Our shared values support Artorius' ambitions to limit our environmental impact and support our local communities and services.
Environment
For the past 12 months, we have been developing an approach as a responsible business to contribute towards UK and global efforts to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
This is the first year we have measured our GHG emissions.
Our approach has two elements:
- In FY 2022 we embarked on a project to measure our corporate carbon footprint to better understand our own emissions and be better informed about what steps to take to reduce and offset these.
- We have since 2022 taken the innovative step of offering to our clients, through our partnership with Sugi, the opportunity to see data on the carbon footprint of their individual portfolios and each security within those portfolios, including as compared to average emissions for the sector. We believe that by providing clients with transparent data, they have the opportunity to discuss with client partners options for managing their carbon footprint.
Our results
We completed a data form and were assessed by a third party to capture activity data for each office location.
Our offices are located in London, Manchester and Yorkshire.
GHG emission factors relating to the 2022 calendar year are applied from the UK Government’s Conversion Factors for Company Reporting (2022). In addition, for market-based electricity consumption, the emissions factor relating to 2021 (the latest available) are sourced from Association of Issuing Bodies (2021).
- Our total emissions for our offices for the period starting 1st Jan – 31st Dec 2022 was 63.9 GHG Emissions (tCO2e).
- Emissions per employee came in at 1.14 tonnes.
- Our highest emissions are scope 3. These come from electricity transmission and distribution losses, waste, business travel, staff commuting and home working (circa 83%).
- Scope 2 market-based emissions of c. 9% come from the generation of purchased electricity and Scope 1 direct emissions from gas combustion account for the remaining c. 7% of emissions.
Offsetting our remaining emissions
We rebalanced all remaining carbon emissions with verified carbon credits, via our partner Sugi. These credits originate from our chosen project in the rainforests of Tambopata-Bahuaja, in the Peruvian Amazon, supporting forest protection and restoration, important biodiversity and local communities.
The Tambopata-Bahuaja Biodiversity Reserve conserves threatened tropical rainforest in an internationally recognised biodiversity hotspot of the Peruvian Amazon. The lush forests provide habitat for a wide variety of rare and endangered wildlife. The project integrates conservation and sustainable economic development to protect 591,119 hectares of forest (an area about the size of Los Angeles). By helping local farmers transition to sustainable cacao production in the margins of the protected area, degraded land is being restored to relieve deforestation pressures and provide local communities with forest-friendly and sustainable livelihoods. The project is part of the Althelia Climate Fund and implemented in partnership with AIDER, a local Peruvian NGO.
More information on the Tambopata-Bahuaja biodiversity reserve project can be found here.
Our carbon client service
Perhaps more important than efforts to reduce and offset our own remaining emissions, we are committed to offering our clients, as part of our innovative ESG service, the opportunity to see the carbon data of their investment portfolios with user-friendly software from our partner Sugi.
Many clients want their savings to be more aligned with the long-term goals of the net zero transition. Our approach is designed to be flexible as we do not believe that simply divesting from carbon-intensive companies or investing in products labelled ESG can be risky from a financial return perspective and ineffective from an environmental perspective. Read more on Low-carbon Investing in challenging market conditions.
Hence, we also offer via Sugi, the opportunity for clients to offset the emissions associated with their investments and to discuss their portfolio carbon footprint in the context of broader philanthropic actions.
Find out more about this here.
Philanthropy
At Artorius, philanthropy is viewed as part of the company culture and we have always encouraged socially responsible behaviours. However, we believe that bringing resources together and aiming in one unified direction can have the most powerful and beneficial impact. In January 2023 colleagues at Artorius voted from a shortlist of charities that aligned the best with our environmental and community objectives, with Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity coming on top. In the midst of the cost-of-living crisis, homelessness was recognised as one of the most pressing problems.
As a Manchester headquartered business, we are proud to be partnering with a local charity that is delivering pioneering work in tackling homelessness. Established in 2018, Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity is an independent organisation steered by a board of skilled trustees and run by a small, dynamic team. Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity raises vital funds that can support critical work to support people experiencing homelessness and help stop homelessness before it becomes a reality. The charity was the founding funder of the flagship ‘ A Bed Every Night’ programme, which provides emergency accommodation and wrap around support to people facing a night on the streets in Greater Manchester. Since its launch, it has helped over 4,000 people to find a safe and warm place to spend a night in. The charity is playing a big role in reducing rough sleeping, but the growing area of focus is targeted prevention to ensure that the experience of homelessness is rare, brief and non-recurrent. Given the increasing pressures and demand on services, we also recognise the value volunteering has. Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity has been able to connect Artorius with a local organisation Lifeshare, which, as part of their varied projects, provides weekend breakfast to rough sleepers.
Their mission has now become an integral element of Artorius culture and we are committed to raising funds through a series of fundraising events and supporting frontline organisations by donating time and sharing other resources.
"Both Artorius and our employees are committed to helping organisations that are doing good in the community and those helping the environment. We are delighted to be able to work with the Greater Manchester Mayors charity, who are dedicated to supporting people experiencing homelessness in Greater Manchester. Artorius employees voted to support this charity so we know that our two organisations are aligned".
Ian Marsh, Chairman
