In managing our direct impacts on the environment, we are focusing on three things: climate change, reducing the resources we use, and raising awareness in our people of how they can minimise their own impact – both at work and at home.
In practice
Climate change
During 2007/8, we produced an estimated 6.58 tonnes of CO2 per person. Having said that, we are in the early stages of collating global data, and we are still trying to increase the accuracy of the figures which go into calculating our carbon footprint.
We need to reduce these emissions and become more energy efficient, and we are working hard to make that happen. For example:
- in 2007 and 2008, we bought 100% of our electricity from renewable sources in our UK offices, and 40% in Stockholm
- 29% of our carbon emissions last year resulted from business travel. While much of this is necessary, some reductions are possible – for example, we are planning to improve the quality of our video conferencing facilities in our offices.
Reducing resource use and waste
Much of our waste is office consumables like paper, IT equipment and office furniture. During 2007/8, we produced 640kg of waste per person – 35% of which was recycled. Our aim is both to reduce the waste we produce and to increase the amount of waste we recycle. In many of our offices we have conducted or are looking to conduct waste minimisation and recycling programmes.
As part of our procurement policy, we also now require all our suppliers to provide their environmental credentials.
Increasing environmental awareness
We have developed a network of environmental representatives and champions in all of our offices. We also aim to raise awareness of environmental issues through a special intranet site, internal bulletins, posters, emails and events like our environmental awareness days.
For the second year running, we marked World Environment Day on 5 June with activities in 14 of our offices.
World Environment Day
World Environment Day (WED) takes place each year on 5 June. It is one of the main ways in which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action. To celebrate WED in 2008, we launched a week of activities in our offices around the world.
It was the second year running that we had celebrated WED. The aim of our events was to get our people thinking about all sorts of environmental issues, from energy efficiency to recycling and how to reduce waste.
Many of our offices took part, including Antwerp, Beijing, Brussels, Hong Kong, London, Madrid, New York, Paris, São Paulo, Tokyo and Warsaw. Our office in Stockholm used the day to launch its Environment Year. Our Singapore office launched its “Change One Thing” campaign, which encouraged people to recycle, and to switch off their computers and lights in the office.