“There is no point setting goals without a clear pathway for measuring success” – Brian O’Neill of Aviva, winner of ESG Zero Carbon Award

Pictured: Brian O’Neill, Head of Sustainability, Sponsorships and Communications, Aviva

What did it mean to win New Zero Carbon category at the ESG Awards? 

It was fantastic for us to win this prestigious award as it demonstrates a recognition for our ambitious targets and actions we have put in place across our entire business to help us achieve our goal of net zero by 2040.

What factors, do you think, contributed to this success? 

Aviva has a long-standing history of listening to and adopting the science when it comes to climate issues and recognising the obligation that we have as a leading financial services business to take action. This is evident by the fact that we have been carbon neutral in our operations since 2006, previously using carbon offsets by supporting projects in the developing world and have been developing ESG and ethical funds for over 30 years.  We are still at an early stage of an 18 year climate journey so there is a lot  more  that needs to be done to deliver our goal of net zero by 2040, the most ambitious of any insurance company in the world to date. We have put in place both short and long term goals and actions  for our entire operations, supply chain and investments, as that is where our biggest impact can be  delivered

Is there one piece of advice you would give to others who are seeking to make a difference? 

Start by understanding your carbon emissions baseline. This can be one of the most challenging parts of the exercise as capturing data and understanding what your largest emitting activities are is  difficult but, without a solid baseline, you cannot begin to make impactful changes or set significant targets. Be sure to challenge yourself when setting a baseline year and explore new measures and KPIs for measuring progress. There is no point setting long term goals without any clear pathway for measuring success and incremental improvements.

What are your plans for the future? 

We have a significant number short term goals in place, that will need to be met within the next two years, such as electrifying our fleet, and decarbonising our investment portfolio by 25%. Part of our net zero strategy means investing in nature based solutions to remove carbon from the atmosphere and last year we announced a €5 million investment in the Nature Trust which will see roughly 1.2 million trees planted across the island of Ireland over the next few years. It’s important not to forget the importance of biodiversity in the battle to save our planet and that’s why we have highlighted the importance of supporting natural habitats to allow our native species to thrive and as a significant driver for our investment in nature.

The ESG Awards 2023 are now open for entries. To get involved in the ESG Awards, please contact Brian.Kearns@businessandfinance.com

Business & Finance launches inaugural Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) Awards

Business & Finance has launched the inaugural Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) Awards which will take place in June 2022
While sustainability is the most important and urgent issue of our times, it can mean different things to different companies. ESG provides a specific set of criteria, namely environmental, social, and governance, that companies can measure, benchmark and report against. ESG is vitally important because it relates to internal practices and policies that lead to effective decision making and, in turn, facilitates sustainable top-line growth into the future.

The growing impetus to ensure ESG standards are met by companies has introduced a whole new range of technology solutions, ideas and products that are changing the way we do business.

These new Business & Finance ESG Awards will celebrate those who are actively striving to address and progress ESG issues in the organisation. With a variety of categories, the Awards will showcase the successes of ESG initiatives, examples of best practice and highlight the importance of transparency in this area.

The ESG Awards’ esteemed judging panel will adjudicate on all entries across a range of criteria and recognise those setting the standards for ESG Excellence. They will recognise and reward the best in class under 15 categories spanning environment, finance, workplace and governance while also choosing the best overall companies demonstrating a commitment to ESG.

To align your company with the Business & Finance ESG Awards executive audience we have a limited number of partnership opportunities available.

To find out more please contact brian.kearns@businessandfinance.com

Please register your interest Here