Corporate Social Responsibility with Groundwork

Groundw

ork Pennine Lancashire

CorporateSocialResponsibility

Introduction

Introduction

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Who we are

Groundwork Pennine Lancashire is the largest environmental regeneration charity in Lancashire.

Through a wholly owned Community Interest Company we operate as a social enterprise, delivering programmes of work that improve the local environment and the lives of the people who live and work there. Any surpluses made from these programmes are transferred to the charity and reinvested in further programmes of improvement.

Groundwork Pennine Lancashire is accredited to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001, ensuring we deliver quality services in a safe and environmentally sustainable way.

Our youth programmes bridge generation gaps, offer young people something to do and promote intergenerational respect. Many are seen as vital in tackling anti-social behaviour. We also work with teachers to provide environmental projects and activities for pupils in order to firmly embed sustainable education into our children’s education.

Every year we:• actively engage more than 5,000

young people in projects• engage with over 100 schools

Environment for... People

Our work in communities is at the heart of everything we do - we want people to be more satisfied with the places where they live. We listen to local people’s concerns and hopes for their neighbourhood, then support them to be genuinely involved in the development of their area.

Every year we:• deliver over 100 community

improvement projects• engage around 4,000 adults in projects

What We Do

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Environment for... Places

Many local areas contain neglected or disused open spaces which Groundwork Pennine Lancashire has always sought to ‘green up’ as part of our commitment to better local environments. As one of the largest employers of Chartered landscape architects in the county, we produce innovative and sustainable design solutions that meet the needs of our clients and deliver maximum benefits for the communities we serve.

Every year we:• plant around 1,500 trees• improve around 100,000m2 of land

From grass cutting to tree felling, our skilled team of landscape professionals undertake maintenance for private businesses and public organisations and make places look and feel better for the people who live nearby.

Every year we:• maintain around 800,000m2 of land

Environment for... Business

We help organisations take practical action to tackle climate change - and we recognise that by doing so, we are also helping businesses to be more efficient. We provide training and advice to organisations on managing health, safety and environmental business issues and help them to cut carbon and save money.

Every year we:• support around 750 businesses to reduce

carbon• save around 15,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions• divert around 10,000 tonnes

of waste from landfill

How we can help you

As a social enterprise, our whole outlook is to positively impact the society in which we operate and we have over 21 years experience of developing and delivering environmental and community programmes. We want to share this expertise with organisations that are looking for a partner to help them develop their own Corporate Social Responsibilty agenda.

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• Increased productivity Engaging your workforce in CSR activities can increase staff satisfaction and motivation, which can

lead to increased productivity for your business. Research shows that engaged employees are more likely to perform better, take fewer sick days and stay in their company longer than their disengaged colleagues.

“63% of employees would feel significantly more ‘engaged’ with their employer if it allowed charitable working. The benefits of this improved engagement for the employer include increased productivity, less staff turnover, fewer sick days and a generally happier workplace.”

LeapCR Employee Survey, 2011

• Attract and retain talent An increasing number of people are looking to be employed by a responsible organisation.

Two-thirds of graduates now want to work for a company with a good ethical record. Research also shows that employees who work for companies with a strong commitment to CSR are more proud of, and themselves committed to, the organisation and are more likely to remain working there.

“The biggest single recruitment tool that we have at Pepsi Co today.”Indira Nooyi, CEO of Pepsi Co

On attracting talent by being a responsible company

• Brand awareness and loyalty Investing in community improvements can provide you with promotional opportunities that can form

part of your marketing strategy. To help you with this, we will provide free public relations support for the CSR activities that we deliver for you including: press release writing, press release distribution, media liaison and coverage on our website and social media accounts. You will also receive reports on completion of the activities you have invested in, providing you with data and statistics that you can use for promotion, publicity and your annual report.

“Customers’ CSR perceptions [of a firm] are positively linked to their trust in and commitment to the firm.”Pivato et al (2008 research study)

• Access to supply chains Good CSR practices can also lead to better access to new markets and customers. Being able

to report on sustainability activities that you are involved with can enable you to meet the tender requirements of larger companies and the public sector.

