From procurement and supply chain sustainability through to carbon and energy reduction, waste avoidance and circular design, our Impact Report details how we are delivering a series of practical actions that will make a measurable year-on-year difference to our sustainability performance.
We will:
We will achieve our goals by:
Our efforts to improve our environmental performance considers how we utilise natural resources and the effect of our operations on the environment, both directly and indirectly across our suppliers.
Our carbon footprint
To align with the UK Government’s commitment to net zero by 2050, we conducted a baseline carbon and energy audit to understand our scope 1 and 2 emissions (Direct emissions from our operations and indirect emissions from purchased energy) and provide an estimate for scope 3 (all other emissions associated with our business that we do not own or control). We have identified where we can make the most meaningful change to reduce our carbon footprint and have already made progress against many of these actions.
“Our baseline figure for scope 1 and 2 emissions in FY22 was 115t CO2e - similar to approximately 21 economy class passengers on return flights between London and Auckland.”
Our responsibility to our clients
We are committed to helping our clients make sustainable choices around their office furniture assets and procurement by promoting circular product principles and low-carbon products.
We are also continuing to grow our workplace services to support this mission.
Our responsibility to our supply chain
We are also committed to working with our supply partners to drive product circularity and sustainable procurement. We have developed a Sustainability 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 Governance Goals
We will:
Our Fy23 Objectives
We will achieve our goals by:
Governance structure
IE strives to maintain the highest ethical standards in our operations. We want to do not only what is right but what is best. The IE executive team and Board of Directors strive to continuously maintain our values as we cultivate and grow this culture throughout the organisation.
Governance at IE is based on the principle of bringing together empowered, distributed decision-making and empathic leadership. We believe curating this culture while simultaneously encouraging employees to find their voice drives a unique culture consistent with our core values of treating people with dignity and respect.
ESG governance
Our ESG commitment starts at the top with our statutory directors responsible for ESG matters. In 2022, we also hired a full-time Sustainability and Compliance Manager reporting to the COO to help progress the implementation of our ESG strategy.
Compliance
We are certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001. We have set up an internal audit function led by our Sustainability and Compliance Manager to ensure we continue to conform to the ISO requirements. We have also improved several of our company policies to ensure we are at the forefront of our compliance obligations.
“Using our core business values to guide us, we are shaping a future that continues to protect the environment, fosters transformational social impact, and sustains a culture where all people feel empowered.”
External ESG assessment
One of our objectives was to undertake an external assessment of our ESG program to give us a basis and measurement for improvement. We are in the process of self-assessing with several different certifications to inform our plan going forward and ensure we are constantly evolving and improving.
Below we have included our policies and accreditations for our different management systems that demonstrate our commitment to the responsible governance of our business.
From procurement and supply chain sustainability through to carbon and energy reduction, waste avoidance and circular design, our Impact Report details how we are delivering a series of practical actions that will make a measurable year-on-year difference to our sustainability performance.
SOCIAL
Our Social Goals
Our FY23 Objectives
We will achieve our goals by:
workshops to educate our employees on Advancing ESG@IE to promote its importance and encourage input
At IE, we are committed to supporting our people, clients, stakeholders and the wider community to thrive.
Community engagement
To continue our support for our local communities we have formalised our community engagement program. In 2022 we were involved in multiple fundraising events for cancer charities and have chosen to volunteer with The Trussell Trust, a charity supporting over 1,200 food banks across the UK.
Employee welfare
We have put several systems in place to support our employees to be happy and healthy at work and home. These include an Employee Assistance Programme, Retail Discount Schemes and Employee Forum to give our people a voice within the business.
Training and development
We are committed to delivering continual learning and development opportunities for our employees so they can grow and feel fulfilled at work. We also rolled out a 4-part ESG training programme to educate the team on the concepts of ESG and why the initiative is vital to the business.
Health and safety
Adhering to Health and Safety legislation is an integral part of our business, and in FY23, we are targeting zero Health and Safety non-compliances through our ISO audit.
Diversity and inclusion
We have gathered data regarding diversity & inclusion at IE and will use this data to drive our ambition to ensure the company is representative of our community. We have also delivered diversity & inclusion training to staff.