ESG Impact Report UK&I 2023
OCS UK and Ireland is delighted to introduce our 2023 Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) report.
ESG
Impact Report
2023
UK & Ireland
Doing business in the right way
ESG Impact Report (UK&I) / 2023 / Page 2
Contents
Welcome
Why ESG matters
About us
Embracing a new chapter by Daniel Dickson, CEO, OCS UK&I
Environment: Elevating our approach
Net Zero: Our 16 year journey
The power of action
14
Rethinking water
16
Social: Heart of our success
19
Learning and development for all
20
Social mobility: Exploring opportunities together
23
Inclusion and wellbeing: We all matter
27
Mental health: How’s your head?
29
Giving back
32
Governance: Gaining more strength
33
Ramping up ESG management
35
Smart supply chains
37
Modern slavery: Finding the gaps
38
What’s next?
40
Insights on our goals for 2024
40
Why ESG matters
OCS UK and Ireland is delighted to
introduce our 2023 Environment,
Social and Governance (ESG) report.
ESG and Sustainability are becoming
second nature in every decision we
make across the organisation – the
why, how, when, where and who of
how our 50,000 colleagues operate.
This dedication flows directly into our
relationships with our partners and
communities, as we put the spotlight
on enriching lives and environments.
ESG is essential in creating long-
term value as it propels welcomed
changes across the environmental
spectrum, workplace, communities
and many other areas. They also help
drive financial performance and build
business resilience. This is all vital to
both stability and growth.
By providing ESG information through
internal and external reports, we can
show our progress; actions speak
louder than words. Sustainability
reporting is also aligned with our long-
standing culture of transparency and
accountability and it has been a core
part of understanding and reporting
our carbon emissions over the past
few years.
ESG Impact Report (UK&I) / 2023 / Page 3
Equally, we know we must continue
improving the quality and reporting
process of data to support our ESG
metrics, especially as a bigger business.
We are committed to doing our best on
this ongoing journey. The greater our
knowledge, the faster our progress and
the quicker we can identify areas that
need more attention.
ESG enables us to pursue growth and
excellence on a holistic and sustainable
basis. But most importantly, it benefits
all the people and places that we are
privileged to work with and support.
What is ESG reporting?
ESG reporting focuses on the disclosure
of information, data and metrics to
illustrate companies’ environmental,
social and commercial impact and value.
It is a broad and holistic mechanism,
which means activities in the E, S
and G are often interlinked and
complementary.
ESG reporting is also increasingly crucial
for companies’ financial reputation, as
stronger metrics are seen as effective
future proofing amidst countries’ net
zero targets. Both qualitative and
quantitative measures are relevant
in ESG reports; human-focused case
studies and data sets have similar merit.
Ultimately, ESG aims to make
companies greener, happier, safer,
fairer, transparent and prosperous.
ESG Impact Report (UK&I) / 2023 / Page 4
About us
OCS UK and Ireland is part of
OCS Group, a global business
with 120,000 colleagues.
We all have a single vision: to become
the best provider of facilities services for
colleagues, customers and communities
on the planet. We want to make people
and places the best they can be. We
have enough colleagues and engage with
enough communities to be the size of a
city. Therefore, we have a responsibility
and opportunity to positively impact the
lives of those we are connected to and
society as a whole.
We believe every person deserves the
best conditions and opportunities to
thrive. We aim to achieve our mission
by delivering exceptional facilities and
services that address both the smallest
details and the biggest challenges for our
colleagues, customers and communities.
Ensuring the best experiences,
productivity, practices, resilience and
outcomes for all is a tall order, but we
must sustain this high quality.
ESG Impact Report (UK&I) / 2023 / Page 5
One man, one mop
The company you see today was
sparked by the drive and vision of just
one individual who was working as a
part-time window cleaner, armed with
a mop, bucket and ladder in 1900.
That gentleman was our Founder,
Frederick William Goodliffe. Clearly
a man ahead of his time, Goodliffe’s
vision of a customer-focused business
set the stage for more than a century
of extraordinary growth and evolution
during one of the most transformational
and turbulent periods in human history.
With the lessons of his incredible legacy
sharp in our minds, we are striving
to become the best in the facilities
management business worldwide. If
Goodliffe could achieve all he did from
scratch as a single, albeit remarkable,
person, then imagine what the positive
might of 120,000 hearts and minds
across the OCS global family can
achieve today.
