As a growing company with over 100 employees, Lansons takes its responsibilities towards the community and the environment seriously. As such we have a number of initiatives which aim to make a positive impact.

Lansons donates 1% of its profits to charity each year. On top of this Lansons has a dedicated team of people - the Charity Committee - which organises fund raising events throughout the year including a Christmas fair, barbecues and fun runs. Each year Lansons staff are invited to nominate and vote for a Charity of the Year. We aim to make our involvement as dynamic as possible, so as well as giving money we are involved in donations and sponsorship, fundraising events and advising our chosen charities on PR – giving them the benefit of our skills.

In 2009/10 Lansons is supporting four causes:

The Hospice of St Francis (http://www.stfrancis.org.uk/Home/8.id)
An independent charity that provides free, specialist and professional support and care for people with terminal illness but will receive only 22 per cent of their running costs (£3.5 million) from the NHS leaving a massive amount to be raised annually.

Getting on Board (http://www.gettingonboard.org/)
Aims at strengthening the governance of charities, schools and public bodies, by encouraging individuals with skills to volunteer as board members of these organisations. The charity works with employers, encouraging them to support their staff to volunteer as board members.

Focus12 (http://www.focus12.co.uk/)
Based in Bury St Edmunds, deals with all aspects of addiction on an abstinent based programme, where clients are required to abstain from all mood altering substances. The charity aims to treat people with respect and understanding in dealing with their problems and helping get their lives ‘back on track’. Focus is the only treatment facility in the UK that will treat people without funding if they have been unable to secure funding from their local authority.

Lansons Local Initiative, whereby we support a number of charities or causes in our local area of Clerkenwell. In 2009/2010 Lansons Local Initiative will support:

Kids (www.kids.org.uk), which works with Disabled Children, Young People and their Families, by providing material for a playground in Hackney;

Barts and the London Charity (http://bartscharity.hosting.m-w.co.uk/fundrasing/please_get_involved/runs__sporting_events/#10k_and_fun_runs), by joining in their 10k Race and Fun Runs on Sunday 14 June;

Kings Corner Project (http://www.kcpyouth.net/), a free advice and resource centre which provides activities and projects for young people aged 15 to 21 from Islington and the surrounding boroughs;

The Bridge School (http://www.thebridgelondon.co.uk/), a Special School in Islington.




HighTide

HighTide and Lansons continue to explore the mutual benefits of their unique partnership, and projects under consideration are a HighTide performance in Lansons offices, gala events for Lansons staff and clients around future HighTide productions, and a greater range of HighTide workshops for Lansons staff.

Background

Lansons Communications aims to minimise its impact on the environment, and in May 2007 we became carbon neutral. We offset through The Carbon Neutral Company projects around the world including Forestry and Technology.

For the assessment period 2008-2009, we off-set 215 tonnes of C02 through technology projects in China and India. We have implemented a number of processes in the past five years to try to actively reduce our Carbon Footprint and wherever possible we reduce before we off-set.

Lansons Carbon Neutral Certificate 2008-2009.pdf




Environmental measures in the office:

We have facilities to recycle all paper, plastic, glass and cans, used toner cartridges and mobile phones

We have a ‘bin-less office’; Encouraging employees to think more carefully about what they throw away and encourage re-cycling.

• Where possible we source goods from local suppliers
• PC’s and Monitors are re-cycled through Computer Aid International
• We only use Café Direct Fair-trade tea and coffee
• We are a member of the UN Global Compact
• We use mains fed water coolers.
• Our Health and Safety briefings include advice on “being green”, eg switching off computers and lights, which we encourage on an ongoing basis.
  
  Lansons Communications recycling totals* for the period 1/11/07 - 31/10/08 were:
  
  
• Paper - 24,435kg
• Glass - 4,790kg
• Cans and plastics - 276kg
• Toners - 114kg
  
• Trees saved - 312
• Co² saved - 37,676kg

* Recycling collected by Paper Round Ltd, London

Staff

Environmental measures include:

Ride2Work - Lansons Communications is keen to encourage more employees to cycle to work. The Lansons Communications Ride2Work scheme was also launched in 2007; this allows employees to purchase a bike to cycle to work on at a reduced rate. Lansons runs this scheme through Evans Cycles, and cyclists are also provided with secure bike parking, showers and changing facilities and clean towels.

When Lansons has a ‘clothes cupboard clear-out’ staff are encouraged to donate those clothes to Oxfam

Green Committee - Lansons has a Green Committee made up of 7 staff that volunteer to join the group. The committee is responsible for assessing Lansons impact on the environment and looking at ways of reducing our Carbon footprint.