6.10 Social and Environmental Responsibility Policy

Current Policy effective from	October 2025
Next review	October 2028
Policy owner	Program Quality Manager / SER Focal Point

1. Introduction

1.1 Preamble

Catalpa International strives to “Do good, better” and recognises that our responsibility extends beyond the immediate delivery of our projects to the broader social and environmental impacts of our work. As an organisation dedicated to using digital tools for social impact, we operate in diverse contexts across the Pacific and Asia, where communities and ecosystems face unique challenges and vulnerabilities.

1.2 Statement of Commitment

We are committed to minimising our environmental footprint, upholding human rights, and ensuring that our operations and partnerships contribute positively to the communities we serve. This policy sets out Catalpa’s responsibilities and those of our staff, partners, and suppliers, with the aim of embedding social and environmental responsibility into every aspect of our work. Our commitments include to:

• ‘Do no harm’ to people and communities we work with, and to minimise all environmental impacts

• Ensure that the goods and services we procure are sourced responsibly

• Minimising our footprint and supporting environmental stewardship in the communities where we operate. Specifically, we will:

• Places people and communities at the centre of our work.

1.3 Policy Review and Ratification

This policy will be reviewed every 3 years or more frequently as required by organisational needs and/or regulatory changes.

1.4 Policy Linkages

This policy should be read in conjunction with:

• Code of Conduct

• Complaints and Feedback Policies

• Modern Slavery

• Child Safeguarding

• Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment

2. Purpose and Scope

2.1 Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to establish clear principles and responsibilities for ensuring that Catalpa’s work is carried out in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. This policy outlines the standards and expectations for Catalpa’s leadership, personnel, and partners to ensure that our activities respect human rights, minimise environmental impacts, and contribute positively to the communities in which we work.

Successful implementation and continuous improvement of our social and environmental responsibility practices will ensure that we:

• Protect people and communities from harm

• Promote equity, inclusion, and human rights

• Minimise our environmental footprint and support climate resilience

• Safeguard the reputation of Catalpa, our donors, and our partners

2.2 Scope

This policy applies to all Catalpa employees, consultants, contractors, board members, and visitors to our workplaces in the countries where we operate.

3. Policy Principles

• Duty of Care – We have an ethical and legal responsibility to respect human rights, protect communities and the environment from foreseeable harm, and ensure our activities contribute positively to the places where we operate.

• Risk Awareness and Prevention – We actively identify, assess, and mitigate social and environmental risks associated with our projects, operations, and supply chains, with a focus on preventing harm before it occurs.

• Shared Responsibility – Everyone has a role in upholding social and environmental standards. Staff, partners, and suppliers are expected to act responsibly, follow established procedures, and raise concerns. Accountability is shared across the organisation, with leadership and line management responsible for enforcement.

• Equity and Inclusion – We recognise and respect the diversity of the communities we serve. We commit to promoting fairness, inclusivity, and cultural sensitivity in the design and delivery of our projects.

• Preparedness and Responsiveness – We are proactive in safeguarding vulnerable groups and the environment. We maintain mechanisms to respond effectively to community concerns, grievances, or incidents that may arise from our activities.

• Continuous Improvement – We regularly review and strengthen our social and environmental practices, learning from experience, engaging with stakeholders, and adapting to evolving global standards and local contexts.

5. Procedures and implementation Strategies

Catalpa’s approaches to implementing our policy commitment and the Policy Principles set out above are articulated below.

5.1 Environmental Responsibility

Our work often relates to utilising digital tools to create positive social change, but we recognise that all activities have environmental impacts. We are committed to minimising our footprint and supporting environmental stewardship in the communities where we operate. Specifically, we will:

• Prioritise energy-efficient and low-emission technologies in our digital infrastructure where feasible

• Minimise the lifecycle impacts of our IT hardware by:

• extending device use where safe and secure

• ensuring responsible recycling or disposal, and

• choosing suppliers with strong environmental practices.

• Promote responsible business travel by preferring virtual collaboration and limiting flights to those essential for project delivery and partnership engagement.

• Integrate climate-resilient and environmentally responsible approaches into our project design, recognising the particular vulnerabilities of Pacific and Asian contexts to climate change.

• Monitor and report on our environmental practices, and review opportunities for continual improvement.

5.2 Social Safeguards and Human Rights

Catalpa places people and communities at the centre of our work. Specifically, we will:

• Uphold internationally recognised human rights standards, including the rights of Indigenous peoples, women, children, and persons with disabilities.

• Maintain a safe, inclusive, and equitable workplace for all employees, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion, ability, or location.

• Provide fair employment practices, including adherence to applicable labour laws in Australia, Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea, and other jurisdictions in which we work.

• Promote staff wellbeing, health, and safety in all work environments, including remote and home-based settings.

• Integrate child protection and safeguarding of vulnerable adults measures into all projects, as per our Safeguarding Policies and procedures.

• Ensure that communities engaged through digital tools (e.g. microlearning apps, GIS platforms, SMS campaigns) are consulted appropriately, and that solutions are accessible, culturally sensitive, and protective of personal data and privacy.

• Communicate our existing complaints mechanisms so that individuals and communities can raise concerns safely and have them addressed in a timely manner.

5.3 Supply chains

We are committed to ensuring that the goods and services we procure are sourced responsibly. Specifically, we will:

• Apply due diligence to identify and mitigate risks of modern slavery, child labour, human rights abuses, or environmental harm in our supply chain, consistent with the Australian Modern Slavery Act 2018.

• Prefer suppliers who demonstrate strong environmental, labour, and human rights practices, including responsible sourcing of technology components and fair labour standards.

• Require all suppliers and contractors to adhere to our Code of Conduct and relevant donor policies, and to remediate any identified breaches.

6. Communicating the Policy

This Policy will be shared internally with Catalpa Personnel and made available to our partners and stakeholders through our publicly-available Handbook.

Any individual or community concerned that Catalpa is not honouring its commitments under this Policy, and/or who wish to report misconduct, can do so via Catalpa’s third party independent complaints platform via “Stopline” which offers different complaint modalities including anonymous complaints if desired: