Principality Building Society has partnered with environmental experts ClimatePartner to help the member-owned organisation measure, reduce and offset the carbon footprint of its operations.

The largest building society in Wales, which employs more than 1,000 people and has 71 branches and agencies, has an ambition of being carbon neutral from 2021, and has set a net zero business operations target by 2030.

ClimatePartner, who have been helping companies around the world take climate action for the past 15 years, will support Principality in creating a detailed carbon reduction roadmap including a corporate carbon footprint assessment. This will then inform specific strategies and help devise policies for Principality to become a more environmentally sustainable business.

Julie-Ann Haines, CEO at Principality Building Society, said: “Following the introduction of a dedicated sustainability manager, our focus this year has be to look how we can genuinely become a greener organisation for the long term as a major Welsh employer, and influencing the supply chain of partners we work with.

“We switched to using renewable energy at our head office in Cardiff a few years ago, and the redesign of the building makes it easier for remote collaboration and incorporates sustainable materials. A full review of our flexible working policy which will see colleagues being given the option of whether they want to return to the office in 2022, should reduce our greenhouse gases from employee commuting further.”

“As a business we are committed to being net zero by 2030, and I am looking forward to working with ClimatePartner on how we achieve that.”

Emilien Hoet, Head of ClimatePartner UK, said: “We are delighted to be supporting Principality on their Net Zero journey. It is very exciting to see such an established and historic institution take bold climate action. We hope this announcement and the initiatives that underpin it will inspire others in the industry to do the same.’