Corporate Social Responsibility

Underlying Philosophy

DSSR believes that a responsible approach to developing relationships between organisations and the communities they serve, global or local, is a vital part of delivering business success.

How we interact with the markets in which we operate determines our place within them. This statement of corporate responsibility represents the first step in defining DSSR’s view and will be developed over time.

The Management Group recognises the need to reflect these commitments as follows:
Community Support & Charitable Giving

We strive to be a good corporate citizen, recognising our responsibility to work with our people and the wider community to improve the quality of life of the less fortunate. DSSR has a history of supporting good causes and supporting fundraising activities.

Charity & Community Benefits

DSSR’s policy on Community Support and Charity covers the following areas:

• DSSR is proud to have a partnership with the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, in support of their NHS Forest project. DSSR has committed to an annual donation of 500 trees for the NHS Forest. The NHS Forest project, with its focus on wellbeing and biophilia, is perfectly in keeping with our human-centric design philosophy which considers an array of related factors such as thermal comfort, artificial and daylight levels, air quality, and ventilation performance.
• Supporting the Prince and Princess of Wales charity fundraising events including The Summer Ball and Sporting Lunch and sponsorship of participants in the London Marathon;
• Supporting fundraising events in the office including Stand Up to Cancer, Macmillan Cancer Support, The Royal Hospital for Sick Children and Comic Relief, The Children’s Hospice Association Scotland, Refuweegie refugee support, the Erskine Hospital (caring for ex-servicemen and women) and many more;
• DSSR support other charities through fundraising events including the Prince & Princess of Wales Burns Supper, Children’s Aid Question of Sport Dinner, Maggie’s Cancer Care Dinner, Alzheimer’s Scotland, and Cystic Fibrosis.
• Supporting our staff with individual charity activities including the London Marathon, the UK Breast Cancer ‘Walk the Walk’, and sponsored cycles for Diabetes UK.

Environment & Sustainability

We recognise that our business activities have direct and indirect impacts on the markets in which we operate. The built environment accounts for around 40% of the UK’s energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, whilst also having a significant impact on our natural habitats. DSSR is committed to working with our clients to commission, design, and maintain buildings as indivisible components of a larger, constantly regenerating, and self-sustaining system, in balance with the natural world.

We endeavour to manage our impact in a responsible manner, believing that sound and demonstrable performance in relation to corporate responsibility policies and practices is a fundamental part of business success.

We are developing our views about issues affecting the environment and sustainable development and are prepared to put time and resources into projects that seek to improve the industry’s application of this emerging science.

DSSR’s policy on Environment covers the following areas:

• Development and implementation of our internal environmental policy, covering such areas as energy use, recycling etc.
• Sustainable development providing advice to organisations on sustainability issues.

DSSR is dedicated to maintaining the ethos of reducing our carbon emission, both direct and non-direct, as a long-term business goal. In order to demonstrate the Company’s commitment towards the environment, DSSR took part in CIBSE 100 hours of carbon clean up and focussed on 3 main areas:

• Energy: through the completion of workstation checks to ensure items of equipment were ‘switched off’, regular meter readings were taken to monitor energy usage, investment in energy-efficient hand dryers etc;
• Waste: through the introduction of a formal recycling scheme to include paper, cardboard, plastics, cans, printer cartridges etc.
• Transport: by incentivising staff to travel to work using public transport, through publicising public transport routes and organising ‘leave your car at home’ days.

The Carbon Clean Up exercise is ongoing and regular meetings take place to review progress.

Wellbeing & Development of our People

We are guided by our aim to be the employer of choice in the market in which we operate, committed to fostering a culture of well-being and development throughout the practice. Our policies and procedures are regularly updated to embrace new initiatives within the workplace.

Health & Safety

We are committed to providing a working environment that is both safe and fit for the intended purpose and ensures that health and safety issues are a priority for all business operations. Health and safety representatives have been appointed in each of our offices and they are responsible for ensuring compliance and developing a healthy and safe working environment.

Ethics & Values

We are committed to ensuring that our business is conducted in all respects according to rigorous ethical, professional and legal standards. The Company’s Group HR Manager is responsible for managing the implementation of the Company’s ethical policies.

Responsibilities

Hugh Currie, Senior Director with the primary responsibility to lead and implement the Corporate Responsibility policy.

Fiona Eadie, the Group HR Manager, has been appointed to manage the implementation of the Company’s Corporate Social Responsibility policy in conjunction with a designated representative from each of the DSSR offices.

All members of the Company are invited to provide feedback on the nature and operation of the Corporate Responsibility Statement.