Housing group Orbit has updated its sustainability strategy to reflect the “extreme” pressures people are facing in these troubled times.
It’s not just the impact of climate change on its tenants and residents; the organisation says it is also recognising the dire effect of the cost-of-living crisis, and “recent world events”.
The strategy has been devised with the input of “customers”, colleagues, and other stakeholders, Orbit says, and seeks to set out clear objectives and targets.
These are broken down into four “pillars”; customers, quality homes and places, planet, and people. These range from delivering social value and “positive customer interventions”, to achieving net zero carbon, and reducing the organisation’s gender pay gap.
Phil Andrew, Orbit’s group chief executive, said: “Our sustainability strategy focuses on how we can play our part in the response to climate change, and meet people’s needs now and in the future.
“Understandably this is not a finite task and, since the publishing of our original sustainability strategy in 2021, much has changed, not least the extreme pressure placed on our customers by the cost-of-living and energy crises.
“In updating our sustainability strategy, we have listened to the issues that matter most to our customers and colleagues, and assessed Orbit’s material impact against those issues, and our ability to affect change.
“This is the resulting strategy, and the collaboration of our stakeholders has been fundamental in shaping the long-term targets that we have committed to achieving.”
Since its first sustainability strategy was released in 2021, Orbit has launched further roadmaps setting out its net zero carbon ambitions, and its approach to biodiversity. The latter makes a commitment to the Global Biodiversity Framework’s 30 by 30 target.
Orbit has also introduced a new Thriving Communities strategy to deliver social value to its tenants and residents, launched its Sustainable Finance Framework, and says it has embedded sustainability performance throughout its operations.
David Weaver, chair of Orbit Group’s board, said: “Orbit is a socially driven, commercially minded organisation, and sustainability is integral to our core vision.
“It is vital that we adapt and shape our approach to maximise the positive impact we make as an organisation and to meet the changing challenges our customers and communities face.”
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