We have been on quite a journey over the last couple of years in taking our sustainability strategy Project Acorn to the next level. The appointment of Joanne Swift as Group Sustainability Manager in January 2023 marked a major milestone for P&M, and she continues to expand the size and remit of her team to help meet our ambitious goals.
Joanne’s appointment marked a significant investment and highlighted the passion we have for securing prosperity by meeting the needs of people and planet. Since then, she has worked tirelessly to develop and implement a robust sustainability strategy that embeds best practice throughout our operations and wider value chain, as detailed in our Sustainability Report 2024.
The work is multi-faceted, and whilst the Group is being supported every step of the way by our sustainability consultancy Wylde Connections we also saw the need to build our in-house team to provide further dedicated resources, particularly around data analysis. In March 2024 we appointed Harry Grogan as our Sustainability Analyst. Harry joined the team to help collect and analyse the data required to track and report on our sustainability credentials.
Harry has been hard at work collating key data to calculate the Group’s carbon footprint and continue meeting its obligations under Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) requirements. This includes liaising with colleagues across our divisions and coordinating with suppliers to gather scope 3 emissions data. At the same time, he is identifying new business opportunities and working on bespoke projects to support sustainability objectives.
“My work is really varied”, says Harry.
“As well as collating and analysing emissions data, I’m researching topics like decarbonising plant on our construction sites and the potential to secure Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) certificates. It is all about reducing negative impacts and supporting positive interventions.”
Continuous improvement
Priorities for the coming months include putting processes in place to improve data quantity and quality. The more accurate information we can capture, the better we can understand our impacts and track and report on our progress.
“The great thing about P & M is that they are passionate about getting this right” says Harry.
“The commitment comes from the top with Andy Moon, and I’ve been really impressed with how much Joanne has achieved over a relatively short space of time. I’m excited to be supporting that work and helping take it to the next level.”
He adds: “It is rewarding to see from the latest Sustainability Report what we’ve achieved so far, and I look forward to driving that forward in the months to come. It’s a great business to work for and sustainability is a topic you hear discussed a lot more now around the office. Everyone is invested in it and that’s really encouraging.”
Next steps
Harry’s arrival and the contributions he’s made last year has boosted the capabilities of our sustainability team and allowed Joanne to accelerate the company’s efforts to embed best practice.
She comments:
“It is fantastic to have Harry on board. He is a huge asset in gathering the data we need to inform our decision making and drive our carbon reduction plan. The Group has made a significant investment in our sustainability team and that is testament to a leadership team that is bought into the agenda. By putting ESG at the heart of our strategy P & M is not only managing its own impacts but inspiring others across our supply chain and wider sector.”
Read the sustainability page on our website to learn more about Project Acorn and access our latest sustainability report. Why not be part of our journey? Talk to our team today about how we can help your business support the triple bottom line.