Environmental Policy

Our Commitment

Fathm is committed to playing a full and active part in helping protect the planet through the way we work, how we produce and consume, how we manage our resources, and through the example we can set for others. We are committed to addressing emissions associated with our work and actively working towards sustainability. 

We are committed to actively working towards sustainability through ongoing emissions reduction, and, from 2024, the use of carbon offsetting and capture where emissions cannot be fully eliminated, in order to achieve our goal of being carbon neutral. Our climate goals support the global aims of a just transition and keeping temperature rise to 1.5 degrees.

We recognise that Fathm’s work necessitates some international staff travel and while our approach is to limit high emissions travel wherever possible it is important that when it is necessary we do it in the least environmentally harmful way possible.

Our expectations of an active commitment to environmental responsibility extend beyond our own activities to all our direct suppliers. We expect all our direct suppliers to be striving towards achieving carbon neutral status and strongly encourage our suppliers to ensure that their own supply chain shares this commitment.

For ourselves, and our suppliers, a longer term commitment to the goal of achieving net zero as soon as possible, and no later than 2030 in keeping with the Paris Agreement, is of fundamental importance.

This Environmental Policy aims to give recommendations and guidelines to reduce our carbon footprint. However we are mindful that we have to balance the health and safety of employees travelling for meaningful work with the impact on the environment. Everything shall always be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Our Process

We recognise that working towards positive climate change takes time and have made a long term commitment to this including the following steps:

  1. Off-setting our estimated carbon footprint through the use of a recognised and reliable scheme from 2024

  2. Developing the tools and processes to measure our carbon footprint as accurately as possible

  3. Identifying means to reduce our carbon footprint

Our current and target actions are identified below and we will continue to develop these over time.

Actions: Operations & Technology

  • Be a near-paperless organisation. Staff should only print documents if absolutely necessary and suggest alternatives to partners, clients, or suppliers when asked to print.

  • Implement Green IT practices, promoting the use of energy-efficient hardware and software solutions.

  • Encourage regular digital decluttering to reduce data storage needs and associated energy consumption.

  • Ensure that digital platforms, including websites, AI services, and cloud services, are hosted on servers powered by renewable energy sources.

Actions: Travel & Transportation

  • Fathm employees must weigh the purpose and outcomes of planned air travel against its carbon emissions; travel should always be the exception, not the rule.

  • Air travel should be avoided for journeys where a low-emission alternative (e.g., train, boat) will take 6 hours or less.

  • All travel must be booked through Fathm’s approved process to track emissions.

  • When flying is necessary, staff should select low-carbon routes and airlines where possible.

  • Fathm employees should use low-carbon options for on-the-ground travel and accommodation (e.g., hotels with environmental policies, public transport).

Actions: Suppliers & Procurement

  • Fathm actively try to selects suppliers and service providers committed to strong sustainability practices, ensuring alignment with Fathm's environmental commitments. We have developed a Supplier Code of Conduct and screening process for this purpose.

Actions: Energy Use

  • Fathm team members working from home are encouraged to use renewable energy suppliers.

Actions: Waste Reduction

  • In their work employees should reduce waste and use reusable items wherever possible.

  • Fathm will prioritise repair and reuse of equipment and purchase refurbished equipment.

  • End-of-life equipment will be responsibly disposed of and recycled wherever possible.

Actions: Carbon Offsetting

  • From 2024, Fathm has been offsetting its estimated carbon footprint using a recognised and reliable scheme.

  • Tools and processes will be developed to measure the carbon footprint as accurately as possible.

  • Fathm will identify and implement further measures where possible to reduce its carbon footprint.

Actions: Employee & Client Awareness

  • Provide regular training sessions to educate employees about sustainable practices, such as energy conservation, waste reduction, and sustainable commuting options.

  • Encourage and facilitate employee participation in environmental initiatives, such as tree planting events, community clean-ups, or sustainability challenges.

  • Leverage Fathm's platform to advocate for broader environmental responsibility within its industry, sharing best practices and success stories.

  • Collaborate with clients to develop and implement sustainable practices within their projects, extending Fathm's environmental impact beyond its organisation.

Actions: Policy & Reporting

  • Conduct periodic environmental audits to evaluate the effectiveness of initiatives and identify areas for improvement.

  • Share sustainability progress with stakeholders highlighting achievements, challenges, and future goals.