Scope 1 Emissions
2022 Communication on Progress
Steensen Varming
Published date
June 17, 2022
No. of questions
70
Supplemental files
102 Corporate Social Responsibility Policy.pdf155 Staff Handbook.pdf102 Safety Policy.pdf102 Diversity and Equality Policy.pdf102 Environment Policy.pdf205 Environment Manual.pdf155 Staff Handbook.pdf102 Corruption and Bribery Policy.pdfCode of Ethics - 2022 Employment conditions pg 5-9.pdfCEO Statement
Governance
Policies and Responsibilities
1. Does the Board / highest governance body or most senior executive of the company:
2. Does the company have a publicly stated commitment regarding the following sustainability topics?
Optional commentAll policies are public as we share them and we intend to upload and have them available on our website.3. Does the company have in place a code of conduct regarding each of the following sustainability topics?
4. Has the company appointed an individual or group responsible for each of the following sustainability topics?
5. Does the company have a formal structure(s) (such as a cross-functional committee) to address each of the following sustainability topics?
Optional commentWe have staff roles that address each of these issues, but given the size of our company, it is not formally documented.Prevention
6. Does the company have a process or processes to assess risk?
7. Does the company have a due diligence process through which it identifies, prevents, mitigates, and accounts for actual and potential negative impacts on sustainability topics?
Concerns and grievance mechanisms
8. Are there any processes through which members of the company’s workforce can raise concerns about the company’s conduct related to human rights, labour rights, environment, or anti-corruption?
8.1. Please provide additional detail regarding the process(es) the company has through which members of the company’s workforce can raise concerns about the company’s conduct.
9. Does the company provide or enable access to effective remedy to right holders / stakeholders where it has caused or contributed to the adverse impact?
Lessons
10. How does the company capture lessons regarding each of the following sustainability topics?
Executive Pay
11. Is executive pay linked to performance on one or more of the following sustainability topics?
Board Composition
12. Percentage of individuals within the company’s Board / highest governance body by:
13. Do you produce sustainability reporting according to:
Data Assurance
14. Is the information disclosed in this questionnaire assured by a third-party?
Human Rights
Materiality / Saliency
1. Which of the following has the company identified as material human rights issues connected with its operations and/or value chain, whether based on their salience (i.e., the most severe potential negative impacts on people) or another basis?
Optional commentWe have reached the maximum number of choices, but feel there are other areas where our work as part of the construction industry impacts human rights, including, but not limited to the rights of women and/or girls, the rights of indigenous peoples and the rights of refugees and migrants.Commitment
2. Does the company have a policy commitment in relation to the following human rights issues?
2.1. For each human rights policy, is it:
Prevention
3. In the course of the reporting period, has the company engaged with affected stakeholders or their legitimate representatives in relation to the following human rights issues?
4. What type of action has the company taken in the reporting period with the aim of preventing/mitigating the risks/impacts associated with this human rights issue?
5. Who receives training for the following human rights issues?
6. How does the company assess progress in preventing/mitigating the risks/impacts associated with the following human rights issues?
Response
7. During the reporting period, has the company been involved in providing or enabling remedy where it has caused or contributed to adverse impact associated with the following human rights issue(s)?
8. Briefly describe practical actions the company has taken during the reporting period and/or plans to take to implement the human rights principles, including any challenges faced and actions taken towards prevention and/or remediation.
Policies are reviewed annually and relevant areas are monitored to ensure alignment with policies. Also, as part of becoming a B Corp certified company, we reviewed many of our policies to ensure they aligned with key human rights principles.Labour
Commitment
1. Does the company have a policy commitment in relation to the following labour rights principles?
1.1. For each labour rights policy, is it:
Prevention
2. In the course of the reporting period, has the company engaged with affected stakeholders or their legitimate representatives in relation to the following labour rights issues?
Optional commentSafety is monitored and discussed/reported monthly, along with recommendations for reducing risks. Working conditions have been assessed more regularly over the last couple of years, due to covid and the need to achieve healthy and safe conditions within the studios and for staff working from home.3. What type of action has the company taken in the reporting period with the aim of preventing/mitigating the risks/impacts associated with this labour rights issue?
4. Who receives training for the following labour rights issues?
5. How does the company assess progress in preventing/mitigating the risks/impacts associated with the following labour rights issues?
Performance
6. What is the percentage of employees covered under collective bargaining agreements?
7. What is the percentage of employees in a trade union or other workers' organization?
Optional commentOnly our staff in Denmark will be part of trade unions, but we don't ask them to declare whether they are part of one or not.8. In the course of the reporting period, what was the percentage of women in:
9. What was the average ratio of the basic salary and remuneration of women to men (comparing jobs of equal value) during the reporting period?
10. In the course of the reporting period, how frequently were workers injured (injuries per hour worked)?
Optional commentIn the last reporting period, there were less than 3 injuries reported across all studios (all minor) and approximately 120,000 hours worked. If this calculation were against total available hours (rather than total person hours worked), that would be a total of approximately 1,824 hours worked, which would lead to a frequency of 0.00211. In the course of the reporting period, what was the company’s incident rate?
Response and Reporting
12. In the course of the reporting period, has the company been involved in providing or enabling remedy where it has caused or contributed to the adverse impact associated with the following labour rights issues?
13. Briefly describe practical actions the company has taken during the reporting period and/or plans to take to implement the labour rights principles, including any challenges faced and actions taken towards prevention and/or remediation.
