Environmental Sustainability plays a key role in the social value we provide. But what does this mean and what are we doing to improve our environmental impact?
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At Career Connect we are learning how to embed new approaches to environmental sustainability into everything we do – from infrastructure and processes to everyday actions we can take during our workday.
Our progress so far…
Here’s a summary of the work we have done to reduce our carbon footprint so far and the achievements we have made:
- In 2015/16 we undertook our first Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) assessment. This four-yearly energy assessment scheme is mandatory for all UK organisations classified as large enterprises or part of large group enterprise. Our first assessment reviewed our energy usage, transport fleet cars/mileage, number of staff and company premises. We also held assessments in 2019/20 and 2022/23, seeing significant progress each time.
- Covid-19 saw us move to hybrid/paperless ways of working and virtual services. This led to a major reduction in carbon emissions through business travel (commuting) and a 50% reduction of our head office site. Due to the improvements we made in our digital working procedures, we have been able to maintain and develop this status, allowing us to work more flexibly, while also reducing our environmental impact.
- We have removed all fossil fuel companies from our investment portfolio.
- In 2021/22, a major transformation of our IT infrastructure reduced our IT energy usage by over 30%.
- We are conducting carbon literacy training for our Trustees, senior team and the newly expanded ‘Green Team’ In 2023/24.
Positive Planet
In September 2022, we began working with Positive Planet, who are helping us understand how to reduce our carbon emissions.
Positive Planet provides solutions for businesses and organisations looking to take responsible action to reduce their climate impact.
Through their support, we have conducted an annual carbon footprint audit, which Positive Planet has used to create our Carbon Reduction Plan. You can view our Reduction Plan dashboard on the Sustainability page of our website.
The Green Team
To ensure our staff understand the importance of reducing our carbon footprint, we appointed a “Green Team” of Career Connect staff supporting our goal of “net zero” by 2035. The team acts as environmental sustainability champions. They raise green issues at team meetings and update staff our sustainability progress. They also post a regular Green Team blog on our staff intranet, offering advice and tips on how to be more energy efficient, improve the environment, save money and live healthier lives.
Staff are also encouraged to share their own green ideas on a special staff sustainability page that we have set up on the IdeaNote platform.
Find out more about Career Connect’s commitment to sustainability HERE.