ESG Impact Report (UK&I) / 2023 / Page 6
OCS UK & Ireland
124
years of
experience and
service in facilities
management, after
being founded in
the UK in 1900.
50k+
people work in
OCS UK & Ireland.
THE GLOBAL PICTURE
120k+
colleagues in
total work at OCS,
operating across
30 nations.
regions that OCS
Group operates
in are the UK,
Europe, Asia
Pacific and Middle
Eastern regions.
8k+
customers across
the OCS business,
all of whom we
are dedicated
to continually
supporting.
core services are
offered across OCS’
global business:
Cleaning, Catering,
Hard Services, Pest
Control, Security
and Facilities
Management.
Introducing the OCS TRUE Values
Our OCS TRUE Values of Trust, Respect, Unity, and Empowerment guide how we show up daily –
whether consistently delivering the tiny details or solving big challenges.
It’s not just about doing business; it’s about building genuine relationships and making a meaningful
impact together. Every day, we’re committed to being a place where you can bring your whole self
to deliver our mission, making people and places the best they can be for our colleagues, customers
and the communities we serve.
Embracing a new chapter
As part of the OCS Group, our team in the UK and
Ireland is equally committed to that journey. We
are not shying away from this challenge. Instead,
we believe in an ‘evidenced action’ approach to
our ESG goals, as you will see detailed throughout
this report, our debut review of OCS UK and
Ireland’s sustainability activities in 2023.
Aiming high
Our ESG culture has undoubtedly evolved during
2023, amidst the backdrop of changes to our
business. We pivoted to put a brighter and more
ambitious spotlight on integrating ESG into our
culture – from shopfloors to boardrooms.
One of our key goals is to have net zero
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in all our UK
and Ireland businesses by 2040. This is a very
short timeframe by any standard worldwide, but
I know we can achieve it by working together. We
want these choices to have the greatest impact as
quickly as possible, for sixteen years on the clock
to 2040 will zoom by.
We also appointed our first ESG Director for the
UK and Ireland this year to help advance our
activities and we will undertake a materiality
assessment in 2024 to help inform our ESG
Strategy and which UN Sustainable Development
Goals (SDG) areas to focus on. Proactively
reshaping how we manage within our ethos of
sustainability as a larger business sets us on the
right track to truly make a difference – socially,
environmentally and commercially.
The power of our people
To continually embed E, S and G into every aspect
of our business – from the smallest actions to the
most influential operations – requires unrelenting
dedication. This is where the strength, creativity and
skills of our team of 50,000-plus people in the UK
and Ireland shine through.
Our passion for empowering and facilitating positive
social change only grows stronger. We deeply
believe in the power of social value and social
mobility: helping those across our business and our
communities. Not only is it the right thing to do,
but it makes us all proud to be part of a healthier,
happier and more prosperous future.
Every step we take must support our TRUE
Values – Trust, Respect, Unity and Empowerment.
These principles have guided us through this
transformative chapter and they form the bedrock of
our next exciting steps together.
It is the hearts and minds of our teams, customers
and communities that underpin our success. We can
only leverage great opportunities, like the merger,
because we worked together with a clear and
inclusive purpose.
There is an invisible yet deeply ingrained sense of
duty in every single one of us to keep supporting
those we work with, our communities we work within
and the customers we are delighted to serve. We will
keep delivering on that pledge, year after year. For
us, there is no finish line in our ESG journey.
We are at a unique point in the company’s 124-year history. OCS Group’s
merger with Atalian Servest’s operations in the UK, Ireland and Asia in 2023
has created one of the world’s largest international facilities service providers.
This heralds a pivotal step in our mission to be the best facilities service
provider on the planet – and ESG is a key pillar in that journey.
CEO, OCS UK & Ireland
Environment:
Elevating our approach
Our unwavering commitment to
achieve net zero GHG emissions across
our UK and Ireland businesses by 2040
means it is all hands-on deck across
our organisation.
The significant business growth
achieved with the merger inevitably
reshapes projections for OCS Group’s
environmental impact and thus, the UK
and Ireland’s role within that. But this also
means we are more determined than ever
to find solutions to minimise our impact.
Making sure we can address whatever
factors possible within OCS UK and
Ireland’s ecosystem and that of our
colleagues, customers, communities and
suppliers is a dynamic journey we are
eagerly undertaking.
