Corporate Sustainability Report - Flipbook - Page 72
Sustainability Report
Impact of climate-related risks and
opportunities on our business strategy, and
昀椀nancial planning
Access conducts three di昀昀erent scenario
analyses using Representative Concentration
Pathways (RCPs) to assess the identi昀椀ed
climate-related risks and opportunities in the
short-, medium- and long-term. These are
then prioritised using the risk matrix method
as described above.
Access’ business, strategy, and 昀椀nancial
planning are a昀昀ected by climate-related issues
in the following ways:
Products and services
For the last few years there has been a notable
increase in the demand for sustainable
products and services as well as a shift in
market preferences for customers preferring
to engage with sustainable businesses.
Access continues to innovate and investigate
ways to optimise its products and services,
focusing on reducing carbon emissions whilst
ensuring customer satisfaction and improving
e昀케ciencies wherever possible.
We continue to improve our value chain
engagement strategies and are focusing on
reducing our Scope 3 emissions through
improving operational e昀케ciency. Our
customers also bene昀椀t from these e昀케ciencies,
for example, Software as a Service (Saas)
hosted at data centres with 100% renewable
energy.
Investment in research and development
Technological advancements, including
the AI landscape, innovation and future
development, have been identi昀椀ed as a
principal risk in the Group’s risk management
process.
Access scans for and reviews innovations
in technology that can improve e昀케ciency,
while reducing energy consumption. As
virtual workplaces become more common,
and our customers are based across the
world, important consideration is given to
new, innovative ways to deliver products
and services as e昀케ciently as possible. We
are committed to investing in growth areas,
technology products, and infrastructure
with a view to accelerating both organic and
inorganic growth.
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Supply chain/value chain
We recognise that the majority of an
organisation’s carbon footprint results from
their value chain ie., suppliers and customers,
and that organisations which wish to have
a substantial impact on climate change
must engage and collaborate with these
core stakeholder groups to reduce carbon
emissions. To reduce upstream carbon
emissions Access will roll out a programme of
engagement with its suppliers on their climatechange management strategies through
supplier questionnaires and/or engagement
through risk screening, performance mapping
for supply chain sustainability issues. Suppliers
who are seen as managing their climatechange strategy actively are preferred, and
suppliers who are not will be encouraged to
improve. Access’ expectations are covered
in its Corporate Sustainability Policy,
Environmental Policy, and Supplier Code of
Conduct.
Operations
We have noted an increase in the number
of customers requesting robust climatechange management from our customers. To
ensure we meet these expectations, we are
committed to being an ethical, responsible,
and trustworthy company and comply with all
relevant climate-related regulations, as well as
to report on our climate change management
through Annual Reports. We continue to
review our operations globally against climate
risk and take steps to mitigate it where
necessary. We are focused on reducing our
global carbon footprint through a range of
initiatives including the consolidation of our
o昀케ce footprint, adopting green leases which
include securing 100% renewable energy
contracts where possible; LED lighting with
motion sensors; measured recycling; energy
e昀케cient heating and cooling; as well as
detailed reporting of resource use.
Adaptive and mitigation activities
Access has considered its impact on the
environment and on overall climate-change
carefully. The Group’s risk management
programme is headed by the Chief
Financial O昀케cer and is supported by the
Access Management Team and Group Risk
Committee.
