As an organisation that has declared Climate and Nature Emergency, we believe the most important thing for us to do is to win and facilitate decisive action to tackle dangerous climate change and restore nature, and for this to be achieved through a just transition.
However, it is also important that we 'walk our talk'. As an organisation, Sustain is deeply committed to ensuring that we adopt and promote responsible policies and practices on the issues we care about. Our staff are equally committed, and many are also leading lights on important issues and campaigns. So Sustain is also committed to listening, learning and developing our approach over time.
Healthy and sustainable food policies
Sustain's policy on Greener Food
Download 135kb PDF
Note: Our sustainable food guidelines are also available online at: www.sustainweb.org/sustainablefood
Sustain's Model Catering Policy, for communicating sustainable food guidelines simply to caterers providing food for our staff and guests at events, venues and meetings.
Download 600kb PDF (updated January 2020)
We also promote the uptake of Food for Life Served Here healthy and sustainable catering standard run by the Soil Association, and the work of the Sustainable Restaurant Association.
Sustain as a Fairtrade Workplace
Sustain is registered as a Fairtrade workplace, committed to buying Fairtrade tea, coffee, sugar, fruit and other products, and to promoting Fairtrade products for events and meetings.
See also: What is sustainable food? - Sustain's working definition for good food that is produced, processed, distributed and disposed of in ways that are healthy, ethical and sustainable. Sustain is also an accredited Living Wage Employer, guaranteeing to pay at or above the Living Wage (nationally) or London Living Wage (in London), as calculated by the Living Wage Foundation, whilst also promoting this scheme to local authorities via our Beyond the Food Bank reports.
Environmental policies
Making time for climate, nature and social justice (volunteering policy)
Sustain has adopted a system of ‘volunteering days’ for staff to take a day out of the office, to participate in some form of climate, nature or social justice activity. The purpose is to support Sustain staff taking part in climate, nature and social justice activities that develop knowledge, skills, sense of agency, diversity of experience and thoughtful connections.
Download 624kb PDF (adopted January 2020)
Sustain's policy on Greener Travel
Download 573kb PDF (updated January 2019)
Sustain's policy on Greener Housekeeping
Download 890kb PDF (updated January 2020)
Ethical policies
Sustain's policy on Ethical Funding
Download 807kb PDF
Other publicly available policies published by Sustain are on our Good Governance page.
Sustain Policy Hub at ORFC. Credit: Sustain
Climate Change and Nature: Sustain has taken a keen interest in the rapidly accumulating evidence about the effect of food and farming on climate change and nature, as scientific evidence emerges that our food system is a very significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss.
