Corporate Social Responsibility
An international business with over 50 years heritage
At Crown Workspace, we understand we have responsibilities to people and the planet. We are keen to play our role in tackling climate change and contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals towards a ‘better and more sustainable future’ for everyone.
We have been successfully delivering sustainable workplace services for over a decade and are fully aware of the challenges and rewards that a more sustainable approach to business brings. As well as supporting clients to be more sustainable, we use our expertise to drive sustainability through our own business, recognising this is a journey and not a destination.
Our place in the world
Part of Crown Worldwide, our shared purpose is to make it simpler to live, work, and do business anywhere in the world. Our responsibility to our clients, our colleagues and our local communities is shared by every employee. We are true champions of diversity and citizens of the modern, globalised economy. Crown Worldwide is a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative. We conduct our business in accordance with its ten principles and are fully dedicated to achieving a better world.
Delivering community and social value
We make a big effort to have a positive impact in society, making our communities stronger as we grow. This is integrated into our business, from what we do to how we do, and we empower our employees to make a difference:
- Creating new green and skilled jobs
Our circular approach to our business and services increases employment, creates the need for a more skilled workforce and enables us to provide apprenticeship opportunities. - Supporting those in need
Our donation initiative The Giving Back Project provides significant financial and wellbeing benefits to charities, schools and social enterprises. It helps provide the tools to assist the most vulnerable into work and helps alleviate the huge problem of furniture poverty in the UK. - Fundraising and volunteering for charities
We have close connections with many charities and fundraise in many forms. We provide our workplace services and used products at discounted rates where we are unable to donate. Our staff are all given a day off a year to volunteer at a charity close to their heart.
Progressing lives and careers as well as business
We are committed to helping people, as well as businesses, unlock their potential. We employ a passionate, dedicated, loyal team and believe that our caring approach to business starts with our employees:
- A living wage service provider
We were the first major relocation company to sign up to the Living Wage in 2015. We pay all headquarters staff (including our remanufacturing, refurbishment and storage operations) the Living Wage. - Health, wellbeing and safety at work
We are committed to being a rewarding and fulfilling place to work. We maintain a safe and healthy workplace and have robust policies and procedures in place to train, guide and support staff. We deliver and promote many initiatives to support employees’ mental and physical health. - Ensuring diversity and inclusion
We foster a work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. We firmly believe that everyone should be permitted to work in a professional atmosphere that promotes equal employment opportunities and prohibits discriminatory practices, including harassment.
Reducing our own environmental impacts
We measure and reduce our own environmental impacts, and our approach is guided by our circular economy policy, sustainable procurement strategy and environmental management system certified to ISO14001, and includes:
- Adopting the principles of the circular economy
As a systemic change to traditional working processes, we understand that this requires our staff, stakeholders, suppliers, and clients to be fully engaged to deliver more sustainable, transformational outcomes. - Reducing scope 1 and 2 emissions
We have been measuring our own carbon footprint for at least eight years to understand and enable us to reduce our scope 1 and 2 emissions and report our achievements annually in our sustainability report. Find out about our plan to achieve net-zero - Managing waste compliantly and responsibly
It goes without saying that we commit to complying with all waste legislation. We manage our waste in line with the waste hierarchy, prioritising prevention and reuse wherever possible. - Purchasing sustainably
We seek to keep materials in the value chain, using reusable packaging material as much as possible and following a sustainable procurement strategy to ensure procurement decisions have the circular economy as a guiding principle.
Sharing our knowledge to drive sustainable business
We recognise our role is not just to innovate but to share our knowledge and help drive sustainable business much more widely, and we do this in a wide range of different ways including:
- Industry collaborations
We are members of Business in the Community and sit on the BITC Circular Economy Taskforce as well as the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM) Sustainability Interest Group Committee, supporting their advancement of social value, circular economy and responsible waste management. - Site visits
Our facilities attract global visitors from press, academia and industry pioneers who want to see the circular economy in action, and seek to understand the challenges that they face in managing existing products sustainably and shaping future design decisions. - Speaking at events
We regularly speak on all aspects of sustainability to many different audiences. In 2021, this has included speaking to CILIP (the library and information association) members about engaging circular economy principles and to BITC members about climate-related risks and opportunities. - Contributing to best practice guides
We feature in many industry-leading best practice guides including the BITC toolkit on How to Deliver a Carbon Friendly Workplace Transition, the UK Green Building Council (GBC) Circular Economy Innovation Insights and our own circular economy white paper: revolution versus evolution.