Worker health and safety and associated incidents are tracked on a monthly basis and any causes are reviewed. Preventative steps are used such as risk assessments for when visiting sites etc. Working conditions have been assessed several times during the assessment period due to a greater amount of working from home and ensuring covid safe working environments for all our studios.Environment
Commitment
1. Does the company have a formal policy on the following environmental topics?
1.1. For each environmental policy, is it:
Prevention
2. In the course of the reporting period, has the company engaged with affected stakeholders or their legitimate representatives in relation to the following environmental issues?
3. What type of action has the company taken in the reporting period with the aim of preventing/mitigating the risks/impacts associated with these environmental topics?
4. How does the company assess progress in preventing/mitigating the risks/impacts associated with the following environmental topics?
Optional commentWe are planning to start tracking resource consumption more accurately and target zero carbon for all our studios.4.1. For each environmental topic in which the company sets timebound goals / targets, what kind of targets has the company set?
Optional commentAs a general note, Steensen Varming is committed to improving sustainability performance and reducing environmental impact over time in all areas. Also, as part of the B Corp certification process and re-certification, we aim to improve on performance for all areas.4.2. For each environmental topic in which the company sets timebound goals / targets, how is progress against target / goal tracked?
5. In the course of the reporting period, has the company been involved in providing or enabling remedy for any actual impacts associated with the following environmental issue(s)?
Climate Action
6. What were the company’s gross global greenhouse gas emissions for the reporting period?
Scope 2 Emissions
Scope 3 Emissions
7. What percentage of the company's revenue was invested in R&D of low-carbon products/services during this reporting period?
Optional commentAs a company, we develop carbon reduction strategies for the development of buildings and masterplans. As part of this process, we regularly assess new and emerging technologies and carry out analyses to help determine the feasibility of possible low-carbon opportunities.8. Has the organization acted to support climate change adaptation and resilience?
Optional commentWe often provide climate resilience advice and analysis to our clients and project partners. We have contributed to publicly available reports on how to design climate-resilient developments and infrastructure.Energy / Resource Use
9. Please report the company's renewable energy consumption as a percentage of total energy consumption in the reporting period.
Technology
10. What percent of the company's revenue came from environmentally friendly products / services during this reporting period?
Optional commentAs a company, we are B Corp certified, a third-party sustainability certification body. We also have ISO 14001 environmental certification. Therefore, possibly 100% of our services and associated revenue could be classed as environmentally friendly.Sector-specific Questions
11. Which sector(s) does the company operate in? If diversified, choose top 3 by revenue.
Sector-specific: Water
12. Please provide details regarding the company's water withdrawal and consumption (own operations) during the reporting period.
Water withdrawal (volume of water in megaliters):
Water consumption (volume of water in megaliters):
13. Please provide details about the company’s water intensity of products in regions with high or extremely high water stress.
Sector-specific: Forest, biodiversity, and land use
14. Please report the number and area (in hectares) of sites owned, leased, or managed by the company in or adjacent to protected areas and/or key biodiversity areas (KBA).
Optional commentAll our studios are located within cities and not within or near protected areas.15. What area (in hectares) of natural ecosystems was converted during the reporting period in areas owned, leased, or managed by the company?
16. Is the company supporting or implementing project(s) focused on ecosystem restoration and protection?
Sector-specific: Waste
18. Please report the company's total weight of waste generated in metric tonnes during the reporting period.
19. Please report the percentage of the company's waste that was hazardous waste (i.e., hazardous waste ratio) during the reporting period.
20. Please report the company's estimated metric tonnes of single-use plastic consumed wherever material along the value chain during the reporting period.
Overall Environment
21. Briefly describe practical actions the company has taken during the reporting period and/or plans to take to implement the environment principles, including any challenges faced and actions taken towards prevention and/or remediation.
Steensen Varming actively promote and implement strategies to reduce our impact on the environment. This includes: - Waste strategies such as segregation of different recyclable and organic waste streams to enable greater percentage of recycling. We provide re-usable coffee cups, bags and cutlery / crockery for all staff to use. - Energy strategies such as policies to switch off lights / Air Conditioning / computers / etc when not in the studios. Our largest studio in Sydney purchases 100% renewable energy and achieves a 5.5 Star NABERS rating without renewable energy, and 6 Star rating with renewable energy. Our Canberra studio also uses 100% renewable energy. - Carbon Emissions - We are aiming to achieve 100% carbon neutral status for all our studios within the near future for Scope 1 and 2 emissions, and to track and reduce or offset Scope 3 emissions to become a carbon-neutral / climate-positive company. - Partnerships & Collaboration - As part of our work as sustainability and building services consultants, we are always providing advice to companies and industries on how to reduce energy and carbon emissions.Anti-corruption
Commitment
1. Does the company have an anti-corruption compliance programme?
2. Does your company have policies and recommendations for employees on how to act in case of doubt and/or in situations that may represent a conflict of interest, e.g. with regard to gifts and hospitality, donations, sponsorship, or interactions with public officials?
Prevention
3. Who receives training on anti-corruption and integrity?
3.1. How often is such training provided?
4. Does the company monitor its anti-corruption compliance programme?
Response and Reporting
5. Please report the company's total number and nature of incidents of corruption during the reporting year.
6. Within the reporting period, what measures has the company taken to address suspected incidents of corruption independently or in response to a dispute or investigation by a government regulator?
7. Does your company engage in Collective Action against corruption?
8. Briefly describe practical actions the company has taken during the reporting period and/or plans to take to implement the anti-corruption principle, including any challenges faced and actions taken towards prevention and/or remediation.
Policies are regularly reviewed and training is provided to all staff to ensure they understand these policies.