Environment

Aberdeen recognises that it has both direct and indirect impacts on the environment through our own operations and the assets and properties that we invest in. Underpinning all our activities is our Group Environmental Policy.

Environmental Management System:

In line with our policy we have implemented an Environmental Management System (EMS), aligned with the internationally recognised ISO14001:2004 standard, across our key office locations in order to reduce those impacts.

Our EMS:

• Acts as a mechanism for understanding the environmental impacts associated with our business operations and complying with legal requirements;
• Fosters a sense of responsibility for the environment amongst all employees;
• Acts as a tool for delivering continuous environmental performance improvement; and
• Enables the pro-active assessment of environmental impacts in the long-term business planning and decision-making process

Through our EMS, we have undertaken a range of initiatives to reduce our negative environmental impacts. Examples include the introduction of software to ensure that all PCs are switched off overnight; conducting a review of our waste disposal practices in the UK to identify areas for improvement; and incorporating a wide range of energy saving measures into the refurbishment of our Sydney office.

Further examples of our activities, as well as data on our environmental performance, are detailed within our Corporate Social Responsibility report.

Setting targets

Going forward, we want to continue and extend this good work. We are therefore monitoring our progress and have set targets in three key areas for 2011, based on 2010 levels:

• Increase the proportion of waste that we recycle by 10%;
• Reduce our carbon footprint from energy consumption by 3% per employee (FTE); and
• Reduce our carbon footprint from staff business travel by 5% per employee (FTE)

In addition, we will be taking a more comprehensive approach to the assessment of our suppliers and contractors in order to reduce negative environmental impacts across our supply chain.

Global implementation

Our EMS has been implemented at locations in the UK, USA, Australia and Singapore, covering over 60% of our operations by headcount. Furthermore, through our Regional Environmental Committees, we are working to ensure that best practise is also shared with all offices with more than 30 staff, meaning that over 90% of our operations are covered by these targets.