ESG Report 2023 Digital Final - Flipbook - Page 2
INTRODUCTION
FOREWORD
In the pages of this report, alongside an overview of
our governance, you will find an update on how we
are performing across a number of key areas, namely
our environment, our communities and our people.
It is very clear to the Group Board and the Senior
Management Team at Choice that we must always act
responsibly. We serve thousands of tenants, deploying
the efforts of hundreds of colleagues to deliver
services essential to our communities. Our success
relies in no small part, on the fact we do so responsibly
and with integrity, every day.
We are committed to being transparent, showing you
in the pages of this report where we have made good
progress and where we have more to do. And we
believe that we are making some progress – reflected
in part by our environmental data which this year
shows an 16.7% reduction in our Scope 2 emissions.
That said, geopolitical events have meant that
delivering a year-on-year reduction in emissions has
not been possible and Choice has seen a 2.6% rise in
our Scope 1 emissions and a 21.6% rise in our Scope
3 emissions. This does not mean collective progress
has halted. Rather, it highlights that progress is likely
to accelerate at a point when energy systems are
ready for a significant switch to electricity. Gradual
improvement is possible, but lasting and truly impactful
change is something which will require input from
more than Choice. We remain committed to working
with others to deliver a permanent reduction in
emissions.
Many of our stakeholders are aligned to a goal of
delivering net zero. But some are nervous about what
this means for them and their communities, about how
this can be done both at speed and with value for
money, and about the lasting impact on biodiversity
and landscapes. Our sector is not alone in facing
this challenge, but with the extensive life cycle of our
new homes, we must be at the forefront of finding
solutions. In doing so, we will be working to lower our
tenants’ bills over the long term, to encourage more
green jobs and to support the steps required to tackle
climate change. We are working with regulators and
policymakers to progress the transition at pace and
deliver a net zero future.
And we are helping right now, too. For many of the
communities we serve, this past winter has been more
difficult than those before it. Global spikes in energy
prices have driven bills to unprecedented levels and
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Choice Environmental, Social and Governance Report
it is clear that this has had an impact on households
across Northern Ireland. Last year we announced a
£500,000 support fund to assist tenants facing the
cost of living crisis. We are delighted that we were able
to reach 6,099 households that needed our support.
Of those we helped, 1,972 were supported with
emergency energy supplies and 94 were supported
with essential household purchases. Our Financial
Inclusion Team realised £6.06m in financial support
for tenants through grants and additional claims for
Universal Credit. These additional funds will have
been spent in Northern Ireland and will have helped to
support our tenants and local businesses.
Our people are the lifeblood of our business. The
health, safety and well-being of employees and tenants
is our primary concern and a key priority for everyone
at Choice. After the death of a young child in England
from a respiratory disease linked to damp and mould in
their home, we established a working group to review
how we recognise and treat the issue in our tenants’
homes. That group expanded its remit to include other
issues that may be affecting the health and wellbeing of our tenants and is due to conclude its work
shortly. The outcome of this work will see us launch
a new campaign in the autumn for our employees
called ‘Every Visit Matters’. All of our staff who have a
reason to be in a tenant’s home will be able recognise
any signs of disrepair or of distress impacting on our
tenants and will have the capability and support to
report and address the underlying issues.
Choice has adopted the Sustainability Reporting Standard (SRS) which is divided into the
following twelve ESG themes:
01/ENVIRONMENTAL
Theme 6 – Climate Change
Theme 7 – Ecology
Theme 8 – Resource Management
02/SOCIAL
Theme 1 – Affordability and Security
Theme 2 – Building Safety
Theme 3 – Resident Voice
Theme 4 – Resident Support
It matters deeply to us as an organisation that
we reflect the communities we serve. Our Group
Board and Committee membership and our Senior
Management Team are diverse forums but we
recognise that there is always more to do. Our
commitment to equality of opportunity and removing
barriers to participation remains undiminished. We are
very proud of the work that Choice staff are engaged
in day and daily to promote shared housing and to
enable integrated, diverse and successful communities
across our neighbourhoods.
Theme 5 – Place Shaping
Thank you for the interest in the third edition of our
Annual ESG and we look forward to building upon our
recent achievements in the years ahead.
Theme 9 – Structure and Governance
These themes have
been aligned with
the UN Sustainable
Development Goals
(SDGs)’.
03/GOVERNANCE
Theme 10 – The Radius Board
Theme 11 – Staff Wellbeing
Theme 12 – Supply Chain
Joe Higgins
Group Chairperson
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Choice Environmental, Social and Governance Report