“[To] ensure government buys more sustainable and efficient products and engages with its suppliers to understand and reduce the impacts of its supply chain.”

Government commitment to greening operations and procurement, 2011

The benefits of Corporate Social Responsibility

What exactly is Corporate Social Responsibility?

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is about understanding and addressing the social, environmental and economic impacts of your business and its operations. At Groundwork Pennine Lancashire we define it as those voluntary actions that go beyond compliance with legal minimum requirements and aim to benefit wider society and the environment.

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How can we help you with Corporate Social Responsibility?

There are two ways we can help...

Become a Corporate PartnerDemonstrate to your customers, employees and partners that you are comitted to environmental and social improvements by becoming a Corporate Partner of Groundwork Pennine Lancashire. For an annual membership fee we will help you to realise the full potential of your CSR activities and benefit from an increased profile

Invest in CSR activitiesWith our help you could choose, develop and deliver environmental and / or social activities in your local community. We can tailor these activities to your corporate objectives, mission and budget and we can even build your company name or strapline into a programme title

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Corporate Partners

Our Corporate Partners are companies from all sectors and industries that are looking to strengthen their commitment towards the environment and wider society. These companies are looking to make a positive contribution to their local area and are looking for a partner to help them to achieve this.

Our Corporate Partners also understand that their partnership with Groundwork Pennine Lancashire demonstrates to their customers, employees and partners that they are committed to environmental and social improvements and allows them to benefit from an increased profile and reputation.

The benefits

Investing in environmental or community activities can be very rewarding for everyone involved, but if a business doesn’t ensure that these activities are managed and promoted, they are not realising the full potential of their investment. By becoming a Corporate Partner, you will receive the support and guidance to identify your existing CSR activities, develop a strategy for the future and communicate your ethical performance to key stakeholders and customers.

Corporate Partners

We will achieve this by:• performing an initial CSR audit

of your current activities• producing a written report that you can

use to contribute to your annual report• highlighting clear priorities and

recommendations for future activities and actions

• giving you strategic advice and guidance to help you to integrate your activities into your core business and management strategy

• working with you to develop and drive future activities

• providing communications support to promote your investment and achievements

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How much will it cost?

£1,500 £3,000 £5,000Benefit Level 1 Level 2 Level 3Membership to our Business Environment Association (BEA) Discounts on CSR activities and our other services (10%) (15%) (20%)Advice and support on CSR issues affecting your company Complimentary seats at our annual business awards event (2) (5) (10)Brand promotion through our digital marketing campaigns Use of the Groundwork logo to highlight the partnership Annual CSR review and recommendation report Support to deliver recommendations from the annual CSR review Free places at Corporate Partner CSR workshops Discounts on sponsorship opportunities at our annual award events Complimentary seats at our environmental education awards (2)Extended brand promotion Bespoke in-house CSR training for staff Subscription to the Groundwork Legislation Update Service

A win-win situation

You can save your company thousands of pounds every year by looking at your energy, waste, water and raw material usage.

Why not book a resource efficiency audit for your company and receive a personalised report detailing how much money your company could save? As part of our resource efficiency programme we’ve already helped over 2,500 businesses achieve average cost savings of £13,000 a year - more than enough to cover the cost of your membership!

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CSR A

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By using Groundwork Pennine Lancashire to deliver your CSR activities, you can also benefit from our network of local communities, public officials, government organisations, health service officials and members of the third sector. Despite all this, we retain independence from any regulatory body and are ideally placed to act as mediators for our customers.

Being part of a UK wide federation of Groundwork trusts means you can also take advantage of our links with 36 other Groundwork trusts, giving those companies with a national presence the opportunity to deliver a synergistic CSR agenda nationwide.

How much time will I need to invest?

