Skip to main content

We have had a very exciting year here at Virtus from an ESG perspective. We welcomed our first Head of ESG into the team in July which was a great catalyst for pushing the great work and ambitions the business already had in terms of sustainability and social value. 

Some of our achievements include the initiation of our company-wide 12 month ESG training programme. Different training topics are being rolled out to all office and project based employees each month, including Carbon reporting, environmental management and circular economy. This training programme hopes to help address the ‘green skills’ gap that has been identified within the construction industry, empowering our employees to contribute successful sustainable business decisions. 

In September we launched our very first ESG strategy which outlines our commitment to sustainability. 

This strategy outlines our five points of focus which are: 

  • Environmental Management 
  • Circular Economy 
  • Carbon Reduction 
  • Social Value 
  • Employee Empowerment 

The strategy takes guidance from some of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals which align closely with our business intentions. We aim to develop measured and specific targets to ensure accountability against all focus areas. 

There has been some amazing work to drive the circular economy in all corners of our business. Particularly by our Materials Hub who has transformed our storage unit into a fully functioning material re-use hub, meaning that our site set up materials and equipment are stored and reused a number of times, avoiding waste and buying new for each project.

Due to our success with driving a more circular economy, we have recently been appointed as a new member of ReLondon’s Circular Community, backed by the Mayor of London, this community helps businesses to implement circularity throughout all operations. We are looking forward to planning a project in the new year which will use funding from the Mayor’s office to implement more circular construction methods across our projects.

Working with Carbon Reporting experts Climate Partner, we have had another successful reporting year, reporting a total of 58 tCO2e which covers activities from our head office operations in 2023. This was a slight reduction compared to 2022, due to improvements to the nation electricity grid and from implementing greener choices through our business travel. 

To offset our residual carbon emissions for 2023, we have again invested in various climate projects, including ones to improve renewable energy technology and making efficiencies in domestic energy supplies. 

Lastly, we have made great efforts towards giving back to communities this year, volunteering a total of 700+ hours and raising more than £15,000 for various charities, including Mental Health UK and Treekly – a tree planting scheme. 

One spotlight community project we are proud to have been involved in is the Norwood Junction Community Garden re-vamp, for which we have donated labour hours and material to help with efforts to re-open an important community space, which not only helps to grow food for the community kitchen, serving free meals to vulnerable resident, but this space will also act as a vital wellbeing space for those experience difficulty in a community with high levels of poor mental wellbeing. 

Looking forward to 2025

We are very excited to take our ESG strategy even further with lots to look forward to in the pipeline. 

Carbon and reporting-wise, we will be setting specific project based carbon reductions targets in 2025 using measured benchmarks, in line with science-based targets methodology. We aim to reduce our site-based carbon emissions through the following: 

  • Running fuel free sites, prioritising hand and electric powered equipment 
  • Minimising waste and resource use through our circular economy policy actions
  • Encouraging green travel and transport strategies 
  • Prioritising re-use and retention of materials within design 
  • Exploring use of biobased materials 
  • Undertaking Embodied Carbon assessments using OneClick LCA software, identifying potential carbon savings at stage 2 through alternative material sourcing

We want to work closely with our entire supply chain towards these objectives, recognising the importance of a team approach to achieve carbon reduction and addressing industry-wide issues. 

As part of efforts towards social value and community engagement, we plan to contribute to various schools and education institutions, using our expertise to inspire a new generation. We will be volunteering time towards important courses such as industry focused Construction T-Levels, helping to give real world perspectives to young people studying construction topics. 

This aligns with our important objectives that surround Diversity and Inclusion, as outlined in out DE&I policy. We recognise that the employee make-up of the construction industry is not currently very diverse. CIOB statistics have found that the workforce is made up of just 15% women, 6% Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Groups and 6% Disabled Employees. We know that a less diverse workforce increases the risk of unconscious bias being translated within business decisions, therefore resulting in inappropriate behaviour or discrimination being perceived as ‘normal’, driving those in minority groups away from the industry. 

Increased diversity in the workforce brings many different benefits, such as widening the pool of talent available, encouraging more innovative approaches to solutions, and ensuring the industry is more representative of its customers and wider society. The more inclusive the industry can become, the more it will serve the needs of our communities.

In 2025, we aim to collect DE&I information from current employees, enabling us to set specific improvement targets where required, which will be achieved through a combination of education, awareness and wellbeing efforts. 

 

Charity Partners – 

In 2025, we will be working with Britain’s only charity dedicated to championing Rewilding, we plan to donate a portion our project’s value to support their work.

Rewilding Britain help to scale up vital re-wilding projects by commissioning and sharing important research, campaigning with the government and empowering local rewilding and conservation organisations.
Examples of projects supported by Rewilding Britain:

  • Connecting natural habitats  
  • Peatland Reinstatement 
  • Seagrass Restoration 
  • Species re-introduction 
  • Improving wellbeing through access to nature

We will be providing our clients with the opportunity to match these donations if they so wish, providing tangible and positive impacts that our projects can have for our natural world. 

Lastly, we would like to announce our official Charity Partner for 2025 – Richard House Children’s Hospice. 

All of our 2025 fundraising and volunteering efforts will be focused on Richard House who offer care and support to children and families who are suffering from life-limiting health conditions. 

So far, fundraising plans include some of our employees taking part in the Hackney Half Marathon, 18th May 2025, and we are excited to see how we can match our success from 2024.

Address

Virtus
Unit 9 The Circle
Queen Elizabeth Street
London, SE1 2JE

Telephone

020 7234 8600

We would love to hear from you

Please fill out the form below if you would like to contact us






    Before You Go...

    Discover how we can transform your workspace with our expert commercial office fit-out services.

    View Our Fitout Guide