ENVIRONMENT

Environmental Policy
The environmental policy for Northern Rock plc was reviewed for relevance and compliance with current best practice during 2004. The Board of Northern Rock plc authorised the following revised policy to be applicable to the Company in August 2004.

The policy will be subject to regular review and revision when applicable.

At Northern Rock, we will promote the sustainable development of the company and commit to ensure that environmental awareness and best practice form an integral part of our corporate thinking. We have adopted the following policy to reflect this:

To ensure compliance with environmental legislation as a minimum standard.
To incorporate environmental considerations into our business planning and decision making.
To ensure pollution prevention and control.
To reuse, recycle and wherever possible reduce waste.
To consider environmental issues in our purchasing and lending policies.
To monitor regularly and record our performance.
To invest in community environmental issues, ensuring that all such issues are to the benefit of the Community.
To monitor, control and record our energy use and to seek to minimise consumption and CO2 levels.

This policy is supported by an implementation policy, which sets out the key areas covered by this initiative and forms the foundation for a reporting structure.