Bidwells has consolidated its sustainability offering to provide a unique in-house comprehensive suite of services aimed at carbon reduction and planet positive opportunities for its clients. In addition, the creation of an internal ESG strategy has set clear, ambitious yet achievable targets for how the company will operate, upholding best practice and acting ethically and responsibly in everything it does, reducing its impact on the planet and improving the wellbeing of its employees and communities. The company explicitly measures its continued progress between now and 2025, while striving to exceed the expectations of running a modern business.
Everyone at Bidwells is committed to playing their part in the sustainability journey, embedding sustainable thinking into all the services it provides and acting transparently by reporting its performance so that all stakeholders can hold the company to account. Bidwells is responding to the climate emergency by reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by the end of 2030, while maintaining its ISO14001 management system to monitor and improve its environmental performance through efficient use of resources and waste reduction. The company is sorting waste in its offices, aiming to electrify its vehicle fleet, and investing in renewable energy technology. It is positively influencing its value chain by only doing business with companies it believes are operating sustainably. Over the next decade, Bidwells' Sustainability Service Line will help its clients meet their own ESG objectives across their property portfolios. Some of them own thousands of acres of UK land and property worth billions of pounds. For decades, Bidwells has been an industry leader in woodland creation and renewable energy, advising clients on carbon positive projects. In 2020, a Natural Capital and Sustainable Investment team was introduced, and together these teams are delivering high impact carbon reduction projects across the UK - from battery storage technology to river restoration. Bidwells' sustainability services also include Biodiversity Net Gain, Sustainable Buildings and Places, and Sustainable Farm Management.
Political and economic challenges have impacted on Bidwells' services, not least in renewable energy where the policy landscape is changing dramatically. The company has weathered the storms by cultivating a highly specialized team that has consistently delivered climate change projects for over 30 years. Bidwells was involved in one of the first wind farms in Scotland and has grown its renewables team from eight to 20 in the last two years, reflecting its commitment to carbon reduction. During the pandemic, a leap of faith was taken, and a Natural Capital & Sustainable Investment team was created. The company saw the global environmental and social challenges ahead and invested to build its presence in this area. From one person in Scotland, it now has four people delivering high impact projects in peatland restoration, whole estate environmental improvement programs, river restoration, and woodland creation. Markets and government support are shifting, but Bidwells believes in its highly specialized colleagues to deliver real projects that contribute to net zero targets.
Bidwells is entering a period of great change with optimism, a clear plan to meet and exceed its ESG targets, and a renewed sense of purpose. By linking its day-to-day activities to global goals, the company hopes to inspire people to take direct action in response to the most pressing issues of our time. Its ambition is to influence cultural change not only within the business but also through interactions with customers, partners, and other institutions with which it interacts. Positive opportunities for the planet continue to emerge, driving an exciting period of growth for Bidwells. Recognizing the immediacy of the climate crisis, the company is reviewing its path to net zero, committing to purchase Gold Standard carbon offsets from UK-based ISO14064-2 certified projects. Bidwells will continue to build a carbon positive business, with a target of offsetting all emissions from gas, electricity, and fuel used in business vehicles. The company will pursue opportunities with landowners, linking them with investors, intermediaries, and technical experts to initiate socially beneficial projects that would not otherwise have been considered.