Environmental, Social and Governance

Introduction

Homeprotect has been insuring people’s homes since 2002. From the start, we realised that our business impacts people, communities and the planet. So we committed to doing business in a responsible, ethical and sustainable way.Our goal is to work in a way that benefits society and the planet.

Environmental

We’ve taken several steps to reduce our environmental impact.

We moved to an office that recycles glass, paper, plastic and metal, and composts organic waste.
We replaced water bottles and coffee capsules with glass carafes, filtered tap water and coffee beans.
We introduced monthly environmental initiatives to raise awareness and educate our team about environmental issues.
We joined the Crisp Recycling Scheme and Biscuit Wrapper Recycling Scheme.
We use eco-performance paper at our main office, which produces only 6% waste and uses 30% less wood.
We buy stationery products that have a lower environmental impact.
To celebrate the investment our teams show in working for us, we want to invest in the world around us. Every time one of our new joiners celebrates their first year anniversary with us, we will plant a tree and help make a positive impact for the environment.

MEASURING OUR CARBON EMISSIONS

Our emissions were measured by Positive Planet in line with emission Scopes 1, 2 and 3. This is the universal standard for categorising the carbon emissions a business creates.

The measurements for the current year are shown in the table below.

HOW WE AIM TO REDUCE EMISSIONS

Reduction plan	KGCO2e
Activity	KGCO2e reduction (%)	Scope
At the end of our existing energy contract, we’ll switch to a renewable energy provider. We’ll monitor the energy performance of the building. And we’ll phase this to align with our needs, starting with at least 60% renewable energy.	20%	Scope 1
We’ll consider fugitive emissions (at the next available service) to reduce these emissions up to 95%. We’ll do this by replacing the current gas arrangement with a low-emission alternative such as R449A or R454A.	95%	Scope 1 (Fugitive)
We’ll put in place campaigns within the organisation to support our emissions reduction journey. This will include regular waste audits (including water) and circular procurement options. We’ll remove unnecessary office bins and promote zero-waste initiatives.	0.16%	Scope 3
We’ll promote and deliver training sessions for key employees and our Green Team. This Certified Carbon Literacy Training will support and encourage individual behavioural changes. We’ll provide the training at all levels across the company.	7.5%	Scope 1, 2, 3(Per employee carbon intensity)
We’ll develop a business travel and commuting plan that reduces our impact on the environment. This will include a preference for active travel, like cycling, and reduce our reliance on cars and planes. We’ll aim to reduce our impact on a yearly basis.	10%	Scope 3
We’ll conduct a sustainability audit of our supply chain and identify areas of improvement. Then we’ll share our findings with our top suppliers to review and inform their journey to net-zero carbon emissions.		Scope 3
We’ll add an environmental aspect to our Procurement Policy. This will help us reduce our reliance on high-carbon footprint suppliers. We’ll aim to reduce these emissions by 4% each year.	4%	Scope 3

Social

We’ve taken steps to improve the way we interact with our employees and the communities where we operate.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

We know how important it is to attract, recruit and retain a diverse workforce and create an inclusive culture where all employees can fulfil their potential. We’re working alongside our current employees and our recruitment partners to identify the important next steps to realise this ambition.

CHARITY

Our chosen local charity is SPEAR. They help homeless people reach their personal, social, educational and employment goals. SPEAR’s work includes:

Rough sleeper outreach

They enable people to leave the streets and take their first steps to lasting and genuine independence

Tenancy support and resettlement

They help people in temporary and more permanent accommodation by offering advice, resettlement and support to maintain their tenancies

Homeless Healthlink
They work with former and current rough sleepers to support their physical and mental health needs
Accommodation for men

They provide four multi-occupancy accommodation houses for men. Men are also supported through other mixed-gender housing solutions and through independent flats

Accommodation for women

They provide three multi-occupancy houses for women, including women who’ve experienced domestic violence. Women are also supported through other mixed-gender housing solutions and through independent flats

Accommodation for young people (aged 16-25)

They provide two, multi-occupancy, mixed-gender supported houses

WE’RE SUPPORTING SPEAR BY:

DONATING £30,000 OVER THREE YEARS FROM OUR POLICIES SOLD

Money from every policy sold is donated to SPEAR. In our first three years of partnership, this has helped fund the HUB in Twickenham – a valuable drop-in facility that gives rough sleepers somewhere stable and steady to go to get help, advice, and the supplies they need to move on with their lives.

