Everyone agrees that development in the South West should be planned and created in a sustainable way. The question is how do we actually achieve this?

This Charter offers you steps that you can take - one at a time. At whatever level your organisation makes a pledge you will receive an official certificate and your organisations details will be loaded onto this website for the public to see...

Making a Pledge to this Charter involves taking the time to familiarise yourself with the ideas of sustainability and the principles and technical sections of this charter; looking at your current practices; and committing yourself and your organisation to do something about implementing sustainability. At this stage, the Pledges work on the basis of trust. Organisations are not inspected and no assessments take place. The public, your clients and peers will judge your commitment by your actions. In time, it may be appropriate to assess projects for accreditation and/or awards for outstanding contributions.

There are three levels of commitment to the Charter - Level 1, Level 2 and Ambassador Level (see online pledge for more details). Pledging your organisation to a level is both a statement of where you are and a commitment to improve.

Saving money and improving competitiveness: sustainable practices are usually the most economic, either short term as in the case of re-using materials, or longer term as in reducing the energy costs of operating a building.

Staying ahead of legislation: the government and the EU are committed to sustainable development and are steadily introducing regulations which have these ideas at their root. There is plenty of legislation on the horizon which will require higher standards of environmental performance - by making a pledge you can show that your organisation is anticipating these changes and gaining a competitive advantage.

Improving your image with the public and gaining good will from other companies and organisations: consumer choice increasingly favours sustainable options and as a leading player, you will find some of the best partners will be of like mind and seek to work with you. You will also be sending a clear signal to your clients, stakeholders, local taxpayers, peer professionals and the general public that you care about the environment and you are aiming to help to improve quality of life in the South West.