CARE CASCADES LTD CARBON REDUCTION PLAN

Document title

Environmental and Sustainability Policy: maintaining carbon neutral

Organisation

Care Cascades Ltd

Company number

15163147

Version

1.0

Effective date

02/12/2024

Approved by

Tom Stocker, Director, on behalf of the Board

Review cycle

Every 3 years, or sooner on material change

Next review due

02/12/2027

Note on legal basis: Procurement Policy Note 06/21 requires suppliers bidding for central government contracts above £5 million per annum to provide a Carbon Reduction Plan. The Company falls below this threshold for the majority of its engagements and is not currently required to publish a formal Carbon Reduction Plan. This policy is adopted voluntarily as a proportionate measure to demonstrate environmental responsibility to NHS and public sector clients and to reflect the Company’s own values.

1. Purpose and scope

Care Cascades Ltd (“the Company”) is committed to operating responsibly and minimising the environmental impact of its activities. This policy sets out the Company’s approach to environmental sustainability and applies to all directors, employees, contractors, associates, and suppliers.

The Company recognises that as a small digital health consultancy its direct environmental footprint is modest. Its principal impacts arise from energy consumption in home offices, business travel, the procurement of IT equipment, and the digital infrastructure (cloud services) that supports its products and operations. The Company is committed to understanding, measuring, and reducing these impacts over time - and maintaining its status as a carbon neutral business.

Our emissions are currently just under 3 tonnes of CO2 equivalent a year.

2. Commitments

The Company commits to the following principles:

1. Comply with all applicable environmental legislation and regulations.

2. Measure and report on the Company’s greenhouse gas emissions where practicable, starting with Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions and working toward an understanding of material Scope 3 emissions.

3. Set targets for reducing emissions that are proportionate to the Company’s scale and achievable within defined timeframes.

4. Minimise business travel by using video conferencing as the default for meetings, and by choosing lower-carbon travel options (rail over air, public transport over car) where in-person attendance is necessary.

5. Procure IT equipment responsibly, favouring suppliers with credible environmental credentials, extending the usable life of equipment, and disposing of equipment through certified recycling or reuse schemes.

6. Choose cloud and hosting providers that publish renewable energy commitments and operate energy-efficient data centres.

7. Reduce waste by operating as a predominantly paperless organisation and minimising unnecessary printing, packaging, and physical materials.

8. Consider the environmental impact of decisions alongside their clinical, financial, and operational merits.

9. Make an equivalent contribution to our annual scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions in carbon offsetting schemes

3. Carbon reduction — current position

The Company’s current carbon footprint is characterised by:

• Scope 1 (direct emissions): None. The Company does not operate Company vehicles, heating systems, or on-site combustion equipment.

• Scope 2 (electricity and commuting): Minimal. Energy consumed in home offices used for Company work. Not separately metered but estimated to be negligible in the context of domestic energy use. Company staff travel associated with our work is significant at over 10,000 miles per year.

• Scope 3 (indirect/supply chain): The most material categories are business travel (principally car and rail), cloud computing and hosting, and the embodied carbon in IT equipment. The Company will develop a proportionate methodology for estimating these emissions and will report on them in future reviews of this policy.

As the Company’s product portfolio (including Glide Health, Journey, and Catch) scales and cloud infrastructure usage grows, Scope 3 emissions associated with digital infrastructure will become the most significant category. The Company will monitor this and will factor environmental performance into hosting and infrastructure procurement decisions.

4. Sustainable procurement

When procuring goods and services, the Company will consider environmental factors alongside cost, quality, and fitness for purpose. In practice this means:

• Favouring suppliers who can demonstrate credible environmental policies and practices.

• Selecting cloud and hosting providers that commit to renewable energy targets and publish sustainability reporting.

• Extending the lifecycle of IT equipment through repair and refurbishment where practicable, and ensuring end-of-life disposal through WEEE-compliant recycling.

• Avoiding single-use materials in any Company-branded items or event materials.

5. Travel policy

The Company’s default position is that meetings should be conducted by video conference unless there is a clear benefit to in-person attendance. Where travel is necessary:

• Public transport is preferred over private car where practicable.

• Where car travel is necessary, journey-sharing is encouraged.

• The Company seeks to keep air travel to an absolute minimum.

Business travel emissions are included in our off-setting scheme.

6. Reporting and targets

Until the company reaches £2m ARR or over 20 employees, its annual CO2 emission assessment will be conducted using online tools, and an appropriate donation apportioned without a published report.

7. Governance and review

This policy is owned by the Board and reviewed at least annually. Environmental performance and any concerns raised are reported to the Board as part of the review cycle.

This policy has been approved by the Board of Care Cascades Ltd and is published with the authority of the Directors.

Signed: Tom Stocker

Position: Director, for and on behalf of Care Cascades Ltd Board

Date: 02/12/2024