Draft Environmental Impact Statement
September 2007
Respect for the environment is now an accepted part of good business management.
All business activities have some impact on the environment and we are committed to work hard to minimise the harmful effects relating to HomeServe's operations whenever we can. This year, we began a company-wide programme to improve our environmental performance, to review our policies, to put in place management systems to monitor and measure our performance and to set targets for improvement.
Much has been achieved but there is more we can do. We have:
- assigned board responsibility for environmental management
- established our approach to environmental management
- agreed a new group-wide environmental policy
- identified our most important environmental impacts
- put in place systems to collect data to measure our performance
- developed initiatives to improve our performance
- involved our office staff in recycling initiatives
- set targets for improvement
Our Approach
Brian Whitty, Executive Chairman is the Board director responsible for HomeServe's environment policy. He is supported by Emma Thomas, Group Company Secretary who is responsible for leading on the implementation of the policy.
This year, we carried out our first UK-wide environment audit focusing on those aspects of our business activities that represent the largest associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As our businesses include emergency call-out plumbing repairs, we also captured information relating to our water consumption.
The audit was based on a questionnaire, which was sent to facilities and finance personnel at 22 of HomeServe locations from nine companies in the UK:
- Improveline
- Chem-Dry Ltd
- HomeServe Contents Services
- Claims Management
- Emergency Services (Glazing & Locks, Plumbing & Drains)
- HomeServe PLC and Membership
- Property Repairs
- Servowarm
- HomeServe Warranties
For the purposes of our environmental reporting this year, we have focused on our UK operations only. A target for 2008 is to extend the scope of our reporting to include our international operations.
The Executive Board has considered the findings from this audit and has decided to establish an Environmental Responsibility Working Group to further our focus on environmental management. The Working Group will include representatives of each of our operating businesses and Group functions. We are supported in these initial stages of establishing our environmental management systems by the use of a specialist environmental consultancy.
Our Environment Policy
Our Environment Policy sets out our approach to environmental management. Effective implementation of this policy represents an opportunity for us to improve our performance both by reducing environmental risks and impacts and in increasing the efficiency of our operations.
Environment Policy
HomeServe provides emergency call out and insured repair solutions for some of the biggest companies in the UK and direct to customers. We are growing internationally and our vision is to be Your Home Emergency Service Worldwide.
Customers and our employees are increasingly interested in all matters relating to the environment, particularly as concern grows over changes in our climate. One of our aims is to delight our customers by putting them at the heart of everything we do and this includes making sure that we meet their expectations for responsible environmental stewardship.
Our operations impact on the environment in many ways. These can be direct through the consumption of fuel by our vehicles and energy in our offices or indirect through the relationships we have with our customers and suppliers.
We bring the same commitment to act with passion, integrity and determination to environmental stewardship as we do to other aspects of our business and our aspiration is to be the best in the world at what we do.
This statement describes and defines our policy towards environmental stewardship.
We are committed to:
- Go beyond compliance with relevant environmental laws and regulations
- Improve our impact through programmes to measure and monitor our most significant environmental impacts setting stretching targets for improvement
- Reduce the fuel we use and invest in fuel efficiency
- Monitor and reduce the energy consumption of our buildings
- Minimise the volume of waste deposited to landfill where possible by reusing, recycling or other means of environmentally responsible disposal
- Conserve resources through the efficient operation of our buildings and processes
- Promote alternatives to travelling to work or on business by car
- Work with suppliers to improve our and their environmental performance
- Report on our progress annually.
Our overall objective is to ensure that environmental considerations are an integral part of business decision-making.
We will ensure that all our employees understand this policy and provide opportunities for them to contribute to improving our performance. We will provide information and training where necessary to the successful implementation of this policy.
We welcome comment from our employees, customers and others on how they think we are doing and ideas on how we might improve.
Our Environmental Impacts
Our operations impact on the environment in many ways. These can be direct through the consumption of fuel by our vehicles and energy in our offices or indirect through the relationships we have with our customers and suppliers.
Based on a review of the activities under our direct control, we identified the following areas as the most important environmental impacts for HomeServe:
- Transport
- Property, particularly energy and water usage
- Resources such as glass, plasterboard and garage doors we purchase to make emergency repairs
- Waste management at our depots
Climate Change
Climate Change has been described as having the potential to be the greatest and widest-ranging market failure ever seen. The weight of scientific evidence has been reflected in the UK Government setting stretching targets for the UK to improve its performance with regard to reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions.
HomeServe is responding to the challenge these targets represent. The main Greenhouse Gas for HomeServe is Carbon Dioxide (CO2) which was measured as part of our environmental audit. Our impact for 2006/07 was:
We are setting targets to reduce our carbon footprint for the future.
Transport
As an emergency call-out business, a key consideration for us is that we reach our clients quickly and efficiently. For example, we have invested in a sophisticated scheduling system for emergency call-outs that gets a repairer to the client in the shortest time and distance. This is both environmentally responsible but also what customers demand from us.
HomeServe operates a fleet of vehicles that together account for around 70% of our overall carbon footprint. Our fleet emissions come from 1,163 vehicles, split by 5 rigid Lorries, 932 light goods vehicles and 226 cars. This year, we have fully reviewed our approach to how we lease both vans and company cars.
Most significantly, we have changed the way we assess and select the vans we use. We now select vehicles based on a life-cycle cost analysis which considers fuel efficiency, maintenance and repair costs as well as lease costs. We believe this is the more environmentally responsible option and will lead to a reduction in the emissions profile of our fleet.
This approach has also led us to fully review fuel efficiency and the impact of driver technique as a key determinant factor. We have now developed performance league tables which allow us to celebrate best performers among our existing drivers and to provide corrective training for the worst offenders. We have also developed our driver assessment procedures within our recruitment criteria.
Our company car policy has also been reviewed. For vehicles offered by HomeServe, we now only offer diesel vehicles and have focused our range on the lowest emission bands. We will monitor take-up of this new policy.
Air and rail travel for HomeServe is minimal, however we have a growing international presence. We have invested in video conferencing facilities connecting our UK key buildings and also to avoid unnecessary travel to our operations in Florida. We continue to promote the availability of this service. We will be centralising the purchase of air and rail travel in 2008 and will start to report on our impact in this area.
Our employees also travel on business using their own vehicles and are reimbursed through our expenses system. We do not currently collate the mileage travelled by our staff claimed through expenses.
Property
HomeServe operates through a network of branches across the UK and has a call centre and head office complex in Walsall.
The audit responses represent data from 85 buildings occupied by 3,650 full time HomeServe employees. This represents around 85% of the buildings we occupy measured by number of full time employees.
| Type of Resource | Resource | Unit | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | Electricity | kWh | 6149671 |
| Gas | kWh | 2141477 | |
| Water | Water | m3 | 18145 |
Our data collection process has allowed us to establish the electricity and water usage per square metre for each of our buildings. This has revealed a broad range. We will be using this data to identify examples of good energy management practice as well as targeting businesses and buildings for further investigation.
Materials
HomeServe responds to the emergency repair needs of our customers. It is therefore unsurprising that the company buys major volumes of glass, plasterboard, garage doors and other materials. This is the most significant area of purchase for us.
Over purchase of materials represents a business loss to us and can result in additional waste. This year, we carried out a review of our use of glass and found that mis-measurement resulted in 6% wastage. A new branch specific reporting system has been introduced to highlight this to local managers.
HomeServe this year is working on a project to consolidate supplier deliveries to reduce number of trips.
Waste
Waste, whether it is used parts, office stationary or over use of packaging, represents cost to the business both in terms of the original purchase and costs of disposal.
Waste is an area where HomeServe has a number of initiatives. At our branches, we operate a two-skip policy to separate glass from other waste streams. The most significant waste streams for HomeServe at its depots are PVC, glass, broken tiles, plastic and timber. HomeServe operations do not generate hazardous waste. We are in the process of centralising our waste management procedures and will collect data in 2008. Site restrictions and Local Authority controls mean it is not always possible to implement this policy.