Modern Slavery Policy Statement

This slavery and human trafficking statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. It constitutes our statement for the financial year ending 31 March 2024.

Introduction from the Director

A review of our slavery and human trafficking statement was undertaken during the course of the year. We remain committed to improving our practices to combat slavery and human trafficking.

We have a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery across all areas of our organisation, as well as in our supply chains. We are committed to ensuring that we are not connected to modern slavery in any way. We aim to ensure that our business operates in an open and transparent way and our approach to tackling modern slavery throughout our supply chains is consistent with our obligations under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Fgerod & Fgerod has a firm set of organisational values that encompass everything we do. We positively and continually promote these values in our activities and places of work.
 

• Professional - Respectful of each other and our client's needs, committed to business awareness while driving excellence.

• Collaborative - Working together in integrated teams, promoting inclusivity, supporting each other, and empowering success.

• Honest - Trusted partners for whom transparency and integrity come first, taking responsibility for our work, our people and our shared success.

Organisational structure and supply chains

Fgerod & Fgerod is a leading infrastructure, construction and built environment consultancies, dedicated to advising clients in respect of the management and utilisation of their physical assets.

As a professional services business our supply chain is relatively limited. Further information about our structure, services, industries and locations can be found at www.fgerod.com.

Our policies on slavery and human trafficking

We aim to work in partnership with all our contractors, suppliers and other business partners to ensure that they share and work towards our opposition to slavery and human trafficking.

To manage this, as part of our contracting processes, we include specific prohibitions on the use of forced, compulsory or trafficked labour, or anyone held in slavery or servitude, whether adults or children, and we expect our suppliers to hold their own suppliers to the same high standards. We evaluate all new suppliers with respect to modern slavery and human trafficking risk.

Our anti-slavery and human trafficking policy is available to all our staff via the company intranet and we inform our suppliers of our commitment to preventing modern slavery through their service contract.

Our supplier code of conduct further reinforces our requirements for ethical conduct through our supply chain.

Due diligence processes

People
As a professional services organisation we deliver our services through our high-quality staff and as such we have robust recruitment practices. Detailed checks are carried out as well as vetting process that include amongst others; evidence to support candidates’ ‘right to work’. This close involvement and oversight limits the risk of employing anyone who is forced or trafficked labour.

Where we have sub-consultants or contractors providing services on our behalf, we require them to comply with our terms which include reference to the procedures and practices outlined in the Fgerod & Fgerod modern slavery policy statement. 

The prevention, detection and reporting of modern slavery in any part of our organisation or supply chains is the responsibility of all those working for us or under our control. Employees are required to avoid any activity that might lead to, or suggest, a breach of this policy. Employees are encouraged to raise concerns about any issue or suspicion of modern slavery in any part of our organisation or supply chains at the earliest possible stage.

Whistleblowing arrangements

We encourage the reporting of any wrongdoing through internal and external whistleblowing procedures. These procedures also contain arrangements to ensure the protection of whistleblowers.

All employees have access to an independent whistleblowing service and through the supplier code of conduct this service has been made available to our supply chain.

Suppliers
We have arrangements to identify and manage potential risk areas in our supply chain and to work with them through requiring their compliance with the Modern Slavery Act and building long-standing relationships with them.

We are committed as an organisation to tackling modern slavery and human trafficking and want to work with suppliers who share our values. To ensure contractors and those in our supply chain comply with our values, we have in place a supply chain compliance programme which includes standard clauses in sub-contractor/sub-consultant contracts. 

Risk assessment

During the year we reviewed and updated our modern slavery risk assessment. This assessment concluded that modern slavery within our business is low risk. However, we continue to recognise the benefits in raising staff awareness of the issues to ensure any concerns within the regions in which we operate or on the projects on which we work are raised appropriately.

Measuring effectiveness

We carry out a review exercise annually to gauge the effectiveness of our arrangements.

This review exercise is informed by the updated risk assessment, any whistleblowing reports and the findings of compliance reviews undertaken during the year.

Training for staff

To ensure a high level of understanding of the risks of modern slavery and human trafficking in our organisation and our supply chains, we have implemented an e-learning package to relevant staff in related areas via our online HR platform. 

Continual improvements

We are committed to improving our practices to combat slavery and human trafficking and will provide updates in future statements. This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 for the financial year ending 31 March 2023 and was approved by the Fgerod & Fgerod board of directors at their meeting on 28 April 2023.

Signed

Emmanuel Odigie

Director

26 April 2024

Carbon Reduction Plan

Supplier Name: FGEROD & FGEROD LIMITED

Publication Date: 3^rd May 2024

Commitment to achieving Net Zero

Fgerod & Fgerod is committed to achieving net zero scope 1 and scope 2 emissions by 2030, and net zero

scope 3 emissions by 2050.