Environmental pressure points are
escalating across the planet. The volume
and speed of consumption of natural
resources that we use in life and
business – such heating, travel, food
and electronics – all contribute to
today’s challenges.
Weather and climate disasters have
surged fivefold over the last 50 years.
More than 11,000 disasters have caused
the deaths of more than two million
people and £2.8 trillion in economic
losses1. Every single one of us must do
what we can to reduce our impact and
maximise both environmental and social
value – from individuals, to companies,
to countries.
ESG Impact Report (UK&I) / 2023 / Page 8
Building awareness
Many of the internal environmental
initiatives in OCS UK and Ireland focus
on enhancing our colleagues’ education
on why it matters and especially
why it matters so much now. We ran
Toolbox Talks on carbon, net zero, soil
management and recycling for colleagues
during 2023.
We have a responsibility to reduce our
own emissions, as well as our customers’
footprint, including the environmental
efficiency of their buildings. The
operation of all buildings worldwide
generally accounts for 30% of final energy
consumption globally and 26% of global
energy-related emissions2, so we are
dedicated to tackling this any way we
can. There is no silver bullet to greener
buildings. It will take the effort of millions
of companies worldwide to make real
change, but we believe every step in the
right direction is meaningful.
We want to do all we can to support
the environment, especially as we
aspire to become the world’s biggest
facilities management company. The
greater our influence, the greater our
positive environmental impact can be.
1. https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/05/1136897
2. International Energy Agency - https://www.iea.org/energy-system/buildings
Net Zero:
Our 16 year journey
Our pledge is made in line with science-
based targets to reduce emissions as per
the Paris Agreement, a landmark global
deal on how to tackle climate change.
Science-based targets give guidance for
new regulations, drive innovation and
act as a crucial goalpost for all
companies worldwide.
We have taken a momentous step over
the last year by committing to look at the
full Scope 3 emissions for OCS UK and
Ireland. Scope 3 includes all other indirect
emissions that occur in the upstream and
downstream activities of an organisation.
Measuring Scope 3 emissions is a
complex task; one the vast majority of
companies worldwide have not yet been
able to tackle. We believe this is vital to
enable us to be net zero by 2040 and
we have invested significant resources
to ensure scope 3 measurement was
achieved for 2023.
We have set 2023 as our baseline year
for net zero (see below). As we have
expanded from limited Scope 3 to full
Scope 3, our recorded emissions will
inevitably rise. This is to be expected in
the short-term as we build full visibility
of where we can, and will, reduce our
environmental impact.
Carbon footprint
OCS UK and Ireland have set ambitious
science-based targets and intend to
submit to the Science Based Targets
initiative (SBTi) for validation in 2024.
ESG Impact Report (UK&I) / 2023 / Page 9
Our targets cover:
• Scope 1: Direct emissions from the
buildings and assets we own or lease
• Scope 2: Indirect emissions from
purchased electricity, steam, heating
and cooling systems
• Scope 3: Indirect emissions throughout
our value chain, such as from our
suppliers and customers. We know
this is a complex journey and we
need to influence many different
partners. However, we believe that our
commitment should include all those
we work with to achieve net
zero authentically
ESG Impact Report (UK&I) / 2023 / Page 10
OCS engaged with third party auditors, Achilles,
under their Carbon Reduce Programme to help
verify Scope 1,2 and 3 emissions. Our reporting
methodology is based on the GHG protocol and
Corporate Value Chain Standard. We are pleased
to disclose the below information on our base
year emissions and will report progress against
these going forwards.
To achieve our net zero targets, we have
committed to these key milestones:
• Procure at least 80% renewable
electricity by 2025 and 100% by 2030.
Furthermore, we aim to source 100%
renewable electricity for our offices
by 2025
• 100% electric or hybrid vehicles in our
fleet by 2034
• 70% reduction in our Scope 1 emissions
by 2030 from a 2023 base year
• 56% reduction in Scope 3 emissions
intensity by 2030 from a 2023 base year
• Reduce Scope 1,2 and 3 emissions
across our value chain to reach net
zero by 2040
Total:
179,806.3
Tonnes CO2e
Scope 1: 12,421.5 Tonnes CO2e
Scope 3: 166,307.3 Tonnes CO2e
Scope 2 (location based):
1,077.5 Tonnes CO2e
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