As a global business, we need everyone’s help to reduce our carbon footprint—it’s not something that can be done in isolation, but collectively, as a company of over 7000 people, we can make a difference.
The sentiment has resonated with employees worldwide and to illustrate how people are taking action at Access, 4 November 2024 will mark our second Access Environmental Awareness Day.
This year, Radu Giju, Managing Director of Access Global Operations Centres, is leading the charge. The awareness day focuses on environmental best practices, highlighting our Romanian GOC in Timisoara, where a host of environmental initiatives have been implemented.
Timisoara GOC
The Romania GOC is located in Iulius Town, one of the most spectacular green spaces in Timisoara, including office space, retail and leisure. Iulius Gardens has a canopy of 1,400 trees, and over 100 species of shrubs and plants surrounding a feature lake with fountains, piped music, fish and turtles.
Radu explained: “Green space was a fundamental element of the development and building work didn’t get permission until all stakeholders had agreed on the integral green space. The result has been a great success story of a mixed-use project, breathing life into a previously industrial urban area and reconnecting it to the city—creating a truly exceptional space for our people to work, learn and socialise.”
The GOC interior is unmistakably Access – with the stamp of work hard, play hard and attention to well-being; there is a games room, climbing wall, karaoke, podcast studio, running track, static bikes and a few hammocks strategically located to take in the views - this place is fun.
Mihaela Krein, Facilities Manager oversees the extensive sustainability initiatives.
“In developing this workspace - our Timisoara GOC has had to consider the regulations of both the Romanian Government Sustainable Development Strategy and that of the EU, ensuring compliance.
Some of our features include solar power and renewable energies, efficient energy use with our DALI system, smart lighting based on available natural light, and proximity sensors on elevators. We also support walking and cycling to work and offer electric vehicle charging. Unique to the Timisoara office, there is regular microclimate testing for air quality, lighting and sound, all to support staff well-being.”
During a recent visit to the Timisoara GOC, Carla Matthews, Access Director of Sustainability, was impressed by the progressive approach to both social and environmental sustainability.
Carla commented:
“I was delighted to learn that our Timisoara GOC is well on the way to meeting ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management conformance without much intervention – the GOC is aligned with several of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals - aside from supporting decent work and economic growth, we also support renewable energy and energy efficiency, climate action, gender equality, and quality education through our partnerships with local schools, colleges and universities.”
Community Projects
River Bega
Over 70 Access members gathered on a Saturday morning to help with the clean-up operation of the River Bega, supported by our environmental delivery partners ECO CLUB Timisoara and SC RETIM Ecologic Service SA, a waste management company. This reinforced Access's commitment to sustainability.
Like much of central Europe, Romania has suffered heavy rainfall recently. High-water levels can cause rubbish and debris to be carried and strewn along riverbanks. The area is used widely by the local community for leisure pursuits including walking, running, cycling, and fishing. The team was delighted to help restore the riverside to its natural beauty for everyone to enjoy.
Access Forest
Similarly, in March this year, employees wanted to find a way to celebrate reaching 1,000 employees. With the help of a local environmental delivery partner, a plot of land next to a nursery school was secured at Timisoara, and 1,000 trees were planted, creating the Access Forest.
Unfortunately, even though under irrigation, only 40% of saplings survived the hot summer. Extreme weather is a reality in the area, so further planting activity is planned for later in the year to bolster the project.
Access Environmental Awareness Globally
“While Timisoara has been our spotlight for this awareness day – we are encouraged that our teams from around the world have taken part in some fantastic initiatives to support environmental projects using their Giving Back days to do so.”
Carla Matthews, Director of Sustainability
Kuala Lumpur - Victoria Institute Re-Greening Initiative
On 22 November, a team of 20 volunteers from our KL office will participate in an initiative to plant trees as part of the Victoria Institute’s Re-Greening Initiative. This re-greening effort is a significant component of the city's ambitious 100 million tree planting campaign.
GOC KL will contribute 50 saplings to the initiative via Urban Hijau, further supporting the cause. By participating in this tree-planting effort, the KL GOC contributes to a larger movement towards sustainability and environmental stewardship, ensuring a greener future for future generations.
New Zealand - Motuihe Island
An Access team in Auckland led by George Sutton, Access Learning and Digital Content Manager will volunteer in December on Motuihe Island, a paradise island in the Hauraki Gulf 30 minutes from Auckland.
Motuihe Island is home to native New Zealand flora and fauna, such as the little spotted kiwi, saddleback, kakariki, bellbirds, whiteheads, shore skinks, common gecko, duvaucel gecko and tuatara.
Motuihe Restoration is a conservation project run in partnership between Motuihe Trust and the Department of Conservation (DOC). Its goal is to transform Motuihe Island into an authentic natural environment of beaches, native forests, wetlands, open spaces, and rare and endangered native birds and insects.
Australia – Great Barrier Reef
In Australia, the Access Foundation is delighted to have awarded its first environmental grant to Reef Restoration Foundation. The £5000 grant will fund training to upskill a new commercial diver, aiding the restoration of the Great Barrier Reef.
Access Senior Technical Support Engineer, Richard Riles, based in Cairns, volunteers for RRF and introduced their work to the Access Foundation.
As well as managing coral nurseries, Richard will assist the RRF Commercial divers to stock and maintain the spawning trees as a volunteer. This project takes an innovative approach that means once the nurseries have been upscaled to a few hundred trees, the nurseries will make a meaningful difference in that they will produce hundreds of millions of additional coral larvae every year, the equivalent of a small reef, which will help build reef resilience.
UK – National Trust
In the UK, our Loughborough GOC now has its very own team of Green Champions. The initiative, led by Lucie Widdowson, Access Governance and Compliance Manager aims to raise awareness of Access’ sustainability agenda and commitment to continually improving our environmental footprint.
A range of new initiatives have been set up, including recycling coffee grounds for colleagues' composts and increasing the amount of natural plant life inside the offices. The team will also arrange a Giving Back Day to support the National Trust by helping clean up some of their stunning parkland in the New Year. If you’re based in Loughborough and would like to become a Green Champion, reach out to Lucie, and support the cause.