Aims and goals
Measuring our progress
Barclays is committed to becoming an environmentally sustainable bank which includes minimising our indirect and direct environmental impacts. To achieve this we have set goals and quantitative measures to monitor our progress.
Our annual Sustainability Review reports include detailed information on the measures we set and the results we aim to achieve.
Our environmental achievements
Environmental Management Systems
So far: Barclays maintains a Group-wide Environmental Management System (EMS), which achieved certification to ISO 14001 standards in 2002. This EMS provides a framework through which our environmental performance is controlled and monitored.
To date 89 per cent of our operations around the world have their own local Environmental Management Systems in place, also certified to ISO 14001 standards. These include Barclaycard and Barclays Capital in the UK, our operations in France, Spain and Portugal, and Absa (a South African-based bank in which Barclays has a majority share).
Our goal: We are working to implement ISO 14001-accredited EMS guidelines at 100 per cent of our operations globally.
Developing environmental products
So far: In 2007, Barclays launched Barclaycard Breathe, which donated £1m to carbon reduction projects and offered discounts to encourage customers to purchase low-carbon products. Barclaycard B:Green, was launched in Germany in 2008, which offered similar benefits to consumers. For our business customers, Barclaycard launched Sustain in 2007, which offsets customers’ air travel carbon emissions through the purchase of carbon credits.
Our goal: Barclays continues to develop a diverse range of products to support our personal and business customers in becoming more aware of environmental issues and ultimately reduce the impact they have on the environment.
Global carbon neutrality
So far: We began offsetting carbon emissions from our operations in the UK in 2006, and have since expanded our offsetting programme to include our European sites, achieving carbon neutrality across the continent in 2007.
Our goals: We are committed to achieving global carbon neutrality in 2009, by focusing on increasing energy efficiency and using carbon credits to offset our emissions.
Renewable energy internationally
So far: In 2008, we began sourcing 100 percent of energy to our UK operations from renewable sources.
Our goals: We seek to secure the long-term provision of renewable energy directly to Barclays and to incentivise the energy market to produce more renewable energy.
Working with suppliers
So far: In 2007, Barclays established a working group with nine of our major suppliers, to help them reduce their carbon emissions.
Our goals: Barclays will continue to work with companies in our supply chain to minimise their environmental impacts.
Educating employees
So far: Barclays produced The Rough Guide to Saving Energy and Reducing Your Carbon Footprint – an employee guide to taking positive action on climate change.
Our goal: Barclays continues to develop and launch campaigns to communicate to employees, customers and clients about how they can reduce their impact on the environmental impact.
New initiatives
Barclays latest commitments to environmental sustainability include:
- Developing low-carbon property design standards for use across new or refurbished Barclays premises
- Reviewing the process by which we assess the environmental impacts of our supply chain
- Introducing new global environmental targets.
