Watts Group is a trusted adviser on sustainability, but our team knows being committed to carbon reduction is about more than helping clients. We have to “walk the walk” in our own business too.
It means bringing in sustainable practices and committing to challenging targets across the Group’s operations involving nearly 100 people in seven UK locations.
At the start of the journey, the leadership team set up a climate group led by Iain MacLaren, the Group’s Lead Director for Scotland.
An early step was to join the SME Climate Hub and align with its UN Climate Change High Level Champion’s Race to Zero campaign. We have signed the pledge to halve our emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2045.
“For us, these are long-stop dates rather than targets, so we are looking to meet our commitments before the deadline,” explains Iain.
The Climate Hub provides advice and training for like-minded small and medium businesses.
The Group is now recording its emissions using carbon calculator software, called Normative, and is reporting on them publicly. Internally, the Watts climate group reports directly to our leadership team.
“It’s a completely transparent process,” says Iain. “It means a client can check our carbon credentials, for example during a tender exercise, without relying on us to provide the information directly. There is no hiding place from what we have committed to as a business, and where we are on that journey, at any point in time.”
Watts Group is also a member of the UK Green Building Council, which provides access to training and networking opportunities to allow our team to upskill.
Our net zero commitment has already prompted some big changes.
Realising we no longer need a dedicated desk for everyone in today’s agile workplace, we’ve reduced the floorplate in our two largest offices, London and Manchester, and in London we’ve also relocated to a more energy-efficient building.
Signing the pledge has changed the Group’s mindset, as Iain explains: “Going through the process, you start to think in more detail about the things that create carbon in your business. Considering the environmental impact of our operations is now at the forefront of the decision-making process. It informs your plans.”
To drive forward on sustainability, our climate group is now officially “The Watts Climate Hub”. Inspired by the broader SME Climate Hub, its role is to keep the business aligned with our commitments and objectives.
The group comprises Iain, as Climate Ambassador, and a Carbon Accountant, Francesca James, our Finance and Systems Manager, to crunch the numbers, alongside a number of Climate Champions.
But there is still much to do.
“We are still learning,” admits Iain, who qualified from the first cohort of the Climate Solutions Management Course at Strathclyde University while working at Watts.
Alongside management initiatives, the Group wants to build a ground-up commitment to sustainability by encouraging individuals in the business to learn about and embrace the subject.
“We are raising awareness on best practices and ways of delivering,” says Iain.
That includes signposting people to relevant training as part of their CPD programmes.
“Anyone in the business can use the training tools and materials we can now access to upskill themselves,” says Iain. “This adds significantly to the opportunities available to them.”
Signing the SME Climate Hub pledge and our wider commitment to Environmental, Social and Governance certification both form part of the Group’s core business values.
From social responsibility to energy savings, carbon reduction and career opportunities, there are many ethical and commercial reasons for businesses and individuals to protect the environment.
One of those is building trust, as Iain sums up: “If we are advising clients on sustainability, we have to walk the walk as well as talk the talk. We’re in a position of influence. We have to be doing the right things ourselves.”