Our commitment to achieve net zero remains aligned to the UN-backed Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi) standards and follows guidance from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This work has enabled us to improve our performance reporting versus our last Carbon Reduction Plan.

We are committed to ongoing review and strengthening the pace and scale of our net zero ambitions as we continue to experience business growth year on year.

Baseline Emissions Footprint

Baseline emissions are a record of the greenhouse gases that have been produced in the past and were produced prior to the introduction of any strategies to reduce emissions. Baseline emissions are the reference point against which emissions reduction can be measured.

Current Emissions Reporting

Emissions reduction targets

We have no previous emission reduction commitments. In order to continue our progress to achieving net zero, we have adopted the following carbon reduction targets.

In 2021, our UK and European businesses became signatories of the World Green Building Council Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment, aligning ourselves with the WorldGBC and UKGBC targets for net zero.

For our business this means we are committed to the following targets:

• Only occupying assets that are net zero carbon in operation by 2030
• Achieving net zero embodied carbon in major refurbishments and new assets by 2030
• Compensating for residual operational and upfront embodied emissions that cannot be mitigated by 2030
• Advocating for all buildings to be whole-life net zero carbon in operation by 2050

Going forwards we will track our progress against these targets and this carbon reduction plan will be updated annually. We are increasing the accuracy of our baseline emissions reporting and setting annual carbon reduction targets. This includes trailing the introduction of an employee travel survey to increase the accuracy of Category 7 – Employee Commuting, as it is a significant proportion of our total emissions. Increasing accuracy of data collection will enable us to pinpoint specific hot spots and therefore areas to target our carbon reduction initiatives.

We project that carbon emissions will decrease over the next five years to 105 tCO2e by 2027 This is a reduction of 64% from 2020 and the projection is to reach net zero carbon by 2030.

Carbon Reduction Projects

Completed Carbon Reduction Initiatives

The following environmental management measures and projects have been completed or implemented

since the 2020 baseline.

• World Green Building Council Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment
• Our senior management team is fully committed to this initiative and is considering carbon emissions in every operational decision they take.
• All single use plastic items removed from Stationery contract
• To support our staff in understanding the climate crisis and interface with our industry, we have rolled out sustainability essentials training via e-learning for all staff.
• Adoption of net zero guidelines for all new office leases
• Move to agile working that has resulted in reduction of company business travel and commuting.
• Move to virtual meetings using Microsoft Teams for majority of our meetings except when impossible.
• The introduction of a salary sacrifice scheme to promote the use of electric cars

In the future we hope to implement further measures such as:

• Migrate properties we occupy to 100% renewable electricity
• Work with landlords to realise efficiencies in existing spaces to reduce energy consumption
• Flexible working and technical solutions to reduce business travel
• Continued education and training for all staff Improved accuracy of our carbon emissions calculations and detailed action plan to reduce the material aspects
• Compensation for residual emissions which cannot be mitigated through approved offsetting schemes
• Work with all landlords / building providers to ensure purchase of 100% renewable energy
• Further transition to zero emission vehicles by continually promoting electric-vehicle lease scheme
• All suppliers to have produced their own net zero target and plan (by 2030 latest) that align with Fgerod & Fgerod’s targets
• Active management and reduction of emissions from staff travel. Measures to include a review and tightening of the travel policy, which is already in progress, and working with our travel management company on highlighting the lowest emission options on our booking portal. This should result in switching domestic flights to rail, selecting lower emission flights, rail journeys and hotel stays. Through this new bookingtechnology we can introduce travel carbon budgeting and more effective reporting.
• Deliver further reductions in emissions resulting from commuting to work. Encouragement of staff to use low carbon transport methods such as walking, cycling and public transport as well as a scheme to promote use of low or zero emission cars, including provision of EV charging points.
• Declaration and Sign Off

This Carbon Reduction Plan has been completed in accordance with PPN 06/21 and associated guidance and reporting standard for Carbon Reduction Plans.

Emissions have been reported and recorded in accordance with the published reporting standard for Carbon Reduction Plans and the GHG Reporting Protocol corporate standard[1] and uses the appropriate Government emission conversion factors for greenhouse gas company reporting[2].

Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions have been reported in accordance with SECR requirements, and the required subset of Scope 3 emissions have been reported in accordance with the published reporting standard for Carbon Reduction Plans and the Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Standard[3].

This Carbon Reduction Plan has been reviewed and signed off by the board of directors (or equivalent management body).

Signed on behalf of Fgerod & Fgerod Limited:

Emmanuel Odigie

Director

Date: 3^rd May 2024.