You can have as much or as little involvement in your project as you want. We’re happy to develop and deliver a project based on your requirements and then present the outcomes and achievements to you on completion, or we could engage you and your staff throughout the process and make them a part of the development and delivery.

How much will it cost?

As all the projects we deliver are bespoke to each company, the amount of investment needed for CSR activities can be determined by you – we can help you invest any amount, big or small.

How we can help you get involved in your local community

CSR Activities

If you already have in mind the kind of activities that you would like to invest in please get in touch to discuss how we can deliver this for you. We will help you to develop a project that fits your budget and delivers the outcomes you want to achieve.

If you are still unsure what kind of project you would like to invest in, the following pages give some examples of what we can deliver for you.

The activities are split into 5 sections:1. Employee Engagement2. Improving Open Spaces3. Investing in your Community4. Helping Young People5. Making your Business Sustainable

Once you have decided what you would like to invest in, please contact us for more details of how we can help you to develop and deliver it. If you still aren’t sure which kind of project is for you, we can talk it through with you and help you to choose.

Social Return on Investment (SROI)

The SROI ratio is a powerful tool that helps organisations to measure the true impact of their CSR activities. By calculating the value of the social and environmental improvements you have made, we can provide you with a simple and clear indicator of the full value of your investment.

Example SROI statement for a £1,000 project: For every £1 we invested in our community cohesion project we created £3.28 of social value, amounting to a social investment of £3,280.

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Crown Paints

Crown Paints invested on a formal planting scheme at their Darwen headquarters. The scheme reflects their inspirational work with colour and will also be maintained by Groundwork at an annual cost. By using a social enterprise to deliver these services, Crown Paints are contributing to community investment and helping to create positive change in their local area.

United Utilities

When United Utilities wanted to improve access to a new detention tank at Knuzden Brook, they decided to add social value to their plans by investing in a regeneration project that would benefit the surrounding community. They invested £10,000 which, along with match-funding secured from United Futures, turned a neglected area of land into a new wildlife green space on the estate. Residents also received educational workshops on bird box making, habitat creation and native wildflower planting.

Case Studies

Our partnership with Groundwork has enabled us to build community links at a relatively low cost that was previously not possible due to a lack of resource and expertise. They have helped us to develop a local schools programme that teaches children about climate change and how chemistry can contribute to environmental solutions and our staff have really enjoyed helping to deliver the workshops.Stuart Ede, AGC Chemicals Europe

Herbert Parkinson

When textile manufacturer Herbert Parkinson visited our Offshoots Permaculture Project they were so impressed with the environmental and social activities taking place on site that they decided to make an investment. The company donated two state of the art digital cameras at a cost of £600 to the Branch Out Project, which uses wildlife photography to engage people with mental health issues.

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1. Employee EngagementThe business case for employee engagement is clear - there is a wealth of research and statistics pointing to the benefits of an engaged workforce.

Businesses that successfully reach this goal are likely to see significant improvements in performance, a rise in profits and a greater ability to attract and retain the best employees. In order for engagement activities to be effective, however, it is important to ensure they are relevant to your workforce. That’s where we differ from other organisations offering employee incentive or involvement schemes – our team of community consultation experts will discover what

your employees really attach value to. This enables us to develop an engagement programme that means something to your staff and produces the best possible benefits for your business.

Employee engagement helps to:• Increase employee satisfaction • Enhance productivity and business

performance • Retain your best people• Attract new talent• Create a positive company atmosphere

Some examples of what we can deliver

Wellbeing walks We organise regular lunchtime walks for staff in

order to increase wellbeing and energy levels. Led by a member of our health and wellbeing team, the walks would follow a variety of routes that would start and finish at your office building and could involve the use of a Calorie Counter or fitness gauge. Dependent on the area, we could also take advantage of any cultural or historical landmarks on route and turn the walk into a guided one.

Family workshops Engaging your staff in evening or weekend

activities can not only encourage employee friendship and bonding but can also improve the health and wellbeing of your workforce. We can organise family activities such as: environmental workshops, walking, cycle maintenance, bushcraft, wild food foraging or horticulture.

