Sustainability

Long-term Goals

• Develop science-based and long-term net zero carbon targets in line with the UK Government’s commitment to net zero by 2050.
• Halve carbon emissions by 2030.
• Be environmentally compliant with applicable laws and regulations.
• Minimise waste to landfill.
• Promote circular product principles.
• Work with clients & partners to drive product circularity and sustainable procurement.

Our FY24 Objectives

Objective: Reduce GHG emissions from operations by 8% in FY24.
Result: 25.14% reduction in emissions. 8.13% reduction in emissions per £million of turnover.

Objective: Zero waste to landfill.
Result: 100% of waste diverted from landfill.

Objective: Review all IE waste streams to optimise reuse and recycling and move waste up the waste hierarchy.
Result: We increased the percentage of our overall waste that was recycled rather than put through Waste to Energy Schemes by 73.9%.

Objective: Develop a tool to make informed sustainable procurement decisions.
Result: Ongoing

FY25 Objectives

• Reduce GHG emissions from operations by 8% in FY25.
• Develop a tool to make informed sustainable procurement decisions.
• Continue Zero waste to landfill.
• Reduce overall waste by 8% and increase the percentage of our waste that is recycled.

• Reduced GHG emissions by more than a quarter in FY24.
• Measured and reported on Scope 1, 2 & 3 GHG emissions to ISO
• 14064 compliance.
• Reduced emissions from operational waste by 20% and had zero waste to landfill.
• Increased the percentage of waste recycled by 14.1%.
• Grew reuse services by 16%.

Reducing Our Carbon Footprint

After defining and collecting carbon emission data for Scopes 1, 2 & 3 for the first time in FY23, we have now set our carbon reduction plan goal to halve our carbon emissions by 2030 from a baseline taken in FY23.

This new goal has helped us set annual targets to benchmark our progress towards net zero emissions by 2050 for Scope 1, 2 & 3 emissions.

Our first target in FY24 was to reduce our overall carbon footprint emissions by 8%. Our results showed a 25.14% reduction compared to our FY23 baseline figure.

Our next target for FY25 will now be a further 8% reduction in the FY24 emissions.

Helping Our Clients Make Sustainable Choices 

We are committed to helping our clients make more sustainable choices around their furniture assets.

We work with customers to identify and focus on the areas of furniture sustainability that are most relevant and important to them, allowing them to see the impact of their choices before they make them, setting goals and suggesting suitable furniture options to help achieve them.

One of our key focusses as a business has been growing our range of services that go beyond space design and the procurement of new furniture, providing services specifically aimed at keeping furniture within the circular economy.

While every client project we work on is different, we take a common approach to always present the best options available to maximise the reuse of their existing furniture assets first.

In FY24, we grew revenue from our reuse services by 16%.

Responsible Procurement Programme

We are also committed to working with our supply partners to drive product circularity and sustainable procurement. We have developed a Sustainable Procurement Policy and an IE Supplier code of conduct that all suppliers must adhere to, as well as an ongoing Supplier Sustainability Program to continuously review how our suppliers can improve their ESG performance.

Our programme of continuous assessment allows our clients to be confident that any supplier we purchase from on their behalf complies with all legal and ethical standards.

All our suppliers must sign up to our IE Supplier Code of Conduct. Since the beginning of 2023, all new suppliers have also completed our ESG risk assessment survey, which allows us to flag any higher-risk activities that need further investigation.

• Develop a workforce that is highly engaged with our ESG journey and our community / social investment plan.
• Create a culture of inclusion - that embraces diversity & enables equity.
• Ensure a safe and healthy workplace.
• Promote continual learning and development.

FY24 Objectives

Objective: Commitment to fund match up to £10,000 to charitable causes.
Result: Match-funded £8,744 to make a total charitable donation of £17,488.

Objective: Commitment to double our employee volunteering/charity hours.
Result: We increased our volunteering hours by 91% during FY24 from 55 to 105 hours.

Objective: Having zero health and safety non-conformance findings in our ISO and other external audits & no reportable incidents.
Result: External audit complete with no issues.

FY25 Objectives

• Commitment to fund match up to £10,000 to charitable causes.
• Commitment to increase our employee volunteering / charity hours by 8%.
• Having zero health and safety non-conformance findings in our ISO and other external audits & no reportable incidents.

