Sustainability is no longer just something that businesses can touch upon in annual reports for PR points. It’s something that should be at the heart of every business – it’s time to act and make our green goals a reality.

We don’t just talk about sustainability, we put it at the heart of everything we do. We already offer our clients sustainable options and solutions; we’re already exploring – and embracing – innovative ideas in terms of energy efficiency; and we use low carbon technology whenever we can. But we know that’s just the start of the journey and that there’s more to do, and further to go. Our goal is to achieve net zero by 2045 – and whilst we’re proud of what we’re already doing, we know we can do more.

So why 2045? It’s over two decades away and you might argue that we should be more ambitious with our net zero goal and focus on realising it far more quickly. We understand that, but we want to be realistic about how long it can take to implement this sort of change. Of course, if we’re able to realise our goals sooner, we will, and we’ve set key milestones to work towards along the way.

Change, on the scale we’re talking about, takes time, and we believe that small, gradual change is more achievable – and likely to last – than trying to tackle everything at once. We want the changes we make to become embedded in what we do and become a natural part of the way we do things and that’s a gradual process.

We need to find solutions that meet the commercial needs of our clients as well as meeting our ESG goal; solutions that are achievable, affordable and practical. We know that it will take time to get everyone on board and to make things viable through training, developing new processes and exploring new ways of working. And, right now, we realise that there are a lot of external factors that are beyond our control, and which may mean things take longer than they might have done a few years ago, but this evolving landscape means that while we may need to be more agile and adaptable than expected, there are also more opportunities and alternative routes to explore.

The bottom line is that working together to develop solutions that work for our clients, team, and our goals, is something we’re committed to long-term. It’s not a quick fix, but a considered journey, because real and meaningful change doesn’t happen overnight, nor is it always easy.

That’s why we’re starting to take the next steps towards realising our net zero ambitions, some of the changes we make will be bigger and more immediate than others. Some will be small and gradual but will ultimately make a big difference. We know sometimes we’ll have to change our planned route; we know that sometimes our progress won’t be as fast as we’d like. But no matter how small it is, each step will take us closer to our long-term goal.

We will achieve these goals and objectives through our focus on “The Power of Small”.

To help take things forward and shape our plans, our Board Director, Pete Dennis, will now lead and take ownership of our ESG Strategy. “We know that as a Group we are at the beginning of the next phase of our ESG journey; a journey that is a core strategic and operational priority. It is a huge arena, touching on just about everything we do” says Pete. “But, every small step, every small positive change we achieve is so rewarding to be a part of”.

He recognises that his role will be challenging, and that measuring success won’t always be easy as there are so many ‘standards’ and frameworks which can be applied. But he believes that no matter which benchmark is applied, that when you put them all together, even small changes can make a big difference. “If we can do a lot of small things – things that are meaningful, impactful, beneficial in any way – then this is something to be proud of and something to add to the many other “little things” we can do and will continue to do” he says.

As we all know, once a solid foundation is in place, it can support amazing things. We’ve already made a start on our foundations, and now we begin to build on what we’ve done so far, to review and expand our plans and to work towards the next phase. We’re excited about what lies ahead and the journey we’ll take to get to where we want to be. It’s a big part of our strategy for the next few years, so we’ll be sharing our story as we progress towards our goal. We hope you’ll find it both interesting and inspiring.