Staff secondments Independent research has shown that

employees want to take part in charitable initiatives during work time and believe that their relationship with their employer is strengthened as a result. We provide temporary placements for staff members at projects that work with: young people, school children, the environment, regeneration, the community, food growing and more. This allows you the flexibility to select a project that also develops the skill set of your own staff. Placements can be on a full time basis, once a month, once a week or even just for one day.

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Using your staff to deliver your community activities

If you decide to invest in your own bespoke community activities, we can incorporate you and your staff into the programme.

We can involve employees in the delivery of whatever project you have chosen to develop or support, whether this is by delivering workshops to schools, the organisation of a community event or the involvement in a regeneration project.

In a study of 40 global companies over three years we found a spread of more than 5% in operating margin and more than 3% in net profit margin between the companies with high employee engagement versus those with low engagement.Towers Perrin, 2007-8 Global Workforce Study: Closing the engagement gap

Employee engagement is essentially about growth.Edward Davey, Employment relations minister

2. Improving Open Spaces

We believe passionately in the importance of quality design and installation that connects with the needs of our customers and communities.

With over 21 years of experience delivering land improvement services, our landscape architects, landscape construction team and grounds maintenance workers provide a complete service from the initial scoping and surveys to the ongoing maintenance. We even project manage the whole thing for you.

Using Groundwork Pennine Lancashire to deliver your land improvements or maintenance will contribute to your community involvement strategy by:• Supporting the work of a local social enterprise

(any profits we make are reinvested back into community projects)

• Contributing to employment programmes (through our landscaping services we train young people not in education, training or employment (NEET) in skills such as landscaping and fencing and provide them with the experience and qualifications to increase their employability)

• Contributing to local biodiversity and community space (we can design and manage areas of land for the mutual benefit of your business, the local community and local wildlife)

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Examples of open space improvements we can deliver

Regeneration / community garden creationIt is well known that greener streets are healthier and safer streets and for 21 years Groundwork Pennine Lancashire has helped communities to create their own gardens, play areas, allotments and parks.

With your support we will work with community groups, housing associations and local authorities to improve all sorts of green spaces for people to enjoy.

This could include the development or regeneration of:• Community gardens• Allotments• Play areas• Parks• Pocket parks

Landscape designWith 5 Chartered landscape architects and an established landscape contract team, we can meet all your landscaping design and build needs.

At the same time, using Groundwork Pennine Lancashire will contribute to your environmental and social objectives - our work is underpinned by principles of sustainability, biodiversity and quality and we promote the use of recycled and reclaimed materials in all of our projects.

Services we provide for business premises:• Landscape design and build• Derelict land restoration or regeneration• Land art and sculpture• General hard and soft landscaping• Herbicide application including knotweed removal• Employee allotments• Pathway, routeway and cycleway installations

and improvements• Business frontages• Green business park services

such as business wardens• Landscape management plans• Staff sports facilities design and installation

Grounds maintenanceGroundwork Pennine Lancashire has an experienced in-house team of grounds maintenance workers that undertake maintenance for business premises and parks including:• Grass cutting• Turf laying• Seeding• Walling• Drainage• Signage repair and installation• Fencing

HeritageWe have a track record in researching and promoting cultural, natural and industrial heritage.

If you would like to invest in a project that promotes the heritage of your area, business or industry, we will research and interpret data to produce a project that promotes this heritage. We can even engage your staff and/or the local community throughout the process.

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3. Investing In Your CommunityWe work with people in their communities to make things cleaner, greener and safer.

With our support, your business can help improve the appearance of streets, parks and housing estates and encourage greater cohesion within neighbourhoods.

By investing in a local improvement project that engages local people, you will be creating a relationship with your local community and making a real difference to the local environment and quality of life for residents and neighbours.

