7 Sep 2010

Reports/Case studies

WSP leads on Personal (Staff) Carbon Allowances - Case Study
Written by David Symons - WSP Group (19 Nov 2009)

WSP's Personal Carbon Trading Programme

WSP is the first company in the world to develop a personal carbon trading programme for its staff. This has resulted in employee carbon reduction, increased employee engagement and positive PR coverage for the company.

Process

In order to do something different to a simple ‘switch off’ campaign, WSP set up an employee incentive scheme known as PACT (Personal Carbon Allowance Trading) in 2007. This involves staff signing up to the programme on a voluntary basis.  WSP gives each participant a carbon allowance of 5.5 tonnes, together with an online tool to measure their carbon footprint from home energy and travel over the course of the year.  At the end of the year, staff in carbon credit are paid 5p per kilo they are under the threshold, up to £100.  Those in the carbon red pay into the fund on the same basis.  Spare funds are used to help staff be green at home and to make the scheme carbon neutral.  WSP is now making PACT available to all staff across the UK and within environmental teams worldwide from January 2010.

Impact


  • 80 employees taking part in 2009 have reduced their carbon emissions by around 10%

  • The scheme has attracted national media interest providing an Advertising Value Equivalent to the firm of around £600,000 in 2009

  • The coverage has reinforced WSP’s brand value and directly bought additional clients to the business

  • Some staff have specifically stated that it was schemes such as PACT that made them join WSP

  • Practical demonstration of a concept that could be extended into national policy

 

 

If you would like more information on PACT please contact David Symons on +44 (0) 207 314 5725 or on david.symons@wspgroup.com

 

 

Listen to David Symons being interviewed live on BBC Radio 2 about PACT:

 

http://www.wspenvironmental.com/learnaboutus/pact