World Chess Plc
Climate Impact & Sustainability Data (2022, 2023)
Reporting Period: 2022
Environmental Metrics
Total Carbon Emissions:1249.3 tCO2e/year
Scope 2 Emissions:11.5 tCO2e/year
Scope 3 Emissions:1238.8 tCO2e/year
Total Energy Consumption:2,299,533 kWh/year
Carbon Intensity:447 tCO2e per €m revenue
ESG Focus Areas
- Climate Change
- Governance
- Social Responsibility
Environmental Achievements
- Adopted practices to conserve energy, water, and reduce waste, including using recyclers and refurbished equipment. Implemented flexible working practices to reduce business travel and commuting. Established a permanent event space in Berlin to reduce energy-intensive construction and deconstruction of event spaces for individual tournaments.
Social Achievements
- Established Chess & Co. to partner brands with individual chess players, supporting the chess community.
- Promotes a policy for the creation of equal and ethnically diverse employment opportunities.
Governance Achievements
- Adopted the Quoted Companies Alliance Corporate Governance Code 2018.
- Implemented anti-corruption and anti-bribery training for all staff and contractors.
- Established a whistleblowing policy.
Climate Goals & Targets
Environmental Challenges
- Reduced revenue due to the disposal of the World Chess Club Moscow and a reduction in sponsorship revenue.
- Increased supply chain and logistics costs affecting the merchandise business.
- Subscriber growth and platform stability.
- Data security.
- Anti-cheating measures.
- Adoption issues with online ratings.
- Reliance on certain key individuals.
- Supply chain disruption caused by climate-related risks.
- Changing weather patterns and an increase in natural and macroeconomic crises.
Mitigation Strategies
- Investment in the FIDE Online Arena and the World Chess Club in Berlin.
- Appointment of a new Head of Governance Risk and Compliance.
- Use of state-of-the-art anti-cheating and fair play technologies.
- Incentivising players to participate in over-the-board chess tournaments.
- Developing business continuity planning.
- Addressing climate-related risks and opportunities to maintain stakeholder reputation.
Supply Chain Management
Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities
Physical Risks
- Increased likelihood and severity of macroeconomic and natural crises
- Changing weather patterns
Transition Risks
- Increased cost and availability of resources
Opportunities
- Reduced travel due to online platform
Reporting Standards
Frameworks Used: TCFD, QCA Code, Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006, Streamlined Energy & Carbon Reporting (SECR)
Third-party Assurance: Moore Kingston Smith LLP
Reporting Period: 2023
Environmental Metrics
Total Carbon Emissions:1769.0 tCO2e/year
Scope 2 Emissions:52.1 tCO2e/year
Scope 3 Emissions:1716.9 tCO2e/year
Total Energy Consumption:8,366,713 kWh/year
Carbon Intensity:754 tCO2e per €m revenue in 2023
ESG Focus Areas
- Climate Change
- Governance
- Social Impact
Environmental Achievements
- Established a permanent tournament venue (World Chess Club Berlin) to reduce the energy-intensive process of building and decommissioning temporary event spaces.
- Adopted practices to conserve energy, water, and reduce waste, including using recyclers and refurbished equipment.
- Utilized online collaboration tools and flexible working practices to reduce business travel and commuting.
Social Achievements
- Launched online tournament series, ‘Swiss Queens Wednesday,’ to address gender disparity in chess participation.
- Promotes a policy for the creation of equal and ethnically diverse employment opportunities.
- Promotes and encourages employee involvement.
Governance Achievements
- Implemented anti-corruption and anti-bribery training for all staff and contractors.
- Established a whistleblowing policy.
- Adopted the Quoted Companies Alliance Corporate Governance Code 2018.
Climate Goals & Targets
Environmental Challenges
- Subscriber growth depends on product quality, user experience, and broader market trends.
- Platform stability relies on reliable infrastructure and content delivery.
- Data security requires compliance with data protection laws.
- Anti-cheating measures require constant improvement and investment.
- Reliance on a small number of key management personnel.
- Impact of inflation and higher interest rates.
Mitigation Strategies
- Significant upgrades to the FIDE Online Arena (Arena 2.0).
- Appointment of a new Head of Governance Risk and Compliance.
- State-of-the-art anti-cheating technology (NightWatch).
- Incentivizing players to participate in over-the-board chess.
- Annual risk assessment and reporting by the Audit Committee.
- Developing additional KPIs to reflect customer satisfaction and churn rate.
Supply Chain Management
Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities
Transition Risks
- Supply chain disruption
- Changes in customer and stakeholder behavior
Opportunities
- Creating a permanent tournament venue to reduce energy consumption.
Reporting Standards
Frameworks Used: TCFD, QCA Code