Jonathan Freeman, Group Sustainability Director at CareTech Ltd and Chair of the Social Care Sustainability Alliance, explains how by coming together, we can tackle the sector’s contributions to climate change
When I was appointed as the first ever Group Sustainability Director for CareTech, I felt rather a lone figure in the social care landscape working on this agenda. Fast forward two years and there has been an awakening across the social care sector about ESG and sustainability issues. But, still, many providers don’t quite know where to start. And others, especially with recent Government policy changes on environmental issues, are hoping that this is all just a fad that that will pass. It won’t!
The CQC’s new Adult Social Care Single Assessment Framework introduces the new ‘Environmental sustainability – sustainable development’ criteria to the inspection regime. This puts environmental sustainability at the heart of what it means to provide a social care service in which the public can trust.
Increasingly, commissioners are asking providers to demonstrate their sustainability credentials in tender exercises, with more demanding asks of providers and with this element becoming far more important in tender evaluations.
And don’t overlook the changing expectations and demands of consumers who increasingly demand that the products and services they purchase must be increasingly sustainable, provided by ethically-driven organisations, and, that support their own increasingly-sustainable daily routines.
The social care sector has a big responsibility to tackle its contributions to climate change. For example, the 17,500-odd care homes in the UK have been estimated to contribute as much as 2.8 million tonnes of carbon a year. But this isn’t just about environmental issues. As a highly-regulated sector, most care providers are good at the ‘G’ – Governance – of ESG. The ‘S’ in ESG, however, is often overlooked; social care delivers a huge benefit to society but just being a social care provider doesn’t mean that you automatically tick the ‘S’ box.
The Social Care Sustainability Alliance was established in April 2023 to help social care providers make meaningful and impactful changes in delivering on their sustainability objectives. The Alliance recognises that the ESG approach within social care requires systemic changes beyond the capabilities of one individual company. Importantly, whilst the Alliance draws support from across organisations supporting the sector, its core membership comes from the senior leadership of providers and operators of all sizes, from across the whole sector and of all business types.
By fostering collaboration on key issues, the Alliance aims to identify sustainability opportunities and share best practices across the sector, enabling members to prepare robust, ambitious, yet realistic net-zero plans for longer-term sustainability results. The Alliance helps members to navigate the ESG landscape and provide a safe space to discuss the regulatory, operational and financial pressures that can often delay the implementation of the ESG commitments.
In December 2023, the Alliance published its first report which sets out the business case for sustainability in social care. This report contends that addressing the challenges of sustainability can reduce costs, improve care and at the same time accelerate the transition to carbon net zero and a more sustainable future. The report aims to provide those seeking to embark on or to deepen the sustainability journeys within their social care organisations with clear evidence to persuade Executive and Board teams of the financial as well as moral arguments for embracing sustainability at the heart of their organisations.
Sustainability is not a fad, nor a tick box exercise. All the evidence points to sustainable businesses being, quite simply, better businesses. So, if you’d like to learn more and get involved in the Alliance (and there are no fees!), please check out our website[1] and get in touch to play your part in this vital agenda.
@jonathanfreeman @CareTechFdn
www.addleshawgoddard.com/en/sectors/health/social-care-sustainability-alliance/
[1] www.addleshawgoddard.com/en/sectors/health/social-care-sustainability-alliance/
