Our sustainability plan focuses on:
- The Climate and Nature
- Our Suppliers and Supply Chain
- Our People and their Wellbeing
Each area has been developed using the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and in line with our core business values: supporting and empowering our team members, developing strong relationships with suppliers, protecting data and privacy, ensuring worker health and safety, protecting the climate and nature, and product quality and safety.
Climate and Nature
Our mission is to reduce our carbon footprint and leave as little impact on the world as possible – ideally, we’d leave the world a better place than we found it. After a code red alert was released, it was obvious we needed to make immediate changes and consider our environmental impact in every decision.
Our main premises (office and warehouse) is powered by 100% renewable energy however, we still regularly monitor and discuss our energy and water usage to ensure there is no wastage.
Reducing our waste and ensuring all employees are recycling has become a focus – recycling bins are placed by each desk to make it a priority. We have drastically reduced the amount of plastic in the warehouse and in packaging and we hope to eradicate plastic completely. Plastic has been replaced by more sustainable packaging (such as paper bags, cardboard boxes, paper tape) and any plastic is recyclable or biodegradable.
Operating in the ecommerce space means all employees are comfortable using computers and the internet so only essential documents are printed. The number of paper invoices has dramatically decreased over the past few years and we hope to completely eradicate them soon – moving as much as possible online to reduce the need for paper and improve business efficiency.
Occasionally, products are returned to us that are no longer fit for sale but we make sure they are recycled in some way. Whether they are sold locally, donated, repaired, repurposed or, if it really is at the end of its life cycle, recycled appropriately.
Employees are encouraged to continue these practices at home as it becomes part of our ethos, and to continue reducing their carbon footprint by walking, cycling or car sharing to work. Where appropriate, trips to see suppliers or factories have been replaced by online video calls, reducing the number of flights taken.
Our suppliers and supply chain
It’s important to us to minimise the impact our brand Legacy has on the planet. We’re aware the earth does not have unlimited resources and ensuring responsible consumption and production of our products is vital.
We have developed direct relationships with our factories over the last ten years, allowing us to have complete control over the manufacturing process. Through these relationships, we can review their procedures and discuss their environmental and ethical impact. While growing as a business is important, protecting people and the planet must not be sacrificed in the process.
We require a high level of reliability, quality, production capacity and sustainability practices of our factories and suppliers. To ensure this, it is a requirement that our factories are regularly inspected and audited. This provides confidence for us and our customers, not only that the products we produce are of consistently high quality, but also that our factories conform to strict guidelines on working practices, health and safety, employee welfare, waste and recycling management and quality control.
We choose to invest in suppliers who are recognising their impact on the environment and actively making changes to improve packaging, reducing plastic usage, minimising waste, producing high-quality products built to last and using recycled materials.
Sustainability is at the forefront of our decision making, including when taking on new suppliers. Where possible, we support local suppliers, which not only helps to build a stronger economy and community but also reduces the use of fossil fuels and lowers emissions.
We believe ecommerce can work harmoniously with the planet.
Our people and their wellbeing
Supporting people is at the heart of the Legacy Watersports. We believe creating an inclusive and diverse environment brings out the best in people, which is why offering a level playing field and fair wages for our employees, regardless of gender or ethnicity, is indisputable. We’ll continue to do more to welcome people of all genders, cultures and backgrounds to all roles and levels.
Creating a happy, inclusive workplace culture has always been and will continue to be integral to the business as we know this brings new ideas, perspectives and positive challenge.
We encourage our employees to be creative, ambitious and innovative as it’s imperative they feel satisfied and challenged in their roles. We invest our time and energy into supporting our people, helping them to develop their skills and qualifications, designed to aid their professional progression and achieve personal goals. The mental and physical wellbeing of our employees is of paramount importance so discussions begin from the start of employment, and will continue throughout, to ensure we are offering the right support for all and empowering our people to succeed.