“The evidence shows a strong link between ESG performance and financial performance… A strong ESG proposition correlates with a higher equity valuation… and can also translate into higher returns on capital.” The CEO Guide to ESG, McKinsey & Company, 2023
In facilities management, sustainability is no longer a separate initiative—it’s a core component of operational excellence. It’s about finding smart, strategic ways to reduce your environmental impact while also improving efficiency, saving costs, and enhancing service delivery.
At JR&Co, our practice has always been rooted in care: care for our people and care for the quality of our work. Yet, we knew we needed to do more. This conviction spurred a holistic overhaul of our practice, which has since delivered measurable results and recognition: earning us two (more) Green Apple Awards, a highly coveted Environmental/ESG award from BICSc, Team of the Year at the National Sustainability Awards, receiving approval from SBTI for carbon reduction goals, and strengthening our commitment to social and environmental performance with B Corp certification.
Our success shows how, with a unified approach, you can achieve your own sustainability goals while delivering a more efficient and reliable service for your business. Here’s our blueprint.
1. Taking Action: Our Holistic Approach
Our journey towards a more responsible business began with a fundamental belief: that we could achieve a big impact by combining big projects with small, consistent actions. This thinking started with two simple questions: how can we address our largest environmental impacts, and where are our greatest operational inefficiencies?
A study led by our ESG expert, Vânia Borges, helped us collect data and identify where we could make the most impactful improvements. This led us to three key projects that were never viewed in isolation:
- a transition to digital site files, which reduced our paper consumption carbon footprint by 82.4%;
- a move to 100% renewable energy at our head office;
- the electrification of our vehicle fleet, which ahead of its completion in May 2025, had already achieved a 75% reduction in our fleet’s carbon footprint.
We’ve even overhauled our waste management at head office, with some assistance from Recorra, by introducing multiple waste streams on top of the usual general waste and mixed recycling. We now recycle everything from coffee grounds to batteries & vapes to flexible plastics helping to increase our overall recycle rate.
This unified initiative has not only delivered results but has also earned us multiple award nominations and wins this year. Including: IWFM and wins at BICSc, Green Apple and National Sustainability Awards. This approach shows how connecting all areas of the business can drive meaningful, company-wide change.
2. Building the Foundation: An Objective Framework for Long-Term Improvement
While we’ve always been driven by an internal legacy of care, we knew we needed an objective framework to provide a clear path for continuous improvement. We chose to pursue B Corp certification because it is a wide-ranging standard that looks beyond just the planet to also consider our people, our community, and our governance.
Becoming a certified B Corp gave us a benchmark to ensure we were as good as we said we were. This rationale is also why we sought approval from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) for our carbon-reduction goals: to reach Net Zero by 2040. This is a commitment that will guide our progress for years to come, but given all the work we’ve already done, we know it is not insurmountable.
3. Sustaining Success: The Heart of Our Project – Our Team
A crucial part of this journey was our people. Change can only happen with buy-in from the whole team. We focused on bringing everyone together through a range of initiatives, including comprehensive training and head office open days. Over time, the lessons learned and the experience shared between central teams and operations have fostered a sense of togetherness that has become embedded in our practice.
We hold regular lunch and learns with external experts who help us improve our own and our clients’ practices.
We celebrate the different cultures that make up our workforce, and our teams regularly engage in volunteering days to end food poverty in London and litter-picking in our local area.
We also started the Henry Garden Project, a fun and sustainable initiative where we grow vegetables to feed our team. In a true example of the circular economy, we recycle decommissioned Henry vacuum cleaners as planters. We’ve also found that more informal approaches, such as fun games to sort waste into the correct places, are highly effective in making sustainability a collective, rewarding effort for everyone.
This culture is nurtured by the team at head office, who contribute so much to making it a great place to work—from tending to the plants and preparing food, to generally helping each other out.
The Value Exchange: Responsible Practice as Your Competitive Edge
The greatest advantage of our approach is that the benefits are shared directly with our clients. Our operational improvements—such as our paperless system and electrified fleet—actively reduce the carbon footprint of the services we provide, which demonstrably assists client’s own ESG reporting and targets.
We further support client goals by sourcing product options that combine quality, affordability, and ethical choice without compromising effectiveness. These include Odorbac Tec 4 (a fully biodegradable cleaner), and products from the social enterprise Amplify Goods, proving that responsible sourcing can even deliver superior results.
Our commitment to rigorous, responsible cleaning flows naturally from JR&Co’s long history of care for quality and our people. So, not only have we taken a leap forward in ESG, we’re further assured clients that we act with the utmost care.
For Facilities Managers committed to achieving ambitious ESG targets, a similar holistic approach is key to taking a significant leap forward. Think of it this way: your commitment to quality business practices helps your facility not only make an ESG leap forward, but can help you clearly stand out in the market.
Looking Forward
As proud as we are of our achievements, we’re well aware this is a continuous journey, and we’re committed to this path. We believe that by sharing our blueprint, we can inspire other businesses to join us in contributing to a collective impact on environmental stewardship. This isn’t about competition; it’s about leading the way in responsible cleaning and making the sector better as a whole.
Ultimately, our commitment proves that what’s good for ESG is unequivocally good for business. Responsible practice has been a powerful driver of business value for us, and we’re confident it can be for you, too.
If you’re interested in learning more about our blueprint and how it can give your business a competitive edge, please get in touch.
[email protected]
www.juliusrutherfoord.co.uk
020 7819 6700
