Environmental policy

At Ave we are proud to be an environmentally responsible company. At our core is our ethical commitment to the work we create and the way we go about our work. Being respectful of sustainability and the environment is at the heart of our company and is instilled in our people and a central part to living our brand.

Ave is a multi-disciplinary design agency, supplying brand, print and digital design and consultancy services. We have a single business premises from which we operate, based in Islington, London. We recognise that our business operations have an effect on the local, regional and global environment and that we have a responsibility to the environment beyond legal and regulatory requirements.

We are committed to reducing our environmental impact and continually improving our environmental performance as an integral part of our business strategy and operating methods, with annual review points. We encourage suppliers to do the same.

The company’s design service undertakes to reduce its environmental impact by:

• Turning off unused computers and other electrical equipment at all times when not in use
• Utilising the ‘energy saver’ function of computers and other electrical equipment
• Reducing the usage of hardcopy (paper) proofs and using soft (electronic) proofs wherever possible
• Recycle ink cartridges or other materials wherever possible.

The supply of print involves the use of raw materials, therefore, environmental efforts in this area are concentrated on the usage and disposal of paper, printing plates and inks. The company policies in this area are:

• To issue suppliers with our Environmental notice, and to request details of their policy with regards to recycling paper, inks and litho plates
• To give preference to suppliers that hold ISO1400 accreditation or an environmental policy that adheres to these standards
• Stipulate that we will only print on sustainably sourced FSC or recycled papers, and offer the option to print with vegetable ink.

Future improvements to the environmental impact arising from the operations of the company are identified in an annual meeting attended by the employees of the company. At this meeting, employees are reminded of the environmental policies of the company and any suggestions that lead to a change in policy are actioned and amended in this policy document.

A key element of this policy is a commitment to sustainable procurement. All key suppliers are required to provide the environmental facts on their business operations, products and service impacts. We actively promote sustainable forest management. Along with purchasing sustainably sourced papers which are FSC or PEFC accredited, we also source Carbon Balanced paper where possible.