» BUSINESS LEADERS often say that people are their greatest asset , but treating people – employees , customers , supply chain partners and the wider community – as individuals with value means living and breathing that concept in every aspect of the way a company operates and behaves . It ’ s an ethos that has been at the heart of UAP since the business could count its members of staff on the fingers of one hand .

Taking Care of the Team Our team works hard . From the boardroom to the warehouse and everywhere in between , everyone feels invested in doing a good job and helping to grow the business .

There has always been the opportunity to impress and progress at UAP . Several of our leadership team began their UAP career in a more junior role and personalised training plans and the ability to move across departments are an essential part of how we keep talent within the business . We motivate people to be their best self and reward achievement . In 2019 , we made the decision to become a cooperative , so everyone benefits financially from our collective success too .

But it ’ s not all about careers and remuneration . People are much more than the role they do at work so our people

strategy considers what they need beyond training and their pay packet . During the pandemic , the need to consider how we support out team was more urgent than ever . We not only did everything possible to keep them safe , such as creating bubbles for site staff , doing on site testing and providing PPE , we also provided online yoga sessions and opportunities for homeworking colleagues to interact in the virtual space . Now that homeworking teams are returning to site , we ’ re creating an on-site doggy daycare facility in one of our warehouses , which will be staffed by a trained dog sitter and enable our team to visit their dog during the day while ensuring their pet is cared for and entertained . Taking care of what matters to our employees is all part of supporting them .

Sustainability

Sustainability and environmental responsibility are a huge part of our CSR goals and an area where we have invested to drive best practice . We generate enough of our own renewable energy to make us virtually self-sufficient , we are working towards being 100 % virgin plastics free , using biodegradable or marine reclaim materials where plastic is needed , and we actively source recycled and recyclable materials , shredding old packaging material for re-use as infill packaging .

Increasingly , customers want to see tangible evidence of what their suppliers are doing to minimise environmental impact and operate ethically and sustainably . It ’ s something that ’ s always been important to UAP so we are ahead of the curve . Over the years we have planted more than

50,000 tress in Thailand to aid

CO 2 absorption and we are constantly looking for ways in which we can take positive actions that reduce waste . For example , we now use 3-D printing to make prototypes before full production , preventing material wastage during product development .

Community It ’ s always inspiring to see people raise money for charity and the concept of ‘ giving back ’ is something that lies right at the heart of UAP company culture . We have been instrumental in the construction of five community schools in Nepal and support charities at home and abroad including , Cash 4 Kids , The Red Cross , The Encephalitis Society and Macmillan Cancer Care , along with local junior sports teams . During the pandemic , we sourced PPE supplies from the far east , and have donated thousands of masks , gloves and aprons to local charities and community groups to help keep people safe .

CSR is much more than a warm fuzzy feeling : it has tangible commercial value because it supports recruitment , retention of talent , and staff motivation and wellbeing . It also ensures we have supply chain partners who prioritise us and customers who return to us , delivering a robust value chain in which we all share .

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