For some companies, corporate social responsibility is little more than a box-ticking exercise. For us here at PG Mutual, being socially and environmentally aware is stitched into our DNA. Here’s a short summary of some of the inspiring projects we are supporting and a digest of how we are reining in our environmental impact.

Ready the fanfare, we’ve launched an Annual Charity Award

From mental health to food poverty, PG Mutual has always aimed to support a broad range of charitable causes. But with so many invaluable charities out there, deciding which charities to support is an unenviable task.

To give our policyholders – and the wider public – the chance to have their say, we have launched an annual charity award. Each year we will shortlist a number of charities whose cause has particularly resonated with us. Then we will conduct a vote to allow the public to decide which charities we support for the year ahead. The four charities with the highest number of votes will each receive £1,000.

Voting for our inaugural charity awards is taking place right now. Have your say at pgmutual.co.uk/charity-awards-vote.

Helping to tackle poverty in the UK

Following twelve months where many people were sadly made redundant, we have received a stark reminder of how easy it can be for anyone to fall into poverty – through no fault of their own. For more than 200 years The National Benevolent Charity has provided vital financial support to people of all ages and backgrounds living with financial hardship. Between 1st November 2020 and 31st January 2021 we donated a percentage of each new policy to The National Benevolent Charity for each new qualifying PG Mutual policyholder. We are delighted to report that this raised £3,450.

From cakes to Christmas essentials  

Sometimes there’s nothing better than topping up the batteries with a cuppa and a slice of cake. And if there’s one group of people who deserve a break right now it’s key workers. The staff of Apex Care Homes, a corporate client of PG Mutual, have done a fantastic job of providing support to their residents during the pandemic. As a small gesture to show our respect for their hard work, we visited all homes with a bumper doorstep delivery of cakes and biscuits. In further support for the local community, PG Mutual donated £500 to the St Albans & District Foodbank to help local people over the Christmas period.

Helping young kids make memories

PG Mutual continues to support PHAB, a local charity that arranges activities for children aged 5 onwards with disabilities, while offering support for their families too. As soon as it’s safe, we will be helping to fund a two-night break at the Hilltop Outdoor Activity Centre near Sheringham for the kids – and we can’t wait to see their faces. PHAB-ulous.

Fewer commutes, fewer emissions  

They say charity begins at home. This year environmental benevolence began at home too. When our staff started working from home in March 2020, we set about tracking the carbon we were saving as an organisation since scrapping the daily office commute. By November we had saved over 36 tonnes of CO2. We also shared guidance with all staff on how they could cut their carbon footprint while working from home.

Green and going greener  

Switching to LED lighting really is a bright idea – an easy way for businesses to reduce their carbon footprint while slashing energy bills. In the last three years, transitioning to LED lighting across our Head Office has made the buildings 85% more energy efficient. We also regularly review our energy supplier to make sure they adhere to our expectations regarding the use of renewable energy.

We’re proud of the difference our actions are making. But the long-term mission is to become carbon neutral. That’s why we will soon be adding our name to the National Trust’s tree planting scheme to support their aim of planting 20 million trees over the next ten years. We will also be working with Woodland Trust to help them protect more than 1,000 woods in their care.

And finally? While we’re pleased that all of our postal communications use 100% recycled paper, we want to do better. So, we will soon be giving our policyholders the option to make a small difference to the environment by going paperless and receiving their updates electronically.

Social responsibility is part of who we are

PG Mutual’s founding ethos was one of social support. We have been engaged with social and community responsibility for more than 90 years – and we don’t intend to change. It’s part of who we are. Because while the last twelve months have been incredibly challenging, the pandemic has hammered home an important message: when a community unites behind a shared purpose, we can conquer anything.

Stay up to date with our charitable and environmental projects at pgmutual.co.uk/csr-pathway.

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