SpeakerGood afternoon. I am Sara Kent, Head of Sustainability at Meridian Group, and today I will walk you through our five core CSR pillars.
SpeakerPillar one: we have committed to reaching net zero carbon emissions by twenty thirty-five. This involves switching all logistics to electric vehicles and powering all sites with renewable energy by twenty twenty-eight.
SpeakerPillar two: every employee receives three paid volunteering days per year. Last year our teams contributed over four thousand hours to community projects.
SpeakerPillar three: we audit every supplier in our chain annually. If a supplier cannot demonstrate fair labour practices and material traceability, we terminate the contract.
SpeakerPillar four: we do not have a central charity fund — instead, every regional office decides locally which social enterprises and charities to support, with a matched-giving scheme.
SpeakerPillar five: thirty-eight per cent of our senior leadership is female, and we publish our gender and ethnicity pay gap data openly every April — regardless of whether we are legally required to do so.