Corporate Social Responsibility
Rail is still considered to be an environmentally-friendly and therefore a socially acceptable form of transport, especially in today's economic environment where many travellers are moving away from car and air transportation and on to the rails due to increasing fuel costs.
Rail track and vehicle assets have long lives and high recyclability at the end of life thus reducing raw material demand. Electric traction now offers the potential for regenerative braking that puts energy back into the track, and shifts combustion emmisions to large scale land plant where they are more readily controlled. That said, it is important that the industry does not rest on its laurels and continues to develop its “green” credentials.
Angel Trains considers itself to be a good “corporate citizen” and this fits with our strategic vision to be Britain’s leading rolling stock asset manager, and with our core value of integrity. We can, however, build further on our existing practices by improving the way we operate, developing our products and services and interacting more with the wider community.
As a major investor in the rail industry, we are committed to playing a key role in helping the industry reach its full corporate and social responsibility (CSR) potential. We participate in various industry working groups and have action plans to tackle many of the topics and issues that impact today’s society. These issues can be grouped in five key themes:
- Responsibility to the environment
- Sustainability
- Our impact on society
- Our ethics and ethical trading
- People policies
Responsibility to the Environment
Angel Trains has had an Environmental Management System in place for a number of years and is itself certified to ISO 14001. By maintaining ISO 14001 approval Angel Trains is making a clear statement that it is aware of its environmental responibilities under current legislation, and that it is committed to continuous environmental improvement. Angel Trains maintains an Environmental Policy, should you wish to view this please contact the Compliance Manager on +44 207 592 0500.
Sustainability
We are working on a number of projects to continue the operation of fleets beyond their current end of service lives and therefore avoid the cost and environmental impact of building new train fleets when the existing vehicles still have many years of useful service. In addition we have increased the fuel economy of our MTU engines and have been actively participating in a cross industry group looking at the use of bio fuels.
Our Impact on Society
We are requesting that our supply base consider their impact on society in their dealings with their sub suppliers. We have also taken a greater role in local communities by working on social projects that enhance the lives of local people, close to both our London and Derby offices.
Our Ethics and Ethical Trading
We continue to improve our ethical trading policies by encouraging our suppliers to also adopt an ethical trading culture. We have implemented ethical trading as a key decision-making criteria when awarding contracts to suppliers. In addition we have recently updated our policies regarding the giving and receiving of gifts and corporate hospitality to comply with the recent Bribery Act.
People Policies
We have a number of people policies that look after the welfare of our staff (including ensuring they work in a safe environment in and out of the office. In 2011, Angel Trains was accredited as a "First Class" company to work for in the Sunday Times Best Companies Survey.