Introducing Calisen Impact – our commitment to sustainability

Here at Calisen, our dedication to positive global impact drives everything we do. In 2020, we proudly launched the Calisen Impact sustainability programme, embodying our core vision of "Smarter energy for all." Through this initiative, we're committed to cultivating a more sustainable world by promoting smarter energy usage, reducing carbon emissions, championing diversity and inclusion, and supporting communities.

 

Our mission is clear: to pave the path towards smarter, sustainable energy solutions. Fuelled by an unwavering commitment to a greener and more inclusive future, we're relentlessly driving forward.

 

Behind the scenes, we've been diligently expanding our sustainability agenda, ensuring alignment across our entire organisation, and meticulously tracking our progress and successes. In this blog, we'll delve into the programme's four key ambitions, highlight some of the success stories from 2023, and outline some of our plans for 2024. You can read about these in more detail in our 2023 Sustainability Report.

 

Let’s take a look at how we’re creating a brighter, more sustainable tomorrow.

 

Calisen Impact Ambitions

 

We’ve divided the Calisen Impact sustainability programme into four key ambitions.

 

Helping the UK meet its climate targets – We’re supporting the rollout of smart meters, electric vehicle charging points and heat pumps across the UK. By tracking installations and assessing their impact on sustainability, we're actively contributing to the transformation of the UK's energy system.

 

Net zero operations by 2030 – Committed to playing our part in achieving the UK's net zero ambitions, we're striving to achieve net-zero emissions 2 for our operations by 2030. This entails a concerted effort to reduce our carbon footprint and embrace sustainable practices across our business.

 

Embracing differences and achieving success together - Our Diversity and Inclusion goals integral to Calisen Impact and aim to create a workplace that celebrates differences, fosters innovation, and ensures that every voice is heard and valued. We will achieve success together by embracing our differences and enabling everyone to thrive in our inclusive culture.

 

Supporting social development - Through our Economic and Social Development initiatives, Calisen Impact is dedicated to making a positive impact on the communities we serve, driving growth and enhancing the wellbeing of individuals and societies. We will support the economic and social development of our communities and promote sustainable living through training, education, information, resources and charitable support.

 

Highlights from 2023

We made significant strides on our journey towards sustainability last year. Here are some of the key highlights across the four ambitions.

 

We have made significant progress in our environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals over the past year. We have set a clear sustainability agenda, raised business-wide awareness, and advanced our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) agenda with a new people strategy and inclusive program, “Everyone’s Welcome.”

 

We attended COP 28, the United nations climate change Conference held in Dubai, where Sean Latus, our CEO, Sarah Blackburn, our CCO and Bert Pijls, our Chair, represented Calisen, bringing back key learnings that we can integrate into our strategy.

 

We have reduced our vehicle fleet’s environmental impact by increasing the number of electric vehicles in our fleet by adding 40 EV vans, which equates to 10% of our fleet. We also added 10 e-bikes and reduced our estate of offices down to eight locations from 10.

 

Our support for Manchester Youth Zone has made a significant impact on the community. This included providing 10,000 free hot meals, funding for families to go on a three-day adventure holiday, as well as support for mental health provision at Wigan Youth Zone. 
We also launched a match funding programme for employees and supported several charities close to their hearts. All of these efforts have been a significant achievement for Calisen and have made a positive difference in the communities we serve.

 

Looking ahead - Impact ambitions for 2024

 

We’ve set ourselves ambitious targets for the year ahead. Let’s take a look at some of the key activities that we’ll be focussing on.

 

Helping the UK reach its climate targets:  We will focus on continuing to support the rollout of smart meters across the UK, as well as increasing our installations of EV chargers and heat pumps. We’re also looking at how we can support the water metering sector.

 

Net zero by 2030 for our operations: Our key priority is to reduce our CO2 emissions, focussing on our vehicle fleet. Our goal for this year is to replace an further 10% of our fleet with EVs – taking us to 20% in total. We will also look to consolidate three office locations and move into a newly refurbished sustainable office location during 2024.

 

Embracing difference and achieving success together – This year we are guaranteeing fair compensation and equal opportunities for all employees by signing up to be a Real Living Wage Employer. Effective from January, all employees at Calisen will be paid the voluntary Real Living Wage rates as a minimum. This is a nationally recognised benchmark that is different from the Government’s Living Wage rate. It’s calculated annually by the Living Wage Foundation, based on evidence about living standards across the UK, so an employee’s wage accurately reflects what they and their families need in order to meet everyday essentials alongside unexpected expenses during the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

 

Supporting community development 

 

We have set a goal to broaden our community support by partnering with Keep Britain Tidy and Eco-Schools. We will also collaborate with Manchester and Wigan Youth Zones, as well as colleges, to design an employability program that focuses on supporting young people who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET).

 

Finally, we are thrilled to announce that in 2024, we will be launching our own charity – the Calisen Impact Charitable Trust. This exciting initiative will allow us to expand our impact by supporting charitable organisations in the UK that share our vision for a sustainable future.

 

Together, we're shaping a sustainable future for all. Read more about Calisen Impact and our sustainability initiatives and ambitions by downloading our 2023 Sustainability Report. Join us as we continue on this journey towards a brighter tomorrow.