In 2021, in support of the UK Green Finance Strategy, we set out our ambition to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. We also conducted a review to identify how the Group can work towards meeting the recommendations of the TCFD, which took into account our environmental targets. In terms of the review of our environmental targets, we determined that we will need to achieve deeper emissions reductions that align with climate science and the rules governing the setting of science-based targets, while enabling us to deliver our commercial objectives. 

Since 2021, Vanquis Banking Group has been committed to the UN Global Compact corporate responsibility initiative and its principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment, and anti-corruption. Read more here: www.unglobalcompact.org

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We're ISO 14001 Certified

We’re proud to announce that the environmental management system we have in place at our offices in Bradford, Chatham, London and Petersfield has been awarded the internationally recognised ISO 14001: 2015 certification.

This continues to demonstrate our commitment to reduce our impact on the environment. We’re doing this by ensuring that, in the running of our business, we use resources efficiently and reduce waste.

“It’s important that we continue to keep the impacts that our operations have on the environment to an absolute minimum, alongside responding to the biggest environmental challenges of our time, such as climate change. Having an environmental management system in place across Vanquis Banking Group help us to do both.” - Rob Lawson, Head of Sustainability

Understanding the role we play in climate change everyday

At Vanquis Banking Group we understand that we have a key role to play in responding to the climate crisis. This means ensuring that our climate-related targets are aligned with the Paris agreement which aims to hold the increase in global average temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and ideally, to 1.5 degrees Celsius. And this is why we set an overall target in 2020 to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040.

We have also committed to, in line with Government’s expectation, meeting the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) by 2022.

Our proposed three-year TCFD route map

The TCFD expects us to evolve our understanding of potential climate risks and opportunities over time, which means our climate disclosures will correspondingly need to adapt over time. We are already working towards our three-year plan to identify and map out our priorities, building and embedding these across Vanquis Banking Group, and continuing to refine and integrate them into our core business processes.

To help us to assess and manage material climate-related risks and opportunities, and undertake the technical work that will enable us to meet the recommendations of the TCFD, we have established a new Climate Risk Committee. This Committee will be chaired by the Banking Group's Chief Internal Auditor and include senior representatives from functions such as finance, risk, operations and sustainability. The Committee will report into the Group’s Executive Committee and will play a pivotal role in developing and implementing Vanquis Banking Group's new climate risk strategy. In doing so, it will ensure that our climate risk work takes account of our value chain, divisions and functions, and the different aspects of our business models, assets, operations and organisational structures.

We have also signed up to the ‘Business Ambition for 1.5°C’ pledge which commits us to, among other things, set a science-based carbon reduction target and other related targets that will enable us to realise our 2040 net-zero ambition.

Further information on the progress we have made in 2021 in terms of reporting in line with the recommendations of the TCFD is set out in our Annual Report and Accounts and CR Report.

Offsetting our carbon footprint

We offset our direct operational carbon footprint by financing renewable energy projects around the world to mitigate the effects our operations have on the climate.

This year, we offset 10,000 tonnes of CO₂e, which accounted for all of the Group’s 2021 operational footprint. These emissions were offset through the purchase of carbon offset certificates in two projects. We reduced 9,800 tonnes of CO2e through producing electricity from wind power in Northeast Thailand, and 200 tonnes of CO2e in a wind power generation project in Bac Lieu Province, Vietnam.

Thailand and Vietnam’s energy, like in most countries, has historically been produced by burning fossil fuels. However, as new regulations are introduced to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Thailand is producing more energy from renewable sources, including wind power. The demand for energy in Thailand is also expected to increase by 78% by 2036, so there is an urgent need to increase the amount of energy Thailand can produce, with a growing proportion of this energy coming from
renewable sources.

These two projects also deliver a range of positive environmental and social impacts, including:

• between them generating 820,000 MWh of renewable electricity every year which is fed into Thailand and Vietnam’s national grids, helping to bridge the gap between supply and demand that currently exists;
• by replacing electricity generated from fossil fuel fired power plants with renewable electricity generated using wind power, these wind farms will prevent around 250,000 tonnes of CO2 and 143,000 tonnes of CO2 from being emitted into the atmosphere every year in Thailand and Vietnam, respectively; and
• providing around 180 jobs to local people who operate the wind power plants, as well as providing local support, development and activities annually, including community festivals, educational projects and sports days.

Reducing our carbon footprint

Set out below are key reductions in our carbon footprint which occurred throughout 2021, when compared to the same period in 2020.