The sustainability criteria outlined below are designed to guide SSI staff to help ensure we have good practices across our work, and to help to guide the SSI Fellows to embed sustainability in their work. The SSI sustainability policy will be reviewed biennially (last updated 06/01/2026).
Culture and Community
- Embed sustainability considerations into project planning and funding applications.
- Encourage the sharing of good and best practices both within the Institute and with the wider communities we work with.
Travel and Events
- Prioritise virtual or hybrid formats, where appropriate, to minimise environmental impact.
- Encourage the use of low-carbon transport (e.g. trains over flights), especially within mainland UK where low-carbon transport should be the default.
- Adopt a sustainable first approach to catering where vegetarian / vegan options are the default for internal meetings, and considered for external meetings.
- Embed environmental impact into aspects of event organisation, e.g. reusable lanyards, reduced or environmentally sustainable “giveaways”, promote digital rather than printed materials, where this is environmentally and operationally appropriate.
Recruitment and Onboarding
- When appropriate, job adverts and calls for collaborators or Fellowship applicants should include a statement reflecting the organisation’s commitment to environmental sustainability (e.g. “The SSI is committed to operating in an environmentally responsible and sustainable manner”).
- Sustainability principles should be highlighted during the staff onboarding process to help new starters understand the organisation’s values, policies, and expectations regarding responsible environmental and ethical practices.
- Hiring managers are encouraged to discuss the SSI's sustainability commitments during interviews and, where relevant to the role, explore candidates' awareness of or openness to incorporating sustainability considerations into their work (e.g., asking how they might approach a role-specific sustainability scenario such as choosing between in-person vs. remote event formats)..
- New employees are introduced to sustainability initiatives and resources, including training and opportunities to participate in ongoing programmes as part of onboarding.
- A short presentation on environmental sustainability will be included in the Fellows welcome material.
Training and Awareness Raising
- The staff onboarding process requires all new staff to complete introductory sustainability training (e.g. Green Software Foundation course, SparkHUB, Carbon Literacy training). SSI sustainability representatives will guide new staff on which course is most appropriate for their role.
- Existing SSI staff and SSI Fellows will be encouraged to complete introductory sustainability training.
- Sustainability will be on the agenda of SSI Quarterly Strategy and Operations meetings at least once per year.
Reflection and Continuous Improvement
- The SSI recognises that achieving sustainability is an ongoing process that may involve trade-offs and challenges. Staff and Fellows are encouraged to reflect on the environmental impact of their work and share any issues, barriers, or examples of good practice with the SSI sustainability representatives.
- Periodic reflection sessions or surveys will be held to gather feedback, identify opportunities for improvement, and share lessons learned across teams. Outcomes from these discussions will inform policy updates, operational decisions, and our Green DiSC certification process.
Decision Making
When SSI staff are unsure about decisions related to sustainability, they should first discuss the issue with the SSI sustainability representatives (Kirsty Pringle, Oscar Seip, and Ben Thomas). Fellows can direct their questions to Oscar Seip in the first instance. If further guidance is needed, the matter can be escalated to the SSI Directorate.
Version log
06/01/2025 - Final draft of V1, circulated to the directorate for acceptance.