The commitments are detailed in the company's first Environmental, Social and Governance report, which sets out its long-term ambitions for a more sustainable future.
The publication shows that the company is already taking action to reduce its environmental impact including transport energy savings, vehicle tracking systems to help drivers reduce fuel usage and the conversion of the fleet to clean energy. Currently almost a quarter of company-leased cars are electric or hybrid and by the end of 2025 they are aiming for 80% of vans to be electric.
The company has made significant progress in switching to renewable energy usage in its offices. In the past year, it sourced 89 per cent of its offices' energy requirements from renewable sources and aims to source 100 per cent in 2022.
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Christopher Kehoe, chief operating officer, Edwin James Group said: "The pandemic has impacted the world dramatically, including heightened awareness of a changing climate and a shift in ways of working. We've used this as a catalyst to look at the areas where we can play our part and make a real difference. This first report sets out our ambitions for ESG that will reinforce our values, strengthen our brand reputation and ensure the sustainability of our business. It's been gratifying to see that we've already made some great strides along the way, but we know there is more to do and this first publication puts some milestones and commitments in place."
In addition to significant environmental commitments, the report outlines the approach to people and governance including the importance of attracting and retaining talent.
Early in 2021, the group outlined the importance of learning and development to support growth with the launch of its new Academy programme and the largest investment in L&D in its history. Apprentices currently make up 12 per cent of the workforce and the business has committed to increasing this to 15 per cent within the next two years.
The group recently announced resilient performance through the pandemic with a record order book of over £500m.
