Responsible consumption and engagement
To help ensure we achieve the objectives outlined under responsible consumption and engagement, we will work with partners and employees to engage and identify environmentally responsible solutions within our operational boundaries and value chain.
To help protect the worlds' natural resources, biodiversity and the communities that depend on them, we have chosen to partner with Cool Earth. Cool Earth is the non-profit organisation that works alongside rainforest communities to halt deforestation and its impact on climate change.
In 2018 the group continued the expansion of office renewable energy procurement. At the beginning of 2020, 15 offices in Frankfurt, Geneva, London, Lyon, Manchester, Marseille, Paris, Sydney and Zurich - accounting for approximately 72% of the group headcount - had verified contracts purchasing 100% renewable electricity.
Further to the renewable electricity purchases, the group's main Zurich office began sourcing 100% biogas (in 2017), a more sustainable alternative to natural gas. This was our first office to be entirely powered by 100% sustainable and renewable energy.
As of October 2018, the New Court office in London began purchasing biogas, complementing the renewable electricity contract it started in 2016 and becoming our second office to be entirely powered by 100% sustainable and renewable energy.
Our New York office implemented energy efficiency improvements and responsible materials use throughout 2019. The measures taken have helped minimise the office's negative environmental impact. In September 2019, the office installed washing facilities and switched all its disposable crockery and cutlery to reusable items.
In November 2019, the office underwent a refurbishment and changed the existing lighting system to low energy LED lighting and controls, the refit is expected to yield a c.50% electricity saving from lighting.
We believe that traditional approaches to materials' use can place undue pressure on global resources and that they are wasteful and uneconomically viable in an increasingly challenging business environment.
We measure and monitor the environmental footprint of our most material operational aspects and report this information annually.
For more information about our operational impact, please refer to the Corporate Responsibility report 2019.
| 2019 (35 offices) |
2018 (35 offices) |
2017 (15 offices) |
|
| Water use in m3 | 51,836.30 | 59,995.0 | 43,657.4 |
| m3/FTE | 16.13 | 16.75 | 15.17 |
| 2019 (35 offices) |
2018 (35 offices) |
2017 (15 offices) |
|
| Recycled content/sustainable sources | 135.63 | 50.88 | n/a |
| Non-recycled content/non-sustainable sources | 80.37 | 201.64 | n/a |
| Total materials consumption | 216.00 | 252.53 | 210.70 |
| Tonnes/FTE | 0.06 | 0.07 | 0.07 |
| 2019 (35 offices) |
2018 (35 offices) |
2017 (15 offices) |
|
| Energy use in MWh | 23,490.4 | 21,560.2 | 18,082.1 |
| Tonnes/FTE | 7.31 | 6.34 | 6.28 |
* Against a 2018 baseline.
