Orbit, one of the UK’s foremost affordable housing groups, has published its progress against its Sustainability commitments in its 2022/23 Sustainability Report.

The Report details how the social housing provider is working to meet people’s needs now, and in the future, whilst playing its part in the global response to climate change.

Over the past 12 months, Orbit has made positive progress in a number of key areas including reducing its carbon footprint by 14% (38.5% against its 2018/19 baseline), introducing its first sustainability-linked financing facility and delivering £19.2m worth of social value to its customers. In addition, Orbit also achieved its ISO14001:2015 certification for its environmental management system by the British Standards Institute (BSI).

Other achievements from Orbit’s latest report include:

• Launching a new Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and a comprehensive programme of activity to narrow its gender and ethnicity pay gaps
• Progressing against its commitment to ensure 100% of existing homes are EPC band C or above by 2030, with 83.54% now rated EPC C or above
• Completing work on a £3.6m pilot decarbonisation project to upgrade the energy efficiency of 69 homes and securing funding via the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Wave 1 to upgrade the energy performance of a further 136 homes
• Launching our new Biodiversity Approach, with a commitment to managing 30% of outdoor green spaces for nature by 2030. So far, 18.5% of its green spaces are already meeting this criteria
• Remaining the only national affordable housing provider to have achieved BS9997 British Standards in Fire risk management systems
• Receiving a Merit for the second consecutive year for our commitment to customer and property safety by the British Safety Council in its globally recognised International Safety Awards
• Launching a targeted response to the cost-of-living crisis including a new Welfare Benefits Advice service, a partnership with National Energy Action and a cost-of-living advice hub

Afzal Ismail, group director of Corporate Service at Orbit and Sustainability Steering Group Chair, commented:

“We are committed to working in partnership with our customers and colleagues to ensure that everything we do maximises our positive social and environment impacts and furthers our ambition to drive real change.

“We have made some real progress and I am proud to see the continued commitment of everyone across Orbit working together to achieve our sustainability and net zero goals. However, we must maintain the momentum and over the next 12 months we will be focusing on embedding our updated Sustainability Strategy and continuing to deliver against its targets.”

Read Orbit’s Sustainability Report here.

To download a copy of Orbit’s Sustainability Strategy, visit: www.orbitgroup.org.uk/sustainability/