Background

Natural gas has become a fuel of choice with a key driver being the environmental and energy efficiency benefits associated in making the switch to natural gas.

Since 1996, customers switching to natural gas has resulted in 12m tonnes of CO2 being removed from the atmosphere. Each year, householders using natural gas continue to save on CO2 emissions, equating to the removal of 675,000 cars from the road each year.

What Phoenix Natural Gas did

Environmental responsibility at Phoenix Natural Gas goes far beyond the environmental credentials inherent in its product: it’s also ingrained through its corporate strategy and is realised through its business operations, its people and in its community engagement activities, which it demonstrates through the following:

Responsibility in its work – identifying new ways to minimise the impact of its operations on the environment, working collaboratively with construction partners. This has seen a continued focus on reducing waste generation from site works along with continuing to recycle and reuse as many raw materials as possible.

Responsibility in its people – empowering and educating colleagues on the sustainable changes they can make to be environmentally responsible citizens. From focussed internal events driving awareness of the impact of water and paper waste, through to having electronic car charging points and increased cycle facilities onsite, Phoenix Natural Gas encourages colleagues to be part of the company’s environmental achievements.

Responsibility in the community – working with community organisations, schools and local charities to make positive social impacts, from supporting tree-planting initiatives, to beach cleans along the coast and delivering safety and sustainability sessions to schools, Phoenix Natural Gas actively seeks to make a positive difference for the communities in which it operates.

Eco Committee representatives

Impacts and Outcomes

In its people:

• Reduction of 27% of water usage per employee, achieved over a three-year period
• 1.1 tonnes reduction in paper purchased in 2019, and a 1.4 tonne reduction in paper shredded across the business
• Installation of six electric charging points onsite
• Enhanced secure cycle storage facilities installed, encouraging colleagues to utilise the Bike to Work scheme, capacity for 10 bikes

In its communities:

• Publication of a Natural Gas: Delivering a Lower Carbon Future Report, shared with communities and stakeholders, demonstrating the continued opportunity for carbon reduction through the future utilisation of the natural gas network
• 100 hours of employee volunteering for biodiversity and environmental community projects, from beach cleans to tree planting and landscape management
• 730 pupils across 11 schools received a Phoenix Natural Gas safety and sustainability presentation