ESG policy

No Poverty – we believe in equal pay for work of equal value for both men and women and across all ethnicities. We monitor pay gaps based on gender and ethnicity. We support staff with financial planning and offer benefits designed to help them save money and avoid the traps of high interest credit or payday loans.

Zero Hunger – not directly relevant to our business at this time.

Good Health and Wellbeing – this is something we can definitely help to achieve. All staff receive free access to a range of healthcare assistance, insurance or cashback benefits, and incentive schemes to help boost health and wellbeing. All staff receive fully certificated first aid at work and mental health first aid training.

Quality Education – LMC is completely committed to supporting education, continuous professional development and lifelong learning among all its staff. All staff have a tailored training plan based on our own competency framework (benchmarked against the Global Alliance’s Capability Framework and LMC’s culture and values). Everyone receives a significant investment in their development, with PR staff also signed up to CIPR and PRCA membership and the CIPR’s MyCPD scheme.

Gender Equality – LMC is a business with a female founder and is committed to equal rights for both men and women, encouraging all staff – regardless of sex or gender – to participate fully in the business and to receive the same opportunities for leadership roles. We seek to empower young women through training to boost confidence and presence at work and encouraging them to apply for non-executive and voluntary roles to extend their experience.

Clean Water and Sanitation – not directly relevant to our business at this time, other than we promote water efficiency at work.

Affordable and Clean Energy – LMC has long been a strong advocate for energy efficiency in buildings, as reflected in our client work and non-executive/voluntary work on behalf of the National Energy Foundation. We strive to achieve higher awareness among all staff and behavioural change to promote reduced fuel use and the adoption of cleaner energy, including incentives to swap to 100% renewable energy providers.

Decent Work and Economic Growth – It is a core value at LMC and a strategic business priority to ensure a safe, secure and stable working environment for all. LMC works to achieve higher levels of economic productivity through the use of new technologies and innovation. Our equal opportunities approach means flexible working practices to suit people’s needs, including for all ages, stages of working life and for persons with disabilities. We strictly prohibit the use of modern slavery and human trafficking in our operations and supply chain.

Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure – LMC was born to work with clients involved in sustainable and resilient construction, retrofit and infrastructure in the UK and internationally, or promoting new technologies or innovations in the built environment.

Reduced Inequalities within and among Countries – not directly relevant to our business at this time.

Sustainable Cities and Communities – Through our work with clients in property, construction and the built environment, we can contribute a great deal to achieving this goal. For example, we have clients focused on creating safe and affordable housing, sustainable transport and inclusive, accessible green and public spaces. Our communications work contributes to the achievement of their purpose and vision.

Responsible Consumption and Production – This is an area that we can certainly contribute to. For example, LMC has a policy to buy local, environmentally friendly products and services wherever these are readily available. Our procurement policy looks to give priority to SME suppliers in the MK / Northampton / Bedford areas. We actively seek to find suppliers with strong ESG policies, and that are female-led and/or BAME-led.

In terms of reducing consumption, through the use of technology and web-based collaboration tools, we aim to reduce the volume of paper reports sent to clients and to/from suppliers, and the number of meetings that require lots of travelling.

In terms of reuse and recycling, we donate unwanted computer and other equipment to the local community or other local SMEs. We only use recycled paper, and almost all our office furniture and fittings are recycled. All used printer cartridges are recycled using the HP Recycling Scheme, and there are extensive other recycling facilities at work.

We take care to ensure waste is managed responsibly. Biffa separates our waste and has confirmed that over 97% is diverted from landfill.

Climate Action – LMC has joined the Government’s SME Climate Hub and has signed up to the SME Climate Commitment. Recognising that climate change poses a threat to the economy, nature and society-at-large, our company commits to take action immediately in order to:

• Cut our greenhouse gas emissions (scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions) by at least 50% before 2030, from our 2021 base year.
• Achieve net zero emissions before 2050.
• Disclose our progress on a yearly basis.

In doing so, we are proud to be recognised by the United Nations Race to Zero campaign, and join governments, businesses, cities, regions, and universities around the world with the same mission.

Our current work towards achieving these goals includes working with specialist advisers (Go Climate Positive) to:

• Calculate our full value chain carbon footprint
• Set science-based reduction targets and short-term action plans
• Establish our Net Zero roadmap and annual carbon budgets
• Arrange responsible, certified offsetting projects if required and aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals
• Run a workshop for all employees on how to reduce our personal carbon footprints

Life Below Water – not directly relevant to our business at this time.

Life On Land – Through our work with clients in property, construction and the built environment, we can contribute a great deal to the quality of that environment and our quality of life on land. For example, we have particular interests in promoting sustainable timber use and the benefits of wood in construction. We also seek to ensure our developer clients are communicating clearly and effectively about their own biodiversity and environmental policies and practices and that their public consultations put appropriate emphasis on these issues.

Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions – for this goal, our main contribution can be in preventing any sort of corruption or bribery, an in helping to support ethical and transparent working practices.

Partnership for the Goals – not directly relevant to our business (in terms of facilitating trade and international partnerships with developing countries, for example), but we can play our part in helping to promote collaborative working in the public and private sectors, and the continued promotion and awareness of the UN SDGs among our clients.