Net Zero Week 2024 – One Organisation, 1620 Colleagues

Clare Fallon – Group Sustainability Manager, The Growth Company

At GC we are aiming to become Net Zero by 2035, ahead of the UK’s goal of 2050. We are serious about reaching this and reducing our impact on the environment. My role within GC is to help make this happen.

I work to help our organisation, and all the different business units and services that make up GC, understand the impact we have on the environment and what we can do to cut carbon emissions.

As a large and diverse organisation, each individual business areas’ activities impacts the Growth Company’s overall carbon footprint. Whilst we have already started work to reduce this we still have so much to do. Our Carbon Reduction Plan shows that under Scope 3 our carbon emissions are still high, and that is why this year we are looking to reduce our carbon footprint across three main areas – the way we work from home, the way we travel to work and engaging with our suppliers.

When looking at our carbon footprint, I include emissions we can directly influence, plus indirect emissions from our supply chain, partners, and sub-contractors too. Our partners and suppliers need to also make sustainable choices, this is why it's vital anyone wanting to work with us understands our values and commitments to the green agenda. If they’re not at the same stage as us, that's fine. We can collaborate, encourage them to adopt and advance their Net Zero goal and agenda, and help them on their journey.

Many of the contracts and bids we submit now have embedded environmental requirements – to measure, report and reduce our carbon footprint.