VGC and CHAS are proud to announce that VGC have become the first company in the UK to be awarded the CHAS Social Sustainability (ESG) accreditation.
This accreditation highlights VGC’s ongoing commitment to delivering industry leading environmental, social, and governance standards, setting a new benchmark within the construction industry for all to aim for.
The CHAS ESG accreditation is awarded to organisations that demonstrate exceptional performance across various ESG criteria, encompassing environmental stewardship, social impact, and governance excellence.
“CHAS Social Sustainability is a comprehensive, independently verified assessment that details the maturity of an organisation in relation to a wide range of areas and measures,” said Alex Minett, Head of Global New Markets & Partnerships at Veriforce CHAS. “We are delighted that our first member to complete the assessment has demonstrated such a strong commitment and leadership in this area, they make a great champion for Social Sustainability in the construction sector.”
In addition to this, VGC are proud to be recognised for achieving influencer status in a number of areas including, but not limited to:
- Equality, diversity, and inclusion
- Social Value
- Modern Slavery
“This is an outstanding achievement that reinforces VGC’s FIR Level 4 accreditation, further exemplifying VGC’s commitment to challenging inequality and facilitating employment opportunities for those that may not have considered construction as a career option.”
Ciara Pryce, Chief Operating Officer
The accreditation process evaluated VGC on several key ESG dimensions:
Environmental Impact: At VGC, we want to leave a positive lasting legacy in the areas in which we work, and are determined to reduce our carbon footprint and have a positive impact on the environment. We have set our ambition to go Net Zero Carbon by 2040.
We will achieve this through fuel consumption management, conversion into a fully electric fleet, renewable energy sources, and training and development.
Social Impact: VGC are leaders in the field of EDI, SEE engagement, employee wellbeing, community engagement, and social impact, with targeted engagement and recruitment programmes for hard-to-reach groups.
CHAS commented, “VGC operate comprehensive and market-leading values and practices relating to EDI. As a provider of a significant volume of workers to the construction sector, there is a clear strategic focus on how VGC can influence EDI in the sector. This is shown through strategy, measurement, and continuous improvement… the evidence provided by VGC to support their activities…proves that Health and Wellbeing is well established within the company.”
Governance:
Ethics, governance and transparency are part of the VGC DNA, and we operate accredited business management systems to underpin this. This ensures that we can provide effective services that protect our people, our clients, and wider society.
CHAS commented “VGC has clearly shown strong governance against Modern Slavery that has developed over time and engages employees, the site workforce and the supply chain…VGC is using a number of tools and processes to monitor and manage fatigue which clearly enables them to deliver commitments in their policies. This is extended to the supply chain which is a real strength.”
“This accomplishment progresses the overarching ESG strategy at VGC, highlighting our innovative and market leading approach to sustainability. It supports our belief that sustainability is essential to driving positive change across the industry, and our efforts to make genuine social and environmental change. We have also demonstrated that operating a successful business can be done in a way that delivers wider societal benefits.
As the first organisation to receive this accreditation, we hope to engage our peers, clients, and supply chain to also achieve this social sustainability accreditation, and by making our intellectual property open source and sharing best practice across the industry, we will support them, if required, in pursuing a similar path towards sustainability and ethical excellence.”
Christina Donaghey, Social Impact Manager
