RIVERRIDGE, a leading waste management company, which employs nearly 300 people over five locations across Northern Ireland, has formally launched its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Strategy, entitled Rethinking Our Future.
This announcement follows the company’s signing of the Business In the Community’s Climate Action Pledge in October of last year where it publicly committed to reducing its absolute scope 1 and scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030; and to work towards measuring and reporting its scope 3 GHG emissions.
The formal announcement of its ESG Strategy will see the company publicly report annually on its performance against a set of core principles and ambitions.
Brett Ross, CEO of RiverRidge said, “In a short period of time, we have seen so much change in the places where we work and live. That pace of change has been fast, and, is being driven to a large extent by the younger generation, who are challenging the status quo and demanding positive changes throughout our society that will shape all our futures.”
“We not only want to recognise this change, but aim to embrace it. As a result, we have adopted Rethinking Our Future, a dynamic and evolving ESG strategy, which sees RiverRidge taking a long-term view of our business, our place within the community and the planet, as well as looking after our people.”
RiverRidge’s ESG Strategy, Rethinking Our Future, builds on the company’s vision – to treat waste as a valuable resource to ensure a positive outcome for our planet. It is underpinned by three core principles;
Leading the way as a responsible and sustainable business;
Looking after our people, customers and communities; and
Protecting the environment and driving the circular economy through innovation.
Dale Guest, CFO of RiverRidge, who has led the formulation of the ESG Strategy said, “What sets RiverRidge apart is a passion for innovation and a commitment to sustainability. For the last nine months, we have been working with our key stakeholders and the KPMG Sustainable Futures Team to develop our sustainability roadmap and reporting framework, both of which are key to enabling us to deliver on our five-year strategy.
“By delivering on our core ambitions, which include investing over £50 million in innovative technology to protect the planet, transitioning 100% of our fleet to renewable power, and making a 100% commitment to diversity and inclusion across the group, RiverRidge intends to make a real difference through our Rethinking Our Future strategy”.
Brett Ross concluded, “As the leading company in our sector in Northern Ireland, we want to show leadership in all forms of sustainability. We want to be more accountable and have embedded sustainable work practices. This is not an unusual place for RiverRidge to be – we are innovators, adaptors and disruptors – the emergence of ESG is no different. With Rethinking our Future, we are building today what our stakeholders will demand tomorrow.”