RAISING ALMOST £10,000 THROUGH EMPLOYEE TEAM CONTRIBUTIONS IN THREE YEARS

These donations have come from various activities, like one of our manager’s famous buzz cuts during the 2020 lockdown. Other activities have included donning festive jumpers, baking cakes, holding sweepstakes and attending ‘shake-a-tin’ events. Some of our ultra-fit employees have completed half and full marathons. Homeprotect has run regular initiatives to match many of these donations.

DONATING £500 BY BUYING OUR PRINTER PAPER VIA EASYFUNDRAISING

EasyFundrasing partners with over 7,000 brands that donate part of what you spend to a cause of your choice. You can find out more about EasyFundraising on their website www.easyfundraising.org.uk

DONATING ALMOST 100 HOURS OF TIME TO COMMUNITY PROJECTS

Some of our employees have worked on garden rejuvenation projects across our local boroughs. Our marketing team has also worked on SPEAR’s digital campaigns to help drive donations. And we’ve helped SPEAR gain access to Google grants worth £30,000 a year.

DONATING OFFICE EQUIPMENT TO SPEAR’S DIGITAL INCLUSION PROJECT

The SPEAR digital inclusion project supports its clients with IT life skills. We’ve donated pedestals, laptops, mobile phones and winter necessities such as sleeping bags and hand warmers.

We’re very excited to announce that we’ve increased our Homeprotect annual donation from £10,000 to £13,000.

This means we can help support more of SPEAR’s projects. We continue to support the HUB, given the importance of this facility, as well as support SPEAR’s Homeless Health Link Service, a service that helps people experiencing homelessness improve their health and well-being.

We also support SPEAR’s Peer Mentoring Program. This program recruits and trains people with lived experience of homessness to become peer mentors.

Lastly, we’re pleased to share that we now have a Payroll Giving scheme for all Homeprotect employees, via . This scheme gives interested employees the opportunity to donate to charity through our monthly payroll to any national charity, local charity, or registered good cause.

EMPLOYEE WELLBEING

Employee wellbeing is really important to us and something that we have passionately championed for many years. Our approach focuses on ‘the four M’s’ – mind, move, munch and money. This involves introducing benefits, developing educational awareness programmes and creating initiatives that enable and encourage employees to improve their mental, physical health and financial health. Some of the initiatives that have been offered as part of our wellbeing programme include:

Mind

Mental health training sessions from external experts to provide advice and guidance on a range of mental-health related topics, from breaking down the stigma associated with mental health, to developing coping strategies
Supporting employees to train and qualify as Mental Health First Aiders
Providing a 24-hour free confidential Employee Assistance helpline to any member of the team wanting to speak to a qualified counsellor
Introducing a flexible approach to work including flexible hours and location to help employees maintain a healthy work/life balance
Providing home-working starter kits and money to spend on extra equipment employees may need

Move

Arranging one-mile walks around the local area to encourage employees to take a break from their desk at lunchtime
Running regular group challenges to virtually walk, run and cycle to different global destinations, with prizes for the first team to cross the line
Offering all employees free private healthcare to support a speedy return to health after injury or illness
Offering a variety of fitness classes in partnership with our local gym
Organising in-office massages for those who need help recovering from these classes!

Munch:

A team session from a qualified Nutritionist to help educate us all on how to eat a more healthy and balanced diet
Offering private 121s with a Nutritionist to answer and support with specific challenges
Providing a wealth of healthy eating advice and recipes via our online Wellbeing & Reward platform
Providing free fruit from local suppliers to encourage healthy snacks

Money

Increased employee salaries to help with the increased cost of living
Enabling employees to donate to Homeprotect’s local charity through monthly payroll
Offering a free 121 pension advice session upon joining the company and every year thereafter
Providing a range of discounts with local and countrywide retail outlets through our online Wellbeing & Reward platform
Offering free confidential financial advice via our EAP service for any employee with financial concerns

ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE