Sustainability

The principles of sustainability and corporate responsibility are deeply rooted in our core values. In 2007, building on our long-running work in the area of corporate social responsibility, we launched our Sustainability Programme. The Programme is overseen by our most senior executives, and focuses on three key areas:

•    Our impacts on the environment
•    The communities we operate in, both nationally and globally
•    Our engagement with employees


As part of this, we have recently announced five environmental commitments, and have launched a cross-business change programme to address the challenges and opportunities they pose. They are:
•    To reduce our overall CO2 footprint by 20% by 2014 (35% by 2020)
•    To improve energy efficiency in our data centres by more than 20% by 2014
•    To reduce our travel-related CO2 by more than 30% by 2014
•    To send zero waste to landfill by 2014
•    To implement an ISO14001 certified Environment Management System by the end of 2009

At the same time, we are continuing with our many community initiatives, all of which are focused on one central theme: “Skills for the Future”. We work with a number of charitable organisations, including Crimestoppers, Myotubular Trust, Raleigh International and The Prince’s Trust, and the and our people get involved in a huge range of activities along the way.

For example, we raised money for Crimestoppers by challenging the UK Police Service to a sailing rally around the Isle of Wight.  Our Consulting graduate community provides ongoing strategic support to the Myotubular Trust. Members of the Technology graduate community worked with Raleigh International to help create a pathway and picnic area on a Guildford housing estate. And other employees have trekked from one coast of Costa Rica to the other on behalf of The Prince’s Trust.

You can find out more about our work below.

Raleigh International

Our involvement last year in a community project at Newlands Bishop Farm in Solihull is typical of the work we do with Raleigh International.

The farm is run for adults with mental health problems and learning difficulties, and it needed our help on a number of projects. Over the course of the three days, some of our graduates worked alongside Raleigh representatives to construct a wood store, build 16 vegetable beds and complete an eco-friendly classroom of straw and clay.

This unique event not only benefited people at the farm, but also allowed our people to develop skills in teamwork, leadership and, of course, DIY.

This year, Capgemini and Raleigh teamed up with the Awkright Society (of Crompford, Derbyshire) to transform a network of run-down footpaths in the local area into an accessible and usable feature for the town. Click here to watch a video or our grads in action!

As well as displaying the integrity of the BTC community, this type of project also promotes Capgemini’s deeply rooted principles of sustainability and social responsibility. It is projects and events just like this one that show our commitment as a company to maintain a strong code of ethics underpinning all of our business practices.

 

The Prince’s Trust

The Prince’s Trust is a charity that lends support to disadvantaged young people between the ages of 14 and 30. As well as delivering pro bono consulting work for the Trust, we engage in various fundraising activities on their behalf.

In 2006, for example, several of our employees trekked from one of Costa Rica’s coasts to the other. By hiking, cycling, rafting and kayaking, they managed to cover 250km in just seven days. More importantly, they were able to raise a staggering £281,000 in the process.

Ad:vent
One of the more recent initiatives include a team made up of our Management Consultant graduates entering into The Prince’s Trust Million Makers Challenge.  The competition entails devising an business idea to raise £10,000 for the Prince’s Trust charity.  Their venture, “Ad:Vent”, is an online advent calendar.  See here for more information. 

 

Myotubular Trust

Myotubular Myopathy is a rare muscle condition, which mostly affects boys at birth, and sometimes an even rarer form develops later in life affecting both boys and girls. It causes profound muscle weakness. Most critically, it affects the muscles that control breathing and swallowing and is a constant threat to life – a simple cold could prove fatal.

Our work with the Myotobular Trust is split two ways: strategic advice and fundraising. The first involves us helping to define a number of strategies and assisting with grant applications, which enable us to practise key consulting skills. We are also involved in raising money for the trust, which helps fund valuable research into the condition. To do this we have organised a number of events such as quiz nights, raffles and even the odd cake sale. These events are always popular with our Capgemini colleagues and make a real contribution to this worthwhile cause.
 

Business Dynamics

Capgemini’s graduate community has been working with a company called ‘business dynamics’ for nearly two years. Part of this relationship involves our graduates leading seminars in disadvantaged schools to introduce students to key business skills.

This isn’t just beneficial to the children, who have the opportunity to learn about the world of business from someone with first-hand experience; it is also a great challenge for those leading the seminars. Standing up in front of 30 children with the task of entertaining them for a full day is a fairly daunting task.

The Naandi Foundation

On October 1st 2008, the Sustainability Team launched an education sponsorship initiative with the Naandi Foundation as part of our Global Community Programme.  All Capgemini UK employees now have the chance to sponsor an individual girl through school in India for just £2 a month.

The Nanhi Kali programme, run by Naandi, is a child rights initiative, teaching families in the most deprived communities in India about the importance of education.  The Programme provides school uniform, stationery and support classes for girls who would otherwise be kept at home to look after the family, enabling them to return to or begin school.

Supporting the Naandi Foundation through awareness raising and employee engagement forms a central part of the new CDC / BTC three month secondment with the Sustainability Team.