We aim to limit water consumption both inside and outside of our building. We aim to continuously increase our water management efforts and find new opportunities to decrease water consumption. We have already put some measures in place to achieve this:

• We use dual flush toilets to allow for the conservation of water- they are high-efficiency toilets and comply with the National Energy Policy Act 1994 using much less gallons per flush than older toilet models.
• We minimise water usage wherever possible.
• We aim to prevent water contamination, ensuring our employees have access to only clean, safe water resources.

Since developments in both the recycling and manufacturing industry continue to increase, we aim to complete waste audits for all of our assets and continue to support the ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ waste hierarchy. We have implemented strategies with the vision to make all of our materials, from products to packaging, recyclable wherever possible.

• We have invested in biodegradable, plastic-free tape, offering the same degree of closure, sealing and protection as conventional tapes, but ensures that all of our consumer’s packages can be recycled.
• Where applicable, we aim to ship out all of our products in their original cartons in order to minimize material wastage.
• We have invested in biodegradable void fill, requiring less carbon to produce and limiting the amount of waste taken to landfills and the consumption of resources.
• We have removed single-use disposable materials in our warehouse and strive to encourage multi-use alternatives where possible.
• Post Consumer Regrind Plastic (PCR): Our plastic products that are damaged or have reached their end of life cycle as a consumer item are then recycled and processed for use in new manufacturing. This replaces the need for primary extraction and manufacturing of more plastics, thus conserving energy.

Our warehouse is maintained and operated whilst always keeping the environment in mind, frequently recognising opportunities for cost-effective energy reduction and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We have reduced energy consumption to the lowest practical level corresponding to the operational requirements of our company.

• We have installed energy-efficient alternatives, e.g., motion sensor indoor lighting.
• We regularly perform energy audits throughout our property to ensure that we can continue to reduce energy consumption in any future refurbishments.

With ‘family’ being one of our core values, we recognise that the way in which we work together and support one another is fundamental in maintaining and growing our business. An attitude we pioneer is that ‘all our people are extended family members’ and with this, we are committed to promoting a sense of community, understanding, and wellbeing amongst all our employees and families that work with us.

• We continue to pay above minimum wage as we believe that the gap between minimum wage and the real cost of workers’ basic needs to support themselves and their families is significant. For us, it is a crucial part of sustainability, improving employee well-being, stimulating innovation, and enhancing better human resource management.
• Education and training programs: At TPBC, we support our employees in their future endeavours; for example, we are currently supporting and will continue to support our employees who are carrying out higher education programs and training courses and allow flexible working hours for them to be able to achieve this.
• Weekly team briefings: We use these meetings to not only gauge information on business performance but also as a way to ascertain employee satisfaction and focus our improvement efforts effectively. We give our employees a chance to talk openly about any aspect of our organisation from safety and wellbeing to the functionality of our assets.
• We have maintained and enhanced all the communal spaces and facilities in our warehouse wherever possible. For example, we provide common rooms, meeting rooms and all employees join in on ordering ‘lunch out’ on Fridays.

We aim to actively involve ourselves in an array of social commitments, from engaging in responsible measures to supporting both local and wider organisations.

• We have designed and maintained our warehouse and offices to create a functional and quality building that accentuates place-making within our local community.
• We have accumulated samples of bottles and caps to donate to local organisations, e.g., a local school used our donations as a sensory aid for their students with learning difficulties, as well as donations to national charities, such as St Mary’s Hospice.
• We have donated litter pickers to Carlisle Ambassadors and supported canal regeneration to improve our natural ecosystem for wildlife and improve public spaces.
• We gave all our employees the chance to donate to a charity of their choice on their birthdays in order to increase overall engagement of social responsibility within our company.
• Going forward, we will continue to explore ways in which we can contribute to charities and support community outreach.

Social sustainability to us means also taking into account the policies of our supply chains, consistently ensuring that they support and comply with the ethics of our company. For example, we aim to implement an effective system where we can monitor the following factors:

• That they embed a human rights policy throughout their business, treating their employees fairly and equally, and undertake human rights due diligence.
• Asking them what their policy is for slavery, human trafficking, and child labour, and requiring them to confirm that their policy complies with our own, e.g. that they do not employ anyone under the age of 16.

One of the most crucial aspects of corporate governance to us is to ensure diversity in the boardroom. This relates to our business ethics and establishes a robust tone about our organization’s attitude to leadership and equal opportunities.

• We have built a strong board of skillful people who are suitably equipped to undertake the company’s operations. They are diverse in terms of age, disability, gender, religion and sexual orientation, but also in terms of their socio-economic background, beliefs and knowledge.
• As a company, we treat every employee fairly and do not discriminate against any of the listed factors. Crucially, we avoid conflict of interest in our choice of board members, ensuring that political participation and favorable treatment are not engaged in.

Our business ethics are intertwined into our core values. These are what drive our business and are the product of the way we work, support and build each other and ultimately our company.

• Family - Because we treat all of our employees as ‘extended family members’. We believe that with support and teamwork, nothing is impossible!
• Adaptability - As outlined in our ESG, feedback is welcomed from both internal and external stakeholders. This means that when appropriate, we will adapt our assets to suit their needs.
• Excellence - Customer service excellence is what we strive for, from providing the highest-quality products and picking, packing and tracking them with care right through to delivery.
• Efficiency - We drive lean operational processes that drive efficiency within our business but we will never cut corners.
• Integrity - Because without honesty, truth and strong moral and ethical values, we would not be able to achieve any of our core values.

We aim to be as transparent as possible and seek to build a trustworthy foundation with our stakeholders, both internally and externally. This includes distributing and cooperating information to our suppliers, contractors, employees and consumers where necessary. Beginning with our board of governors, this is where we would initially share and collaborate information. However, we also feel that it is integral for our employees to have the opportunity to be included and have leverage over our business mechanisms and substructures. Thus, when appropriate, we invite feedback from them both formally and informally and will always ensure their comments are taken into account. We are also passionate about the customer service we deliver. This means that we not only provide them with a ‘tailored to you’ service, but we will always aim to be transparent and cooperate any business changes/plans that may impact them. Feedback from our customers is continuously welcomed and we engage with them both formally and on social platforms, always making sure that we cooperate with them in a timely and efficient manner.