Biodiversity Policy
A key part of growing our business sustainably for the long term is to preserve ecosystems for future generations.
Biodiversity is the pillar that allows ecosystems to function and humans to thrive. Without biodiversity in an ecosystem, we would not have the many plants and animals we find in our world today, including us. Biodiversity is the “biological diversity in an environment as indicated by numbers of different species of plants and animals.”
Many industrial materials derive directly from biological sources. These include building materials, fibre, dyes, rubber, and oil. Biodiversity is also important to the security of resources such as water, timber, paper, fibre, and food. As a result, biodiversity loss is a significant risk factor in business development and a threat to long-term economic sustainability.
One of the largest causes of habitat destruction is land development. As urbanisation has increased over the last 100 years more and more land has been repurposed, destroying the natural habitat, increasing noise, and pollution. When habitats change animals flee the area or die, dramatically reducing the area’s biodiversity.
Climate change goes hand in hand with urbanisation and habitat loss.
Main Principles:
To implement its commitment to biodiversity, Foremost Furniture Ltd will be guided by the following main principles of conduct:
- Integrate Biodiversity into our environmental practices as well as in the analysis, management and reporting of long-term risks
- Assess on an ongoing basis the impact of Foremost Furniture Ltd’s activities on natural capital, including diversity and the protection of wild animals and protected and vulnerable species
- Ensure we do not operate in spaces that are protected due to their ecological, biological, cultural and/or landscape value or areas catalogued as having high value for biodiversity
- Apply the principle of mitigation hierarchy (avoid, minimise, restore and compensate as a last resort)
- Avoid or reduce deforestation associated with our activities and our supply chain
We are committed to enhancing biodiversity by:
- Water Stress and Pollution and Soil Contamination:
- Minimising our water consumption within our buildings
- Water is only used for domestic purposes
- Contain all hazardous spills, never washing into the watercourse
- Hazardous solvent waste is disposed of using authorised accredited hazardous waste removal companies
- Atmospheric Pollution:
- LEV systems are fully operable and maintained to ensure that air is filtered before release into the atmosphere
- Operate and maintain company vehicles with due regard to environmental issues as far as reasonably practical
- Use local companies in the first instance and where appropriate to reduce third party emissions
- Deforestation
- Source all wood from companies who are FSC Registered
- Plant (as a minimum) 20 trees per month with Carbon Neutral Britain
- All wooden furniture returned to site is refurbished or reused in order to reduce the quantity of new wooden furniture produced
- Use of Raw Materials and Natural Resource Depletion
- We practice the three R’s – Reduce, Recycle and Reuse
- We encourage all of our customers to recycle their existing furniture or use our salvage supplies. This is turn prevents the need to manufacture new furniture using virgin wood.
- We only source our wood from FSC registered suppliers
- We plant (as a minimum) 20 trees per month
- As far as possible purchase products and services that do the least damage to the environment and encourage others to do the same