Sustainability

Sustainable Business

Sustainability is absolutely fundamental to de-risk the future.

It’s a key issue for nearly everyone who wants to join this Company, and it’s a key issue for our customers and our shareholders. So we need to think about sustainability at every stage of our work.

Social outreach is happening all the time to reduce the impact of our business and improve the positive. We’ve laid out our route to net zero by 2040 and set targets for inclusion and diversity. I’m proud that we now have senior women leading businesses and leading operational functions.

Sustainability is an integral part of our business

Sustainability is an integral part of our corporate strategy and how we do business and it underpins our corporate Purpose: to create a safe and secure world, together.

Our sustainability strategy will continue to evolve with the interests of our stakeholders, as well as those of the Company. This year we extended the materiality assessment to capture the views of some of our key stakeholder groups and ensure that our strategy evolves with their interests and needs, and aligns with our ESG priorities.

We have a number of programmes which support and make a valuable contribution to the UN SDGs and also support our ESG targets.

Environment

We are committed to reducing our impact on the environment. We take our responsibilities seriously and ensure we are playing our part in the transition to a more sustainable future for all.

Social

To deliver on our Purpose: creating a safe and secure world, together, we are committed to creating an agile, people-centred business where everyone is included, supported and empowered to unlock their potential. We want to have a positive impact on the communities in which we operate, to be a good neighbour and contribute to the local economy through social value initiatives.

Governance

We are committed to conducting business honestly, transparently and with integrity. It is the right and proper way to behave, ensuring we uphold high ethical standards across the Group. It also supports our long-term success.

Our Business

We recognise that ESG is increasingly important to all our stakeholders, not least our people and our customers.

12.4%

Estimated reduction in tCO2e emissions across the group from last year.*

c. 28,500

Employees

24.6 days

Average payment time across the group in the reporting period October 2021 to March 2022**

*Please see emissions table for detail, underlying assumptions and exclusions.

**Procurement methodology to calculate average payment days across the group has changed this year from an average to weighted average approach.  The average payment over the past six months to March is 24.6 days, versus 23.5 days last year. For reference, using last year’s methodology, the equivalent figures are 30.5 days over the past six months versus 29.6 days last year.

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022

Download our 2022 report.

Sustainable Business Overview

Our ESG strategy and approach to sustainability.

ESG Reporting

Discover our GRI and SASB reports.