Sustainability

Aberdeen Women F Ca

GAC's Roadmap to Sustainability outlines the Group's commitment to "adapt, innovate and reduce" its activities and encourage others to create non-destructive, long-term value moving towards a sustainable future. GAC UK recognises its own role in meeting these ambitions and in 2021, we launched our ten-year sustainability programme – MARS30. Read on to learn more.

GAC UK MARS30 ICONS FOR WEBSITE

“We are committed to growing long-term relationships with customers we serve across multiple services, whilst significantly reducing our environmental impact, improving the well-being of our people, and influencing our stakeholders to do the same.”

We will accomplish this by completing sustainability objectives aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Team effort

We have a dedicated MARS30 Microsoft Teams internal communications channel where our objectives are detailed and progress monitored. It is a platform where our staff can share ideas, opinions, and personal successes which is key in keeping our goals in the spotlight, ensuring our staff are continually aware of our objectives and helping us all achieve our targets.

Our ambition to promote equal opportunities for all was demonstrated in 2021, when GAC extended its partnership of Aberdeen Football Club to include sleeve sponsorship of Aberdeen Women FC. This support has benefited the club with the women’s squad achieving semi-pro status by the end of the 2021/22 season. What’s more, in partnership with Aberdeen Football Club, we support an annual ‘Fair Play for All’ community event for primary school aged children from areas of social deprivation. Youngsters experience unique coaching sessions and STEM activities at the club’s training facility, Cormack Park, before meeting squad members from the Women’s Team.

AFC Day

Biodiversity

To help promote biodiversity, GAC UK sponsors several beehives in Scotland, as well as a local farming wildflower meadow located next to our bee colonies, with the aim of restoring the natural biome of the soil using traditional methods and moving away from fertilisers and pesticides.

In September 2022, we became involved in a seagrass restoration project, in partnership with Falmouth Harbour and marine restoration charity, Our Only World. We co-sponsor the production of the Seavive Pod, which we hope can be used in many more Seagrass regeneration projects across the world to help raise awareness of the importance of Seagrass and similar marine habitats.

Bees

People objectives

  • Reduce voluntary staff turnover
  • Increase Engagement Survey completion
  • 100% completion of appraisal process
  • Reduce average number of sick days
  • Gender pay gap reporting
  • Unconscious bias & diversity training

Planet objectives

  • Switch all forklifts at GAC UK facilities from diesel powered to electric
  • Feasibility study into renewable energy sources for warehouses
  • Sustainable procurement
  • Track carbon emissions for Scope 1, 2 & 3
  • Provide CO2e data for customer freight movements
  • Ban all single use plastics from offices
  • Eye-Sea project
  • Seagrass restoration project in Falmouth
  • Organised company beach or river cleans
  • Promote Biodiversity through our Apiaries and Wildflower Meadows
  • Community Engagement Projects