Our mission is to be the change we want to see
If you were wondering why those words sound familiar, they’re Gandhi’s. But they resonated with us when we set about planning what we’d be doing for the environment, society, and our people, as part of our ESG strategy.
It’s something that we care about at TIG on a personal level and is why we’ve invested so much to make sure we’re actively doing good, and not merely thinking we are. The way we hold ourselves to account is through our four committees which focus on DEI, Environment, Wellbeing and Engagement, and our Charity partnerships.
When you make a promise, we think you should keep it
When it comes to the environment, the UK government has committed to being carbon zero by 2050, and the UN’s Race to Zero challenges organisations to halve their emissions by 2030. Our mission is to be net zero by 2030, so beyond both sets of targets.
We began by reviewing our emissions in 2021, to see where we needed to make the biggest change. With that, we agreed our aim would be for our direct operational emissions to reach net zero by 2025, and indirect emissions by 2030. Yes, it’s a hefty goal to have, but playing it safe doesn’t create change or get us fired up at TIG, so we’re dead set on reaching it.
Of course, we’re learning as we go, and asked the Climate SME Hub to validate our emission targets to make sure we’re aligned with the Oxford Offsetting Principles on our journey to net zero. Watch this space.
Charity begins at work
At TIG, we like to have a mission that feels meaningful, not just through our work but by what we do along the way that helps others. Helping us get there are the superstars behind our charity committee. Their passion and creativity in how we can get involved are simply contagious.
We have a companywide vote every November on which charity we’ll be raising £100,000 for in the year ahead. In 2022, we chose LIFEbeat – an incredible, tiny charity that runs creative programmes to improve the mental health and wellbeing of people aged 14-22.
Our fundraising for them included Tough Mudders, marathons, triathlons, and for the less sporty among us, payroll giving, fiercely competitive quizzes, poker nights, and bake-offs.
Alongside this, of course, we gave everyone a free day off to volunteer with LIFEbeat, as well as to offer mentoring with LIFEbeat. Along the way, we learnt as much from these remarkable young people as they say they did from us. Amazing!
Last words
If you’d like to partner with us for any of the fundraising activities we arrange, our charity committee would love to hear from you. Simply email charity@wearetig.com and they’ll get back to you soonest.