Sustainability and ESG
We care about our planet and future generations.
We’re committed to ensuring we do everything we can to reduce the negative impact of our business.
As a responsible global operator working in supply chain management, we can see the need for progress within the industry and to push for more improvement.
Over the course of the last decade, the global movement of people and goods has increased significantly, with growing demand for moving talent internationally. All of this has an environmental impact.
The average emission of an international shipment is around 860kg of carbon dioxide and with over 56 million expats worlwide, the total emissions resulting from international moves are considerable.
Taking action
We’ve worked with specialist external sustainability experts to develop our sustainability and ESG action plans with a range of short, medium, and longer-term goals so that we can take progressive steps forward on this vitally important agenda.
We’ve taken action to:
- Better understand our impact — getting better visibility of the risks, current and future.
- Better identify where we can best make a difference — more effectively managing our risks so we don’t fall short in meeting targets.
- Doubling our efforts, efficiency and speed in making a positive difference — by fulfilling our commitments to the United Nations Global Compact and Sustainable Development Goals.
We want to manage our risk and become exceptional at managing our carbon data so that we can maintain our carbon neutral standing and work progressively towards net zero.
We’re also working hard with our industry partner networks to ensure that together we change the impact of our relocation businesses for the better, remaining focused on ensuring our clients benefit from every change the industry makes.
Icon is a proud member of EuRA and is active in supporting their membership of the Coalition for Greener Mobility, an industry network research group developing goals that all global mobility companies can agree to be a part of, for a more scalable and longer-term impact on industry sustainability.
EcoVadis gold award
We’ve worked with EcoVadis, a sustainability ratings company, to make an ongoing assessment of our sustainability credentials and progress.
We’re the only global mobility service provider to hold a gold rating — scoring in the top 5% of all companies assessed.
We’re extremely proud of this award, a testament to our commitment to sustainable practices. We were assessed on our environmental, social, and ethical performance across various categories: environmental impact, labour practices, fair business practices and sustainable procurement. Beyond these practices, EcoVadis also praised our policies on sustainability and ethical issues.
But there is always more work to do and we’re committed to developing our transparency and analysis of our environmental impact to make sure that we live up to our standards and expectations, as well as those of our clients.
We’re also working closely with our TIRA network partners to support them in reaching EcoVadis certification as part of our commitment to support action to improve the impact of the global mobility industry for future generations.
All our partners share ESG scores openly on the Ecovadis site, so we can see steps that are being taken, in real-time.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG), are a set of 17 integrated and interrelated goals to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that humanity enjoys peace and prosperity by 2030.
Whilst we recognise the importance of them all, our focus is on the goals that fit our services the closest:
8. Decent work and economic growth.
10. Reducing inequalities.
11. Sustainable cities and communities.
13. Climate action.
15. Life on land.
We are members of the UN Global Compact (UNGC) and formally committed to the UNGC’s 10 principles regarding human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption — making them part of our strategy, culture and daily operations.
We set out goals with measurable targets at the start of each financial year to set clear aims to improve on previous years and have agreed to publicly report our progress every year.
Carbon offsetting
Whilst we progress our full service lifecycle carbon data capture and management on our journey to net zero with Ecovadis, we’ve also taken more immediate action wherever we can by working with carbon capture and offsetting experts.
Carbon Footprint
We’ve been certified carbon neutral since 2021 by external accreditation with Carbon Footprint, in recognition of our consistent work to manage, reduce and offset the carbon impact of our business. We are reviewed annually, tracking our carbon impact and highlighting the progress on actions, as well as where we can make improvements.
EcolegIT
When we complete a move, the ecolegIT system calculates the carbon dioxide emissions created by the move, based on the weight, journey length and transport used for the shipment. They then work with forestry partners to plant new trees in developing countries, where they contribute to better living conditions for the local population, as well as taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere to offset the emissions created. Currently, ecolegIT are working on forestry projects in Bolivia, to restore forests in the foothills of the Andes, and in Mexico, creating new forests to support agroforestry.
Social responsibility
and fundraising
We care about our role in society. This includes taking action on social responsibility and supporting charitable causes.
At our UK HQ, we’re a proud supporter of local communities and charities, and have engaged in a variety of charitable events and fundraising activities over the years, raising tens of thousands of pounds in sponsorship and giving back our time to help make a difference. Every year, Icon team members decide which charities we will support.
2019
Marie Curie
Marie Curie provides care and support to people with terminal illnesses and their families. We sponsor Marie Curie annually and have supported their Carols in the City event since 2017.
2022
Shout 85258
Shout 85258 is a free, confidential, 24×7 text messaging support service for anyone struggling to cope. They provide support and advice to people who are anxious, stressed, depressed, suicidal or overwhelmed and need immediate support.
2023
Friends of Sussex Hospices
Established in 1995, Friends of Sussex Hospices is a registered charity run entirely by volunteers. It raises funds, through a variety of activities, to support the running costs of the 13 hospice care providers that serve the people of Sussex.