We believe that we can bring a range of positive benefits to the societies where we operate, including through our social investments. In assessing social investment programmes, we consider local community needs and how the programmes will contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
We focus our support in the areas of education, affordable energy, health and safety, and the environment. We encourage our employees to contribute to their local communities, including through volunteering.
In 2024, we provided $1.5 million in community investments. In the UK, we supported The River Dee Trust’s nature restoration projects to reduce flood and drought impacts and protect biodiversity. We also backed the East Grampian Coastal Partnership’s Turning the Plastic Tide Project to promote sustainable coastal management. In London, our staff volunteered with The Passage, a charity close to our head office that provides services to homeless people. The volunteers helped serve meals to more than 150 people and we collected clothes and food donations for the charity’s Christmas appeal.
In support of our aim to promote education, we donated computer and IT equipment to a technology college in Mexico and participated in workshops with local schools to provide career advice and guidance on health and disease prevention.
In Indonesia, we are supporting local communities close to our operations in the Anambas Islands. In 2024, we planted more than 1,000 mangrove saplings at Pulau Harapan to improve biodiversity and protect the local environment from storm damage. We also participated in a beach clean-up with local government and community representatives. In addition to collecting waste, the initiative raised awareness about reducing plastic waste and protecting endangered species.
We also helped raise awareness of plastic waste in Egypt, participating in an initiative organised by social enterprise, VeryNile, to collect plastic waste from the Nile. VeryNile works with local fishermen and women to encourage the collection of plastic waste and provides access to health, education and employment.
To encourage young people to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and maths we participate in school visits and partner with educational institutions. During 2024, we visited 20 schools, reaching 1,477 children. In addition, to support female students starting their engineering careers, we established a women in engineering scholarship programme at Robert Gordon University in the UK in 2024.