Sustainability at IPO

The IPO’s Environmental Policy confirms our commitment to being the best government organisation in respect of our environmental management. 

For the IPO being a great place to work with senior managers & their staff focused and committed to considering & mitigating the impact of our activities on the natural environment

Environmental

We are dedicated to sustainable development, to reduce the effect on the environment from our operations. We tackle these impacts through an environmental management system by meeting the requirements of the international standard ISO 14001:2015.

Biodiversity

Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how small, all have an important role to play. Biodiversity is the variety of life on earth, both flora and fauna. These species contribute to the natural cycles that help make earth habitable to humans and contribute to our way of life in many ways, from providing us with food and pharmaceuticals to helping reduce the impact of natural disasters such as floods.

Biodiversity is a key element of IPO culture, providing a better living environment with benefits to health and wellbeing, and for many people it is simply something to enjoy. The Intellectual Property Office is committed to using opportunities to enhance biodiversity. Via our CSR commitments we support staff in achieving a sense of responsibility and ownership towards the community and environment (both ecological and social) in which we operate. We express this through:

• Implementing waste and pollution reduction processes
• Contributing to educational and social programs

And via our Section 6 Biodiversity and Ecosystem Resilience duty of the Environment (Wales) Act 2016 commitments.

Commuting Sustainably

There are various ways we encourage our people to help us reduce the ‘impact of travel between our sites and from commuting’ – even if just for one day a week:

• In 2019 we installed a double Electric Vehicle Charging (EVC) Point outside main reception for staff & visitor use only. This is a Fastcharge 7kW Charger with two Type 2 sockets.
• We have a large cycling community at the IPO. Getting on our bikes more often can help us on the way to making the small changes that can bring short and long term benefits to the environment, your wallet and your health.

If our people would like to consider cycling to work but don’t have a bike/would like to update their bike, we have options in place to help:

• Salary Sacrifice for Bikes scheme (up to £1000)
• Interest Free Bike Loan (up to £300)
• Pool Bikes for short-term staff use (hybrid, electric & folding)

Whether you run, walk or cycle to work, we have several facilities that make our people’s daily commute a little easier:

• Lockers
• Showers
• Secure Bike Racks
• Use of bike equipment/accessories
• Tumble Dryers
• Washing Machine

If you live in Newport & commute by bus on a regular basis, it may be worth investing in a Smartcard. Our people can apply for an annual bus pass (Smartcard) through the office.

We also encourage our people to Liftshare where possible. We have 51 liftshare bays, situated close to the office & available until 9:30am for Lift sharers. Due to Covid, we expect our people to avoid this method of commute, unless you are from the same household.