Steps to support our commitment to a sustainable future

It’s an exciting time at Churchill Group as we embark on new sustainability initiatives. These developments focus on the ‘E’ and ‘S’ of our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) framework, as we further improve our energy management and efficiency, as well as our sustainable employment initiatives.

In April the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) validated our science-based greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions near-term reduction targets. We have been working hard to improve our energy efficiency to meet its standards.

In terms of social value, we have joined the Social Value Portal (SVP) and the Social Recruitment Advocacy Group (SRAG). These initiatives allow us to amplify our social value initiatives already underway, as part of the FM industry that spends approximately £3.5 million on social value delivery per project.

Social value and energy management are incredibly important to our business because they pave the way for a more sustainable future to benefit our people and the planet. Here’s a recap of recent developments.

EV fleet

As part of our SBTi targets, we are committed to transitioning approximately 1,000 fleet vehicles from an internal combustion engine to electric by 2032. Electric vehicles are a pivotal part of our GHG reduction work, and we are in the initial stages.

We have introduced additional, state-of-the-art, telematic devices into 80 vehicles across our fleets, which wirelessly share enhanced telecommunications and informatics directly from the vehicles. This way, we can monitor how our vehicles are currently used to analyse downtime, routes and stops, and assess energy use. This will allow us to carry out comprehensive feasibility assessments for future EV implementation and redevelop vehicle networks to maximise EV efficiency, including developing routes with the best-accessible charging port locations.

We are also FORS Bronze accredited on a significant portion of our fleet. The FORS (Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme) standard measures fleets on safety, efficiency, environmental protection and overall performance. It requires us to monitor vehicle fuel consumption, route optimisation, carbon emissions and other non-GHG emissions like nitrogen or particulate matter. This will help us strategise how best to convert to a larger, cleaner and more efficient EV fleet.

Site-wide energy management

Our EV work is part of our wider energy transformation programme, which includes energy reviews performed across all of our premises. We have conducted in-depth reviews of energy consumption patterns, including half-hourly energy consumption data reviews for sub-metered locations. For example, we have tracked our key energy performance indicators (EnPI) across all premises to analyse and compare our energy consumption patterns and efficiency.

By working closely with site teams over the last 4 years, the Churchill Energy Management Team have identified potential energy savings equating to £43,000 across office and depot buildings alone. When combined with the realised 0.2 kWh/mile fleet efficiency improvement these savings demonstrate the value of implementing an accredited Energy Management System such as ISO 50001.

We have maintained our ISO 50001 Energy Management System certification since 2015 and are visited each year by an external auditor to ensure we deliver continuous improvements, the base requirement of all ISO standards.

ISO 50001 is also our chosen route for compliance with the Energy Saving Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) regulations, the government energy assessment scheme for businesses which consume significant quantities of energy. The ESOS assessment is required every four years, and we calculate Churchill Group’s total energy consumption and identify areas of significant consumption by referencing the outputs from our ISO 50001 Energy Management System (EnMS).

Energy management dovetails nicely with our recently validated Science-Based Targets. Tackling Climate Change requires ambitious action from the FM sector and we are committed to halving our Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 2032. These Scope 1 and 2 emissions are overseen in effect by our ISO 50001 EnMS as it keeps our fleet consumption and site electrical consumption in check.

Social Value Portal and Social Recruitment Advocacy Group

We joined the Social Value Portal (SVP) to learn about, measure and manage our social value initiatives. SVP developed the National Themes, Outcomes and Measures (TOMs) Framework, endorsed by the Local Government Association. TOMs creates a practical method to measure social value and how organisations contribute to society, providing proxy financial values to social activities. Our collaboration lets us better shape, amplify and measure our social value initiatives and their success.

We have also joined the Social Recruitment Advocacy Group (SRAG), created by PeoplePlus, which recognises organisations like Churchill Group to support inclusivity in their recruitment methods. SRAG supports businesses to make a positive difference to society and awards accreditations based on their continuing commitments to inclusive hiring practices. We are also co-signatories on the Social Recruitment Covenant, PeoplePlus’ initiative to support employers to hire from disadvantaged groups. Our work together will help make the workforce a fairer place.

We already work on many projects to create employment opportunities for individuals from diverse backgrounds. For example, our partnership with West Lea has enabled us to recruit 16-24-year-old neurodiverse colleagues via a Supported Internship Programme.

Our partnership with the social enterprise Northern Rights helps disadvantaged people who have struggled to find sustainable employment. The partnership has a high success rate for recruitment and retainment, with 51 candidates recruited so far.

Conclusion

Working with SBTi goals, SVP and SRAG will allow us to enhance our sustainable and social value work to support the communities we operate in. These initiatives represent new paths that we are going down to achieve a sustainable future for our people and our planet.