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Safeguarding our environment

We care about our environmental impact

We’re carbon negative

This means that we’ve calculated our carbon emissions and offset 110% of our total emissions which has supported worthwhile projects.

Voted for by our colleagues the projects we’ve supported are: 

  • Amazon rainforest deforestation prevention
  • Wildlife sanctuary preservation
  • Improved cook stoves project

We will continue to maintain our carbon negative status, that we achieved during 2022, and work to identify and implement environmental improvement initiatives to further lower our carbon footprint. 

ENVIRONMENT

As a UK insurer our environmental footprint is small in comparison to many other businesses.

We continue to monitor our energy efficiency and waste management across all of our offices and look to ensure that any business travel only takes place when necessary.

During 2021, our energy consumption totalled 3,038,571 kWh (2020: 2,780,314 kWh), while our greenhouse gas emissions totalled 270 tCO2e (2020: 368 tCO2e). This usage has generated reported intensity ratios for the year of:

  • Annual KWh per No. of FTE Employees  2.18 (2020: 1.93)
  • Annual tCO2e per No. of FTE Employees  0.19 (2020: 0.26)

The increase in energy consumption in 2021 is mainly due to the additional gas usage required to heat our offices while they were at low capacity throughout the year when the majority of our staff were working from home in line with the Covid-19 guidelines. The improvement in emissions was due to the fact that 100% of our purchased electricity during 2021 was from renewable sources.

  • Definitions:

kWh: Kilowatt-hour 
We report our energy consumption using kWh, a standard measure of energy.

tCO2e: Tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent
We report our greenhouse gas emissions using tCO2e, a standard measure of greenhouse gas emissions.

Further details relating to the sources of our energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions are detailed in the following table

Source of Energy and Emissions Energy consumption (KWh) Greenhouse gas emissions (tCO2e)*
  2021 2020 2021 2020
Combustion of natural gas
 1,039,532 757,355 190 154 
Combustion of fuel in company vehicles
 110,170 81,943  27 20 
Combustion of other fuels** 159,102 149,370  47 40 
Scope 1 total 1,308,804 988,669 264 215 
Generation of purchased electricity 1,707.660 1,764,133 363 411 
Renewable electricity n/a n/a (363) (266)
Scope 2 total 1,707,660 1,764,133 - 146
Combustion of fuel in personal vehicles 22,106 27,512 5 7
Scope 3 total 22,106 27,512 5 7
Total 3,038,571 2,780,314 270 368
Intensity per No. of FTE Employees 2.18 1.93 0.19 0.26

Source of Energy and Emissions Energy consumption (KWh) Greenhouse gas emissions (tCO2e)*
  2021 2020 2021 2020
Combustion of natural gas
 1,039,532 757,355 190 154 
Combustion of fuel in company vehicles
 110,170 81,943  27 20 
Combustion of other fuels** 159,102 149,370  47 40 
Scope 1 total 1,308,804 988,669 264 215 
Generation of purchased electricity 1,707.660 1,764,133 363 411 
Renewable electricity n/a n/a (363) (266)
Scope 2 total 1,707,660 1,764,133 - 146
Combustion of fuel in personal vehicles 22,106 27,512 5 7
Scope 3 total 22,106 27,512 5 7
Total 3,038,571 2,780,314 270 368
Intensity per No. of FTE Employees 2.18 1.93 0.19 0.26

*We have followed the 2019 HM Government Environmental Reporting Guidelines and used the 2021 UK government conversion factors for Company Reporting within our methodologies.

**Other fuels relate to a diesel generator which was used in the period and types of Fluorinated gases (F gas) used by our facilities team to top up gases used in refrigeration and air conditioning systems.

In 2021 we achieved zero waste to landfill for the first time, with 40% of our waste recycled and 60% used for energy production

We have also now fully transitioned to green energy for all our electricity usage across our sites, meaning we only get our electricity from natural sources such as wind, water or sunlight.

Plans for 2022 include investigating voltage optimisation, incorporating more efficient lighting in our offices and identifying improvements to our recycling systems to ensure all recyclable materials are correctly disposed of into our recycling waste streams.

As we move forward into 2022 and develop a deeper understanding of what the ‘new normal’ working environment will look like for our business, we’ll be able to incorporate this into our environmental strategy and set appropriately ambitious targets to ensure that we continue to do all we can to safeguard our environment.

Documents

Safeguarding our environment information can be found in our Annual Report