Community cohesion

Our community cohesion work helps to solve problems in local communities. If a group of people have been exhibiting anti-social behaviour, or a series of derelict buildings or unmanaged land has attracted vandalism or an alleyway is being targeted by joy riders, we use our expertise to identify the cause and provide a solution. Investing in this kind of solution provides obvious extra benefits for businesses that are experiencing problem behaviour on or around their business premises.

Examples of activities:• Detached work (street based community support)• Community consultation to discover

and define issues• Alleygating scheme to close off alleyways and

create a community garden area in their place• Activities for young people, adults and families

as a means of preventing antisocial behaviour and promoting social cohesion

Community clean-ups

Working with residents in a local community of your choosing, we will organise a community cleanup that could also include your staff members. The clean-up would include removal of litter, graffiti and garden debris and specialist contractors would be brought in

where necessary for any hazardous or bulking waste located. Further improvements such as planters, hanging baskets and public artwork could also be installed to further improve the local environment.

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Improving access to green areas

Improving links between places and people is vital in moving towards sustainable transport and in creating healthier and more connected, cohesive communities. With our support, you can develop crucial connecting green infrastructure such as footpaths, cycleways

and greenways. We will manage the whole process – from the strategic planning; to the partnership working required to bring together landowners and communities; to practical delivery of new or improved routeways and promoting usage.

Parks and community gardens

We have years of experience developing and improving parks, community gardens and play areas and we could help you to create an area for your local community to enjoy. We will help you to reclaim underused and neglected land and transform it into new public spaces for leisure, sport, education and

wildlife. Consulting and involving the local community will ensure that redevelopments are tailored to local needs and local heritage and we can even help set up a Friends of Parks group to help ensure sustainability of these improvements.

Community consultation and neighbourhood planning

Groundwork finds out what is really important to different groups within communities. We use our local knowledge and contacts to gather and interpret data needed for your future strategies and development.

We use a range of techniques and approaches to gather and analyse information - from questionnaires and consultation events through to participatory learning techniques and online surveys.

Customers’ CSR perceptions [of a firm] are positively linked to their trust in and commitment to the firm.Pivato et al, 2008 research study

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4. Helping Young PeopleGroundwork’s 21 years of experience working with young people means we understand what a powerful force for good they can be. We regularly work with young people and schools to deliver innovative environmental education, transform school grounds and re-engage disaffected young people into education, training or employment.

We can develop a programme of activity that links you to the youngest members of your local community and allows you to invest in a programme that helps to grow the next generation.

Some examples of what we can deliver

Youth inclusion Our youth workers encourage young people to be part of their community and to provide them with the skills, capacity and motivation to help address issues that affect their health, wellbeing and personal development. We get young people doing interesting things that put them in direct contact with their neighbours, with local shops and businesses and sometimes the local council to make positive changes to where they live.

If you would like to invest in a project that engages with disaffected young people (perhaps in an area near your business that suffers from anti-social behaviour) then we will develop an effective youth programme that reduces nuisance and risk taking behaviour whilst helping the young people find their voice and make it heard.

Example activities:• Sports sessions• Healthy living projects• Workshops relating to sexual health, risk taking

behaviour, health and wellbeing• Life skill classes such as financial management,

cookery, interview skills and CV writing• Drop in sessions (youth clubs)

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Alternative EducationWhen young people leave school with few aspirations and fewer qualifications it doesn’t just impact on their life chances; it’s a huge problem for the school, for local communities and society as a whole.

Our alternative curriculum programmes work with pupils that are identified as being most at risk of leaving school with few qualifications and becoming NEET (not in Education Employment or Training). By targeting young people before they drop out of the system we raise their self-esteem and help them to realise their potential.

By investing in an alternative curriculum programme, you will help young people to change from a path of negativity and risk, to one of hope, respect and positive direction.

Example activities• Vocational training and qualifications• Practical skill learning• Involvement with Duke of Edinburgh

Award Scheme• Involvement with community activities

Educational workshops in schoolsOur work with children in school links to the national curriculum and helps to illustrate how our individual actions can make a difference to the local and global environment. When children understand the influence they have on the planet the topic becomes alive and engaging and forms the basis of numerous other subject based activities. We can develop a series of workshops for your local school that links this learning with your business and can even involve your staff – helping you to create a relationship with your local community and positively influence the behaviour of local schoolchildren.

