Green Code of Practice

We will ensure that our operations are planned and delivered with consideration for existing habitats and wildlife. We will collaborate with our customers to identify and implement improved management practices to actively reduce carbon emissions from our operations and improve habitats for both wildlife and people, to achieve an increase in habitats, the condition of those habitats, and to increase levels of biodiversity.

We will achieve this through raising awareness of the natural environment among our staff and customers, promoting positive actions at all levels, and through enhanced training across our operational and customer facing teams, developing a consistent approach across the UK.

Our long-term operational planning will align with Mitie’s net zero policy, and will ensure that we select vehicles, machinery and products that have the least impact on the environment wherever commercially available, and that our use of those products and equipment has the least impact on the environment.

We will review the code annually through a working group that includes our Managing Director, Director of Operations, and Head of Natural Environment, to ensure the code remains aligned with the latest sustainable and nature-positive opportunities.

We will audit our business bi-annually to assess the code’s implementation, and promptly implement any resulting action points.

We will ensure our operating teams, customer facing teams, and customers, are aware of management considerations relating to wildlife. Our customers will have the opportunity to choose service methods and site enhancements which encourage increased biodiversity across their property portfolios.

We will employ working practices and techniques on site that minimise the risk to wildlife, while delivering a standard that meets our customers’ expectations. We will work with our customers to review management standards and frequencies that deliver a safe site, fit for its core purpose, while maximising the site’s potential for wildlife.

We will schedule operational tasks for periods that have the minimum practicable impact on habitats and wildlife, with particular consideration given to: hedge trimming in relation to bird nesting; watercourse maintenance in relation to aquatic wildlife; shrub trimming in relation to pollinating insects; pruning of hedges and shrubs in relation to seeds, berries, and winter shelter.

We will actively promote making space for nature to our customers, including creating new habitats, reducing the maintenance intensity of existing habitats, and suitable areas being left to go wild.

We will actively promote the UK’s drive for increased biodiversity, and the importance of our customers contribution to achieving that increase.

We will deliver and perpetuate the message that the health, quantity, and range of habitats and wildlife should be integrated into everyday grounds maintenance operations.

We will empower our staff to make operational decisions based on this Code, within customer, training, and operational guidelines

We will promote this Code to our customers, as part of our drive to perpetuate its messages.

We will ensure that an Integrated Pest Management Plan is applied by our teams, with cultural controls used as the primary control measure, and chemical controls used only where practicably unavoidable.

We will ensure that we use only approved chemicals that have the minimum ecological impact, require the lowest practicable quantities during application, and have the maximum effectiveness.

We will review the approved chemicals annually, to ensure we are continuing to minimise our impact on the environment and will regularly audit the application of chemicals to ensure their use is minimised.

We will use wherever appropriate, techniques involving targeted spot spraying of chemicals, and regulated knapsacks rather than boom sprayers, to minimise the quantity of chemical used, and ensure we are targeting only the weed or pest we want to control.

We will only apply chemical when conditions are suitable to ensure maximum effectiveness and minimum use, avoiding periods of rain and wind, but also heat, thereby avoiding dilution, wash-off, wind-blow, and evaporation. We will ensure that ecological impacts are minimised through avoiding contamination of watercourses, non-target areas, and non-target species, as well as avoiding reduced effectiveness of the chemical on target species.

We will empower our staff to make operational decisions based on this Code within customer, training, and operational guidelines.

We will ensure that waste is avoided wherever practicable, and within agreed service levels for our customers, and that we actively work with our supply chain to source products with the minimum practicable associated waste, with a particular focus on plastic waste.

We will continue to ensure that no waste is sent to landfill, and wherever practicable and within agreed service levels for our customers, ensure waste streams are separated for recycling.

We will continually work with our customers to identify new and innovative ways of reducing waste generated by operations, within the confines of agreed service levels, and regularly review those services levels to continually reduce operational waste.

We will deploy re-useable bags to contain and transport green waste and will minimise or avoid the use of plastic refuse bags for the removal and containment of general waste and will divert segregated waste for recycling wherever practicable.

We will wherever practicable re-use green waste on the site from which it is generated, through the use of composting areas, chipping or shredding onto beds, or creating brash piles.

We will continue to adapt our buildings, to achieve carbon net zero in our built estate by 2025.

We will continue to transition our vehicle fleet to battery electric, maintaining contact with our suppliers to ensure we assess, and where practicable adopt, new and improved technology as it becomes available.

We will continue to work with our suppliers to assist them in reducing their carbon emissions.