Taking responsibility
It's good to be good, but it’s better to be great. We are committed to embedding our sustainability agenda in every part of our business.
Our sustainability strategy
We have deliberately taken an integrated approach to developing and managing our community and environmental responsibilities; taking the advice and guidance of our own Sustainability and Climate Change experts.
Our strategy is based on four key areas:
Working with clients
To help our clients compete in the new low-carbon economy and resource-constrained world, we have invested in a team of 70 sustainability and climate change specialists. They have embarked on a programme of embedding their expertise and skills into all PwC’s existing services so that all risks, and opportunities, are fully understood.
This has enabled us to create the world’s first carbon reporting template, ‘Typico plc’ and advise policymakers on carbon markets and regulation; we had a leading role at the World Business Summit on Climate Change in May. We also support companies to understand their true carbon footprint and assess the ethical risk and resource constraints in their supply chain, as well as helping boards to engage employees in their sustainability agenda and enlightening investors and financial institutions in the true value in forestry and other sustainable projects.
As well as looking for solutions to halt the effects and further damage of climate change, there will be a big need to adapt to the temperature increases already set in motion. We will work with our clients to identify where that will affect them most.
Supply chain management
Our purchasing policy identifies managing environmental issues in our supply chain as one of the key aspects of our supplier management strategy. We held another sustainability forum in January 2009 for our leading suppliers, to learn from each other and commit to making further reductions in the environmental impact of our supply chain.
In 2006, we began to work with a key supplier, MITIE, on its Real Apprentice scheme. This has so far seen 17 young people trained in our London sites, and our other service partners have agreed to take part in the next programme later this year.
Last year we were delighted to win the TELCO (The East London Communities Organisation) Award and we remain committed to paying the Living Wage to all our service partner employees who provide services in our buildings. The Mayor of London Boris Johnson announced the new London Living Wage rate on 22 May 2009 and we will bring this into effect in London, as well as an equivalent rate in the regions, in the coming financial year.
Managing our operations
A positive impact has been seen from our internal sustainability and communication initiatives, as our people become more environmentally conscious and engaged. Our key new building at More London Riverside is currently under construction and will be an innovative workplace for more than 5,000 of our people in London. It will deliver the exemplary environmental standards expected of a modern workplace, with 60% lower carbon emissions than a typical compliant office building.
Travel management
- Our air travel CO2 emissions are down 20% on last year, partly through better information being available to our frequent travellers on their sustainable travel choices and personal CO2 footprint
- Usage of video conferencing facilities has increased 44% since the beginning of the year
- The average CO2 output of new vehicles coming into our car scheme is 140g/km, which compares to a UK average for new cars in 2008 (latest available data) of 158g/km.
The improvements we have made over the past year reflect a general reduction in travel caused by the economic downturn and also the desire of our people to act responsibly and embrace new technologies.
Energy management
- Lighting control and low energy lighting is now installed in over 40% of our buildings which, together with effective operational management of heating and air conditioning systems, has enabled us to further reduce our energy consumption by 16%
- Over 60% of our buildings now have remote metering, allowing us to manage energy use more effectively
- We are consuming 6% less energy per m2 compared to recognised industry benchmarks
- The installation of voltage stabilisation and replacement hot water systems coupled with solar energy technology have also contributed, and if trials are successful will be developed further next year.
The balance of power
Substantial climate change over the coming years is unavoidable and although there is a clear need to take action, progress to date has been slow and its impact limited. Over the past year, PwC has been looking at how Concentrating Solar Thermal Power (CSP) could play an important part in both delivering energy security and addressing global greenhouse gas emissions.
Waste
- Aluminium and cardboard recycling have increased by 80% and 51% respectively, thanks to a greater number of recycling facilities and better communication of recycling opportunities
- Nearly 20% of our buildings have moved to ‘zero waste to landfill’. Our target is 100% of our own buildings by 2012.
Resource management
- Paper consumption has reduced by 10% this year, mainly due to a reduction in desk-side printers, down by 190 units in the past year.
Carbon management
- We continue to purchase green electricity from renewable sources over and above the Renewable Obligation Certificate requirements. We support a number of projects such as wind farms and bio-mass which involve generating renewable energy, verified to the Voluntary Carbon Standard.
Environment management systems
- We have achieved ISO 14001 certification for all operational buildings within the UK.
Community
Through our community programme we contribute time, skills and resources across a number of areas while offering opportunities to our own people to learn and develop new skills. Our programme is based around the three key areas of education, employability and the environment.
Education
Our ambition is to raise academic achievement and provide support for teachers. Over 290 PwC people across the country have been involved in supporting our partner schools during working hours over the year, acting as role models and sharing experiences and learning with each other. Key initiatives have included mentoring school students and co-coaching teachers.
We also recognise the important role the creative arts can play in helping young people engage through formal and informal education. We currently have art and theatre programmes up and down the country, including Perform, Write, Create in Birmingham, the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester and London’s Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.
Employability
We help young people develop the skills that employers seek through running workshops and interview technique sessions. We also support business-dynamics, a programme delivered by the national education charity Enterprise Education Trust. It aims to prepare young people for the world of work through a series of interactive activities explaining business concepts such as marketing and finance. Over 215 people have volunteered as seminar leaders during the year, facilitating group discussions and role-play.
Environment in our communities
Our environmental programmes are focused on helping to improve our local communities, as well as educating young people about environmental issues. PwC has membership with a number of organisations offering environmental volunteering opportunities. Our volunteers are able to address local community needs while developing their own teambuilding and leadership skills.
Supporting our people
Alongside our formal community programme, we also support the charities with which our people volunteer outside working hours, recognising this commitment through two initiatives. Our Volunteering Awards Scheme supported 253 people during the year with sums of up to £5,000 for their charities, and through the Matched Giving Programme, £239,200 has been donated in support of the fundraising efforts of 1,119 members of staff.
School for Social Entrepreneurs
As part of our commitment to work more closely with social enterprises around the UK, PwC provides bursaries and mentoring to a number of up-and-coming entrepreneurs at the School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE).
Achievements this year
After being awarded the CommunityMark last year, we have continued to build on our relationships with all our community partners. We are pleased that the efforts of our people have been widely recognised beyond PwC.
- Sunday Times Top 20 Best Big Companies to Work For 2009 – we were ranked 4th in the Giving Something Back category and shortlisted for ‘engagement with schools and colleges’
- Scottish Business in the Community Awards for Excellence – winning Large Company of the Year and retaining our Big Tick Talent award for a second year
- Northern Ireland Responsible Company of the Year 2009 – shortlisted for the company that best demonstrates its commitment to responsible business practices, with positive impacts across the environment, community and workplace.
We celebrated being members of Business in the Community (BITC) for 25 years and are represented on many BITC Leadership Teams around the UK.
We believe we have a positive impact on the communities in which we operate but also recognise that we are dependent on these same communities. In keeping with our goal of doing the right thing we want to ensure that our impacts remain positive, especially in difficult economic times. One practical way we do that is to use the skills and expertise of our people in helping young people develop their skills and talents in a way that will improve their employment prospects. We also support the development of enterprise in communities where we operate so that they are able to flourish.
We were delighted that PwC was highlighted in The Cabinet Office’s Building Stronger Communities ‘Business and the Third Sector: Innovation in tough times’ report on helping communities during the recession which was launched in July 2009.
Bookmark with: