In anticipating alignment with the Taskforce on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures ('TCFD') recommendations, and with increasing engagement from our clients and colleagues, we are actively working on moving towards setting a net-zero target.
In 2018 we switched our buildings to run on renewable energy wherever possible.
Progress in 2020
With the Government’s Carbon Zero strategy in mind, in 2020 we have explored our carbon footprint beyond our greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and business travel. We looked at all possible sources of Scope 1,2 and 3 emissions to identify which were material to our business.
Exploring our scope 3 emissions
We looked at all 15 categories of value chain emissions identified by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Scope 3 Accounting and Reporting Standard. We paid close attention to what we could measure, particularly those which might have significant environmental impact for EQ. We identified business travel, employee commuting, and purchased goods and services as our material impacts, alongside our Scope 2 emissions from purchased electricity and heat.
Within purchased goods and services, we identified our three largest emissions sources as print and mail, IT hardware and data storage with third party providers.
Our next steps are to have our data externally verified before agreeing our targets and timelines in 2021.
Our Environmental Performance
Greenhouse Gas Emission (Tonnes of CO2)
 |
2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buildings | 5,013 | 4,813 | 5,011 |
| Air travel | 1,418 | 1478 | 683 |
| Vehicles | 271 | 372 | 362 |
| Rail travel | 116 | 158 | 143 |
| TOTAL | 6,818 | 6,821 | 6,199 |
Carbon Intensity
 |
2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tonnes of CO2 per £m revenue | 12.3 | 12.8 | 15.3 |
| Turnover £m | 556 | 531 | 406 |
| Tonnes of CO2 per employee | 1.29 | 1.31 | 1.37 |
| Employees | 5,274 | 5,719 | 4,511 |
Managing climate risk and opportunity
Moving towards reporting against the Taskforce for Climate-Related Financial Disclosure (TCFD) recommendations.
Clear control objectives are set out in our Environment policy, ensuring all business areas take account of environmental considerations and the physical impacts of climate change.