Our specialist education practitioners will develop links with your local school, or schools, and liaise with all school stakeholders including governors, teachers and classroom assistants to develop a programme that meets both their needs and yours.

Example activities:• A one-off environmental workshop at Key Stage

1 or Key Stage 2 for a series of local schools• A series of environmental workshops for your

local school• A green audit and action plan to help the school

reduce energy, waste and water costs• Audit, action plan and detailed ‘Green Plan’ with

grant funding advice and support

School groundsWe believe that the school environment is one of the most influential environments children experience; after all, children spend almost half of their waking day at school. You can improve this experience by helping to develop the grounds of your local school and increase learning about health and the environment – for instance through supporting food growing and increasing physical exercise.

Example activities:• Mini allotments• Challenging play spaces• Outdoor classrooms• Performance spaces with canopies • Storyteller circles

More than a third of young people in the UK aged 16 to 24 do not feel part of their local community

Almost a third (30%) did not think there was a future for them in their local areaPrince’s Trust Study, 2010

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5. Making Your Business SustainableCorporate Social Responsibility review

If you are considering developing a CSR Policy but aren’t sure which areas you need to develop, we will undertake a complete audit and assessment of your current CSR activity (including those activities you weren’t aware counted as CSR).

We will then provide you with a full report detailing your strengths and weaknesses in this area, a gap analysis of the areas you need to concentrate on and suggestions of next steps and issues to consider.

Comprehensive resource efficiency review

Our resource efficiency review will assess all the main resources that your organisation consumes and will identify opportunities for improvement. During an onsite visit we will complete a full review of all the resources purchased including energy, waste, water, fuel for transportation and raw materials. We even analyse organisational behaviour and staff awareness to assess how the culture of your organisation will

affect changes. Once complete we will provide you with a full report detailing the most practical efficiency opportunities and the benefits of implementing them including: cost savings, materials savings and benefits to the environment. We may also highlight any practices we observe that may have legal implications and provide links to corrective action.

Sustainability review

Our sustainability review covers both of the above and provides a balanced view of both your social and environmental activities along with advice and suggestions on how to improve the long term viability of your business.

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human rights, environmental, community and more. Whatever your requirements, we will assist in the evaluation of your current behaviour and guide you through the creation of a realistic policy.

Travel planning

A well developed travel plan encourages employees to consider other forms of transport to work and offers real benefits not only to the organisation and its employees but to the community in which it operates. We will help you to produce an effective plan by

gathering data for analysis, identifying the benefits for your company and presenting the options available. We will even assist with staff awareness campaigns and internal communications to encourage buy-in from your workforce.

Assistance with external reporting

If your company needs to produce an external report to meet internal or board objectives or to fulfil external stakeholder pressures or even for marketing purposes, we can help. We can help with a wide variety of reporting including Corporate Social Responsibility reports, sustainability

reports, environmental reports and much more. We will also guide you through the structure and terminology of the report, explain the applicability to your organisation and ensure the content and level of complexity is relevant to the audience and organisational drivers.

In addition to the above business services, we offer a wide range of health, safety and environmental consultancy and training services. By using a social enterprise to deliver this work for your company, you will be contributing to the regeneration of your local community and environment.

Policy development

We can help you to create a single policy that covers your entire CSR strategy or we can develop individual comprehensive and specific policies such as business ethics, supplier and customer relations,

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Groundwork Pennine Lancashire, one of the biggest environmental regeneration charities in Lancashire

Printed on FSC 100% recycled paper

Groundwork Pennine LancashireThe Environment Centre, Nova Scotia Wharf193 Bolton Road, Blackburn BB2 3GE

T 01254 265163 F 01254 692835

To find out more log on at www.gwpl.co.uk