Meeting of “green minds” at Saffery Trust Guernsey

As part of Saffery Trust’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint, the Green Team in its Guernsey office recently held a Lunch ‘n’ Learn to gather ideas about sustainable initiatives.

The lunch – hosted by volunteer Green Team leads Samantha Holden and Karin Brehaut – reflected Saffery Trust’s commitment to the ongoing learning and development of its staff, whereby a series of diverse in-house educational sessions are hosted throughout the year, tailored to suit the needs and interests of all staff.

The establishment of a Green Team was one of the objectives of the current Saffery Trust Guernsey business plan to support the collective efforts of the group.

Karin and Samantha delved further into the green objectives of the firm’s business plan, which includes engaging with specialists to monitor and report our emissions, with the long-term goal of achieving a net-zero carbon footprint.

The group learned that Saffery Trust was making progress on its plans, with FutureTracker – a corporate sustainability service provider – having completed its audit of Saffery Trust’s “Scope 1” (onsite direct greenhouse gas emissions) and “Scope 2” (purchased energy consumption) carbon emissions. The outcome of the audit in 2022 identified areas where the firm could reduce its carbon footprint, and the results will be used to benchmark future progress.

The Green Lunch ‘n’ Learn was well attended, and ‘Green Champions’ from each team across the business shared ideas including clothes swap shops, using beeswax food wraps instead of plastic sandwich bags, turning down hot water thermostats by 10°C and growing fruit and vegetables at home or checking the airmiles on groceries to make more sustainable choices at the tills.

The group also had the opportunity to approve greener products available from a local supplier including toilet paper, paper towels and foam soap which were all sourced sustainably.

Manager, Samantha Holden, said the session had been worthwhile.

“The Green Team is committed to supporting the goals of the business to implement more sustainable working practices and all the Saffery Trust staff have a part to play.

“While there are some areas outside of our control, for example Guernsey only has one electricity provider so we are somewhat restricted in emissions linked to our utilities, there are many areas where we can shape change.

“The Green Champions brought great ideas to the table from their teams and it was inspiring to hear how much staff do in their personal lives to minimise their impact on the environment. The Lunch ‘n’ Learn was a great first step and we look forward to putting the ideas into practice.”