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 |
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