ESG Policy

Introduction

At Greencore Homes, creating the best possible outcomes both for people and for the planet is our core motivation. This means setting and delivering on a solid commitment to maximising the positive impact we as an organisation can have, even if it means going beyond statutory and regulatory requirements.

This policy document sets out that commitment by managing Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) matters across all our activities. It is structured around our four key principles, each of which has its own core objective.

  • Carbon Climate
  • Sustainable Places & Healthy Homes
  • Delivering Excellence
  • People Community
Carbon Climate

Core objective: Mitigating Greencore’s impact on the climate by delivering better than net zero homes, while striving to eliminate our business emissions.

We design homes to better than net zero carbon standards. Our focus is on achieving both a net zero energy balance in operation and a low upfront embodied carbon through design and construction. We achieve a net zero energy balance by designing homes with an ultra-low energy efficient fabric, zero fossil fuels, efficient heating, hot water and ventilation systems and exemplary levels of air tightness. Our MMC Type 2 timber frame construction and bio-based materials for insulation reduce life cycle impact and minimise the embodied carbon of our homes. Greencore homes achieve an EPC A as standard.

We are also committed to reducing the carbon emissions associated with our business operations both at headquarters and on site. Our Scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions are monitored, and a carbon reduction plan and pathway to net zero is in place, targeting a 50% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030 over our baseline, and net zero as a business from 2026.

Sustainable Places & Healthy Homes

Core objective: Creating climate positive places where the natural environment is protected and enhanced through development, and where homes promote health and wellbeing for new communities.

We design climate positive places by aligning with Bioregional’s One Planet Living principles. Our approach to place-making puts sustainable land use, people, nature and low-carbon living as central aspects of design. Opportunities for biodiversity net gain are maximised on and near site. Climate change adaptation and mitigation are core drivers of our developments’ design. We deliver green and blue infrastructure, ecology and public open spaces to provide ecosystem services for a truly sustainable development.

Our homes promote health and wellbeing.

The new neighbourhoods we create are developed with close attention to reducing our environmental and social impact through construction with Construction Environmental Management Plans and Site Waste Management Plans in place to monitor best practice on each of our sites. Through our procurement processes, we strive to embed environmental and social sustainability within our value chain.

Delivering Excellence

Core objective: Demonstrating leadership in construction through transparent, ethical governance and outstanding customer service.

Greencore homes have received third-party certification from BOPAS (Build Offsite Property Assurance Scheme) and have obtained STA (Structural Timber Association) Gold membership. Health and safety, from the earliest stages of design through on-site construction to handover, is paramount.

We are committed to going beyond our legal duties and legislative requirements and hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards with policies in place to tackle bribery, corruption, conflicts of interest, and ensure data protection. Accountability and transparency are core principles we implement through consistent impact and sustainability reporting.

By aligning our business principles with B Corp, we seek to demonstrate our excellence in operation.

With diligent and responsive customer service we ensure the lived experience of residents in our communities upholds our values.

People & Community

Core objective: Delivering long-term social and economic value through investment in people and community.

Our team makes us who we are, and we are committed to supporting our employees to grow through training opportunities and continued professional development. This is also why Greencore is committed to providing fair wages and has signed up to providing the Oxford Living Wage.

We are also committed to supporting the physical and mental health of Greencore’s workforce. This is why we provide an extensive benefits package that includes private healthcare and flexible working policies, with trained Mental Health First Aiders also in the team.

We want to ensure our team feels valued and supported in everything they do, and to quantify how we are getting on, we will introduce an employee engagement tool. The results will go on to influence the actions we take.

Our homes are designed by engaging and consulting with local stakeholders and members of the local communities around each of our developments, so that their needs are considered in the design process. As part of this engagement, we partner with registered providers in bringing forward affordable housing.

Policy Implementation

This ESG policy is overseen by the chief executive officer and delivered by the head of planning and sustainability. It covers all of Greencore Homes’s activities, across our headquarters in Bicester and all of our development sites beyond.

All employees are expected to read and adhere to this policy. We require all suppliers, sub-contractors and other third parties involved in our activities to ensure compliance with all legal duties and to adopt this policy. We will choose to work with third parties that most closely align with the principles set out in the policy, and will work with them to support the achievement of mutual ESG aspirations.

This policy will be reviewed annually or following any significant change to our processes or legislation.