Taking sustainability to the bank

After setting up shop in 60 countries, across all continents, this driven global bank set their sights on positioning themselves as market leaders in sustainability.

To appeal to a more environmentally progressive and socially aware audience, our client’s first task was to reduce its own environmental impact and to maintain a competitive edge in a commercially-driven market

Their ambitious targets included reducing overall waste by 75%, reducing energy use by 20% per employee and a 40% reduction in carbon emissions. To meet these goals, we created a global energy program spanning eight years, which included simplifying multiple reporting systems into one streamlined, transparent tracking system, which let us use data to make smart choices and provide easy access to energy reduction opportunities.

Now, five and a half years into the program, our client has avoided 520GWh in energy; enough to drive around the world 46,000 times in an average car, or to power their one million square ft HQ for ten years. There’s been a 54% reduction in total waste and 57% reduction in waste to landfill, helped in part by the removal of 40,000 desk-side bins. Not only that, they’re saving 77 megalitres of water per year by installing our smart solutions such as flow reducers in washroom taps.

In addition to the environmental impact and cost savings of reaching these goals, we were able to better improve the working environments in retail branches and offices by switching to more efficient LED lighting and upgrades to heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.

With two and a half years left in the program, we’ve delivered energy reductions to exceed the client’s long-term energy reduction target. By the six-year mark, we confidently predict that we’ll have delivered all contractual energy reduction targets – a full two years earlier than agreed.

Going forward, we have big ambitions to continue working together to tackle plastic reduction and redirect organic waste from landfill. This program is just the tip of the iceberg in the worthy goal of striving toward making the planet a greener place. 

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