Environmental and sustainability policy

Page last updated June 2024

At Ordnance Survey (OS) we are passionate about protecting the environment and preventing pollution through the products we create, our internal processes, and the management of our supply chain. We recognise that we have potential to enhance the environment both through the management of our own business processes, and through the creation of innovative geospatial solutions to address the complex climate change and environmental issues our planet is facing.

We monitor and mitigate our impact via our Environmental Management System which has been ISO 14001 certified by BSI under certificate number EMS 741488. The OS Environmental Management System is designed to ensure that good environmental practice is implemented by all employees within the company and to meet the requirements of the international standard ISO 14001. All clauses of ISO 14001 are addressed by the system and no exemptions are sought.

We are committed to reducing resource consumption and emissions in line with the Paris Climate Agreement and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). As a Public Corporation we are committed to achieving HM Government’s target to reach Net Zero Carbon by 2050, and to further contribute to the delivery of the Greening Government Commitments (GGCs). We are working hard to develop our own ambitious, time bound carbon target. We have a clear focus on the Nature Recovery GGC with the development and implementation of an informed and additive biodiversity strategy for our head office, Explorer House.

We are also developing several commercial propositions to support our customers to See A Sustainable Place and to deliver against their own environmental goals. Our authoritative geospatial data is at the heart of trusted change detection and verification. From this we aim to develop and deliver a core capability to support our customers to take decisive action against climate change.

As part of our commitment to protect the environment, we will:

• Annually review the full Environment Management System including this policy. This policy sets the framework on how we manage and continually improve our Environmental Management System resulting in improved environmental performance;
• Inspire our workforce to respond to the current and future needs of the business and its customers in relation to sustainable development and climate change;
• Fulfil legislative requirements and the compliance obligations of our stakeholders;
• Improve efficiency of our use of natural resources; reduce waste and atmospheric emissions by establishing short, medium and long-term targets that are commensurate with the relevant UN SDGs and enforce controls to prevent pollution to air, water, and land;
• Adopt methods of working and product creation that mitigate the effects of climate change, adhering to our mission to ‘See a Better Place’ and our corporate values of ‘Think Customer’, ‘Thrive Together’, ‘Stay Ahead’ and ‘Seize the Moment’;
• Integrate environmental management throughout our business activities, into our decision-making processes and as part of our multi-year plan. Set relevant and ambitious environmental objectives using an ISO14001:2015 certified Environmental Management System;
• Communicate the Environment and Sustainability Policy and Environmental Management System to all employees via a systematic approach that contributes to continual improvement;
• Integrate environmental criteria into the procurement process and ensure that contractors, suppliers and customers are aware and supportive of our environmental commitments.
• Commit to avoiding greenwashing and the appropriate use of carbon offsetting through our Greenwashing Policy and our Carbon Offsetting Policy.