Our environmental, social and governance report

Our environmental, social and governance (ESG) reports measure how we are meeting our responsibilities towards our environment, people and as a business.

Our ESG report is part of our commitment to being a sustainable housing association.

Sustainability isn’t just about being ‘green’. It means doing things that have a positive impact on our environment and people, now and in the future, and being a well-run business.

We’ll publish an ESG report every year alongside our other annual reports, showing what we have done and how we are doing in our strategic objectives over the previous 12 months.

As a not-for-profit provider of affordable social housing, we aim for high standards for how our homes, services and other activities impact on our environment, people, communities and the wider world around us.

Following industry standards

Our ESG report is based on the Sustainability Reporting Standard, a set of guidelines for the social housing sector produced by the company Sustainability for Housing. This brings us in line with the standards of ESG reporting followed by more than 100 other housing associations and endorsed by the National Housing Federation. 

On a global level, we also measure our impact against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, which include reducing poverty, tackling climate change and supporting human rights.

What our ESG report measures:

• Environmental – This is about the impact we have on our environment, including tackling climate change and moving towards ‘net zero’ carbon emissions in our activities. These include building new homes, making our existing homes more efficient to heat, how we use energy and fuel, and biodiversity.
  
• Social – This is about bringing benefits to people, including our customers, colleagues and the communities in which we work. We aim to work with our partners and communities to create ‘social value’ and a positive impact on people and communities through our homes, services and jobs.
  
• Governance – This means being a well-run (or governed) organisation. This includes being financially responsible, open, inclusive, accountable to our customers and investors, and maintaining high professional and ethical standards.