving, for many years, Insight Security has made donations to various charities at Christmas Time, with recipients ranging from MacMillan (cancer) and a local Hospice, to animal rescue and wellbeing organisations.

Whilst this is a practice that will continue, our ongoing growth as a company has allowed us to consider investing additional donations, to support and encourage the development of boys and girls from around 5 years old, in our local area, through sporting activities.

We are particularly excited by the opportunity to contribute to the development of young people through sport, as not only is activity an effective and fun way to tackle the growing issue of obesity in children, but it can also play a key role in their development of social skills and mental acuity.

The local project that we are working with is; the Horsdean Community Sports Association (HCSA).

They are a not for profit organisation working primarily with boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 18, encouraging and facilitating their participation and development in sports including football, cricket and other outdoor sports, and utilising the facilities such as football and cricket pitches (and cricket nets) that would otherwise be unavailable to them.

Although the Local Authority is unable to offer direct financial support, they recognise the excellent service delivered by HCSA, and provide a limited grass cutting service for the outfield areas.

For funding however, the Horsdean Community Sports Association must rely on any Grant Aid that may be available to successful applicants, on proceeds raised from various charity events, on occasional Crowd Funding, and on charitable and member donations,

Insight Security are pleased to be able to contribute to such a dynamic and worthwhile investment in our community and are donating £1.00 for each order placed on line for security products, purchased through its on-line shopping facility at; www.insight-security.com.

Ad Hoc activities include;

• Presentation to groups on safety and security matters (i.e. at special events or exhibitions)
• Publication of weekly advisory blogs through our website(s)
• Release of advisory videos (safety and security focus) via Youtube and social media
• Litter picking sessions - in the community
  
  

Governance;

Governance relates primarily to the Company Internal Controls, Practices and Procedures, where areas for consideration include;

• Compliance strategy
• Transparency and best practices
• Quality management
• Data Protection and Privacy
• Company Policies
  • Gender and racial diversity
  • Cyber Security
  • Drug and Alcohol
  • Environmental Policy and Responsibilities
  • Equality and Diversity
  • Human rights
  • HR & Wellbeing
  • Anti Bribery / Anti Corruption
  • Anti Slavery

Evidence of our recognition of the importance of the area of Governance is demonstrated by our commitment to and achievement of our ISO9001:2015 and ISO14001:2015 certifications.

 

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