• Raised £17,488 for Scleroderma & Raynaud’s UK.
• Increased our volunteering hours by 91% during FY24.
• Training and development plans completed for all employees.
• Employee survey carried out. 62% Employee Engagement Score.
• Future focus to fund match up to £10,000 to charitable causes in 2025 and increase charity volunteering hours by 8%.

At IE, we recognise that our success is deeply intertwined with the wellbeing and empowerment of the people we interact with - our employees, customers, partners, and the wider community. 

The social component of our ESG strategy is designed to ensure that we cultivate an inclusive and supportive workplace, contribute positively to the communities in which we operate, and create value for all stakeholders. 

Community Engagement & Social Impact

In FY24, we chose to focus our community engagement work with two causes that are close to the people at IE.

1. Fundraising for Scleroderma & Raynaud’s UK (SRUK)
In 2023, we lost our friend and colleague Danielle Turner, to complications caused by Scleroderma, a rare, chronic, autoimmune condition that causes the immune system to become overactive and attack healthy tissue within the body. We decided as a company that we wanted to remember her by supporting SRUK, a small charity that had provided support to Danielle while she was alive and is the only UK charity dedicated to improving the lives of people with Scleroderma & Raynaud’s phenomenon.

In November 2023, around 40 IE employees and friends took part in a sponsored 15-mile walk along the Thames Path, raising £8,744 for the charity. IE had decided that any monies raised up to £10,000 would be match-funded, bringing the total raised to £17,488.

2. Supporting Rainham Foodbank
Every year, the Rainham Foodbank helps hundreds of families in need put food on their tables. As demand for their services grows, we’ve been supporting the charity’s vital work in the community through our ongoing volunteering programme. For the past three years, IE has been helping to raise awareness of their cause, collecting food donations outside local supermarkets.

We also help out in their warehouse,  packing food parcels and special Christmas hampers, helping families who would otherwise struggle to feed themselves over the festive period. In 2023, we were also joined by some of our amazing clients from Lloyds Banking Group, who helped to pack food parcels.

As the charity continues to help families in need with ongoing counselling, training and reskilling programmes, we’ve also helped support the team in Rainham to deliver their services in other ways. This year, IE has donated office chairs, filing cabinets and other pieces of furniture to the centre, ensuring the team can serve and counsel their clients more efficiently and effectively.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. We strive to create an environment where every individual feels valued and can contribute to their fullest potential. By embracing different perspectives and fostering an inclusive culture, we aim to build a workplace where all voices are heard, and everyone has the opportunity to succeed and thrive. Together, we are continually evolving to promote belonging in all aspects of our work and the broader communities we serve.

As part of our DEI education programme, all employees go through online DEI training courses each year, and in FY24, we supplemented this with a half-day, in-person training session held by ACAS trainers on the subject of DEI and understanding what constitutes inappropriate behaviours in the workplace.

Employee Wellbeing & Development

We’re here to help our employees through life’s ups and downs, making sure they feel happy and healthy both at work and at home. 

Supporting our team has always been a priority, but with the rising cost of living, it’s more important than ever. The UK is facing its toughest financial period in recent times, with inflation, fuel, and energy prices putting a real strain on people. As an employer, 
we know we need to step up and do more to support our team during this tough time.

That’s why we’ve set up various programs to help, whether it’s with challenges at work or in their personal lives.

• Enhanced holiday package (26 days + bank holidays).
• Life insurance.
• Bonus scheme.
• Private medical scheme.
• Pension scheme.
• Tuition reimbursement for continuing education.

Employee Benefits Platform

• Lifestyle & wellbeing discounts platform.
• Employee cashback card.
• Financial wellbeing app.
• Salary sacrifice company car scheme for electric and hybrid cars.
• Cycle to Work scheme.

Employee Assistance Platform

• A free support service that can help our employees and other members of their households to deal with a wide range of problems and challenges in their lives, including family, health, money and work support.
• 24/7 helpline for emotional or practical support.
• Mental health support.
• Assistance in meeting challenges and resolving work/life issues.
• Solution-focused counselling, with up to seven sessions per topic.
• Telephone or online appointments with private GPs.
• Legal and financial guidance.