Siemens plc has launched its inaugural ‘Sustainability Month’ across the company in the UK, with all energy savings made converted to donations for local community and environmental programmes.
Taking place in May and supporting the Prince’s May Day Network and World Environment Day, the month aims to encourage Siemens’ employees to be involved in energy saving and environmental programmes and to take small personal actions that, although simple, can make a real difference.
It is estimated that tens of thousands of pounds could be saved across the company during the month – which will be donated to local environmental causes chosen by employees themselves.
Andreas J. Goss, Chief Executive at Siemens plc, said: “Sustainability is a central tenet of our business, both in terms of what we deliver to our customers and how our company operates. Through Sustainability Month we will build upon existing practices and policies, encouraging our employees to take actions that will also benefit worthwhile causes across the country. Creating a sustainable future means minimising our impact on the environment – we all have a personal stake and a part to play.”
Ian Bowman, Head of Corporate Responsibility at Siemens plc, said: “The month is focused on stepping up and further embedding our energy reduction practices and will highlight how all our employees can contribute in small ways to make a big difference. If every Siemens employee makes just one small energy saving this can have a big impact and raise money for local causes at the same time.”
The key areas to be focused on during Siemens’ Sustainability Month are electricity, waste and travel, with employees being provided with tips on some of the best ways to save power, reduce the impact of travel and cut waste. Employees will be encouraged to focus on simple things, such as switching off their PC monitor at the socket at night , setting printers to double sided and using desktop conferencing rather than travelling to meetings.
Each week during the month all Siemens sites across the UK will get an ongoing update of their carbon footprint savings through a dedicated web site, posters and information boards in site receptions.
Globally, Siemens has set itself ambitious internal ecological targets. CO2 emissions are to be reduced by 20 percent in relationship to revenue by the year 2011. In the UK, in 2007, Siemens plc moved into its ‘low carbon’ headquarters at Frimley, which is a showcase of Siemens’ state of the art technology. The company now uses 30 percent less electricity on this site than at the previous headquarters. Siemens reduced its CO2 footprint in the UK last year by 10 percent.
For more information on Siemens’ corporate responsibility programmes, visit www.siemens.co.uk
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Notes to Editors:
About Siemens in the UK:
Siemens was established in the United Kingdom 167 years ago and now employs 16,915 people in the UK. Last year’s revenues were £4.2 billion. As a leading global engineering and technology services company, Siemens provides innovative solutions to help tackle the world’s major challenges, across the key sectors of energy, industry and healthcare. Siemens has offices and factories throughout the UK, with its headquarters in Frimley, Surrey. The company’s global headquarters is in Munich, Germany. For more information, visit www.siemens.co.uk
For more information, contact:
Kerry Milton
PR Manager
Siemens Plc
Tel: +44 (0) 1276 696338
Mob: +44 (0) 7808 826389
Email: kerry.milton@siemens.com
