Spirit and The Community

As a major business, we have a comprehensive approach to social responsibility. We recognise that our pubs and the pub industry in general have a key role to play in shaping the fabric of our society and we are committed to responsible retailing.

We are members of the BII and the BBPA and work closely with other industry bodies to ensure that we operate as responsibly as possible. We actively promote the role of the pub in British culture and are committed to the future of the industry.

Our Carbon Footprint

As one of the elements of our corporate social responsibility plan, we have embarked on an ambitious strategy to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of our managed pub estate and our Burton-on-Trent support centre. Working in partnership with the Carbon Trust, we aim to reduce our carbon footprint by 17% by 2010 and are at the forefront of carbon reduction initiatives within the industry.

As part of our ethical approach to business, we have invested in developing a sustained carbon reduction programme. From the appointment of a dedicated carbon team to the installation of smart metres in all of our 900 plus managed pubs, our philosophy is supported from the board room to the bar.

We also understand that changing attitudes to carbon emissions stems from changing behaviours. We have embarked on a programme of behavioural change workshops for all of our pub managers. This has included the distribution of a CD Rom guide, which gives managers top tips on how to save energy and reduce their carbon footprint.

We have also set up a Green Team at our support centre to engage employees on carbon reduction techniques, from recycling to energy efficiency. We have a ‘green support centre in Burton-Upon-Trent that has won awards for its design and energy efficiency. In addition, we are developing policies to reduce our carbon footprint associated with supply chain, recycling and transport issues.

And it doesn’t stop there. We are looking to the future by integrating carbon friendly policies into the design of our pubs so that future investments incorporate energy saving and carbon minimising additions.

We recognise we have a key role to play in reducing emissions and are taking positive steps to reduce our carbon footprint.