Minimising our emissions, while continuing to meet our business goals and fulfil our customers’ needs is a big challenge – but one we’re committed to tackling.

Greener air travel

In 2007, Barclays worked with corporate travel forum the Institute of Travel Management, to tackle our air travel carbon emissions. Joining forces with oil company BP and professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, the group developed Project Icarus – a programme to develop a set of voluntary corporate standards to raise understanding of environmental issues surrounding air travel emissions, and encourage best practice.

Barclays in the UK is committed to the following measures:

• Establishing a baseline for measuring travel-related carbon dioxide emissions
• Implementing a method by which emissions can be measured
• Demonstrating a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of at least 2.11 per cent per traveller per year, over two years – and identifying targets over the following two years
• Stating goals and strategies to reduce air travel emissions for the next five to ten years.

Virtual meetings
To reduce air travel, Barclays has increased the availability of video conferencing facilities, installing state-of-the-art systems in our four main UK sites, including our global head office in Canary Wharf, London. Barclays Capital has a well-established international video conferencing network, which supports 10,000 colleagues throughout the business. In 2007, Barclays colleagues around the world made 73,587 video-conference calls.

Barclays is also working to identify which of its international offices generate the most travel, and is looking at how to limit the number of business trips made to those sites, by providing alternative ways to ‘meet’.

Greener car travel

Barclays company car fleet in the UK includes hybrid cars, which run on rechargeable electricity as well as conventional fuel, generating lower carbon dioxide emissions than standard vehicles. The Group is reviewing its UK and European car fleets to find out where further emissions reductions can be achieved.

Commuter support
In the UK, Barclays supports the Bike2Work government programme, which promotes cycling as a low-carbon option for employees to travel to work. Employees can purchase bikes tax-free, making valuable savings. Colleagues at Barclays Wealth and Barclays Capital offices started taking part in the scheme in 2007, and in 2008, Bike2Work was introduced to other Barclays Business Units across the country.