HSS Hire Group plc
Climate Impact & Sustainability Data (2021, 2023-24)
Reporting Period: 2021
Environmental Metrics
Total Carbon Emissions:11,371 tCO2e
Scope 1 Emissions:8,317 tCO2e
Scope 2 Emissions:1,312 tCO2e (location based) + 105 tCO2e (market based)
Scope 3 Emissions:1,742 tCO2e
Renewable Energy Share:100% (England, Wales, Scotland in 2021)
Total Energy Consumption:6,904,183 kWh
Waste Generated:1,086 tons
Carbon Intensity:32.9 tCO2e/£m revenue in 2021
ESG Focus Areas
- Climate Change
- Health, Safety and Wellbeing
- Customer Satisfaction
- Ethics in Business
- Digital Security
- Bribery and Corruption
Environmental Achievements
- Reduced energy carbon emissions by 91% compared to 2020 and 97% lower than in 2016.
- Moved all sites to 100% renewable electricity in England, Wales and Scotland in 2021.
- 64% of residual waste incinerated to create energy in 2021.
- 89% of waste diverted from landfill in 2021.
Social Achievements
- Colleague engagement score of 76% in 2022.
- Increased proportion of women in the business to 18% in 2021 from 15% in 2020.
- Reduced RIDDOR accidents to five in 2021.
Governance Achievements
- Established ESG governance structure via ESG Committee and ESG Forum.
- Developed and disseminated ESG Policy.
- Achieved Cyber Essentials certification.
Climate Goals & Targets
Long-term Goals:
- Net Zero across our business and value chain by 2040
Medium-term Goals:
- Reduce operational (scope 1 and 2) emissions to 45% by 2030
- 60% of company fleet to electric by 2030
- 35% of commercial fleet to electric and/or low-carbon alternative fuel by 2030
- Reduce energy consumption by 30% per site by 2030
- Achieve 70% reuse and recycling rate across all sites by 2030
Short-term Goals:
- Reduce operational emissions (scopes 1 and 2) by 35% by 2025
- 40% of company fleet (cars and vans) to be electric by 2025
- 100% electricity procured from renewable sources by 2025
- 95% of waste diverted from landfill by 2025
- 20% of fleet capex budget allocated for sustainable products by 2025
Environmental Challenges
- Reducing carbon emissions from Scope 3 emissions (93% of total emissions)
- Maintaining high safety standards
- Ensuring compliance with ESG regulations
Mitigation Strategies
- Developed a carbon reduction plan with targets for 2025 and 2030, aiming for Net Zero by 2040.
- Implemented additional H&S initiatives, including increased focus on safety observations and new training materials.
- Integrated ESG into corporate risk management framework.
Supply Chain Management
Responsible Procurement
- Supplier Code of Conduct
- ESG criteria integrated into supplier selection process
- Requirement for carbon footprint disclosure from largest suppliers
Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities
Reporting Standards
Frameworks Used: UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Certifications: FORS Gold (fleet operator), IPAF Rental+ silver safety award
Third-party Assurance: Sustainable Advantage
UN Sustainable Development Goals
- Goal 3
- Goal 7
- Goal 8
- Goal 9
- Goal 12
- Goal 13
Initiatives across HSS help advance these SDGs.
Sustainable Products & Innovation
- Solar powered lighting towers
- Hybrid generators
- Cordless tools
- LED lighting products
Awards & Recognition
- IPAF Rental+ silver safety award
- Platinum award from Pennies From Heaven
Reporting Period: 2023-24
Environmental Metrics
Total Carbon Emissions:146,892 tCO2e/year
Scope 1 Emissions:9,385 tCO2e/year
Scope 2 Emissions:108 tCO2e/year
Scope 3 Emissions:137,399 tCO2e/year
Renewable Energy Share:98%
Total Energy Consumption:6,212,302 kWh/year
Water Consumption:21,841 m3/year
Waste Generated:1,322 tons/year
Carbon Intensity:419 tCO2e/£m rev (All Scopes)
ESG Focus Areas
- Climate change
- Health, safety and well-being
- Customer satisfaction
- Ethics in business
- Digital security
Environmental Achievements
- Reduced Scope 1 transport emissions by 24% from 2019 baseline.
- Achieved 100% renewable electricity for over 99% of locations.
- Reduced carbon emissions from waste through initiatives like waste reduction and increased recycling.
- Avoided over 1,575 tCO2e through the sale of HVO as an alternative to diesel.
- 90% landfill diversion rate.
Social Achievements
- Industry-leading colleague engagement (74%, 89% response rate).
- Established an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) committee and colleague ambassador group.
- Continued to target a zero RIDDOR environment (though the number increased slightly in 2023).
- Reduced serious accident Lost Time rates by 26%.
Governance Achievements
- Established ESG governance structure via ESG Committee and ESG Forum.
- Developed and disseminated ESG Policies.
- Achieved ISO 27001:2013 certification.
- Tracked ESG credentials for top 50% of supply chain partners by value.
- 100% of all products ECO classified and labelled.
Climate Goals & Targets
Long-term Goals:
- Net Zero across our business by 2040
Medium-term Goals:
- Reduce operational (Scope 1 and 2) emissions to 45% by 2030
- Move 60% of company fleet to electric by 2030
- Reduce energy consumption by 30% per site by 2030
- Achieve 70% reuse and recycling rate across all sites by 2030
Short-term Goals:
- Reduce operational emissions (Scopes 1 and 2) by 35% by 2025
- 40% of company fleet (cars and vans) to be electric by 2025
- 100% electricity procured from renewable sources by 2025
- 95% of waste diverted from landfill by 2025
- 20% of fleet CapEx budget allocated for sustainable products by 2025
Environmental Challenges
- Limited range of electric commercial vehicles.
- Obtaining landlord agreement for solar panel installations.
- Supply chain challenges in providing LCA reports and ESG data.
- Increased severity of weather events.
- Strain on supply chains impacting the ability to provide low-emission technology.
Mitigation Strategies
- Converted MG electric estate cars to vans.
- Working with fuel card suppliers to improve EV charging access.
- Developed an in-house hybrid reporting methodology for carbon footprint.
- Conducting risk assessments around physical risks to operations.
- Focusing on supply chain ‘bridging and buffering’.
Supply Chain Management
Supplier Audits: 250 audits/year
Responsible Procurement
- Supplier Code of Ethics and Conduct Policy
- ESG criteria in supplier selection
- Supplier tiering system
Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities
Physical Risks
- Increased flooding
- Increasing weather extremes
Transition Risks
- Regulatory changes
- Market shifts
- Reputational risks
Opportunities
- Increased demand for climate change-related infrastructure equipment
- Market leadership in low-emission technology
Reporting Standards
Frameworks Used: UN Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs), Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), Climate-related Financial Disclosures (CFD), Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
Certifications: ISO 14001, ISO 27001
Third-party Assurance: EcoVadis (Gold)
UN Sustainable Development Goals
- Goal 3
- Goal 7
- Goal 8
- Goal 9
- Goal 12
- Goal 13
- Goal 15
Initiatives aligned with these goals are detailed throughout the report.
Sustainable Products & Innovation
- Hybrid generators
- Electric vehicles
Awards & Recognition
- EcoVadis Gold award