Environment

We embrace our responsibility for protecting the natural environment and, since 2007, have taken significant steps towards reducing our carbon footprint.

The Rank Group will minimise the impact of our operations on the Earth’s natural environment; and where possible promote ‘Green’ behaviours to our customers, suppliers and our employees.

Why this is important

It is important for our customers and our people – many of the people who enjoy our brands or work within the brand teams care passionately about the environment. Because ‘green living’ is important to them, it has to be important to us. By involving our customers and our people in our environmental programme, we build their pride in our brands and forge stronger relationships.

It is important for our investors – we believe that good environmental practice makes good business sense. By cutting out waste and reducing energy consumption we are improving both our environmental performance and our profit performance.

Our priorities and our progress

The prime objective of our environmental programme is to reduce energy consumption, which currently accounts for roughly 90% of the Group's carbon footprint. Our secondary target is to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill by improving our ability to recycle.

Our approach has been to identify the areas of greatest opportunity, to challenge our team members and our suppliers to deliver solutions and to monitor our performance closely. Highlights from 2010 included:

• The extension of automated meter reading to 90% of our properties in order to provide more detailed data on energy consumption and to encourage more efficient energy management;
• The replacement of 18,000 50-watt LED lights with 7-watt LED lights;
• The installation of photo-electric sensors to ensure that external signs are not illuminated under daylight conditions;
• The extension of power converters to 80% of our properties to optimise energy efficiency.

Performance

• Supporting grass-roots football in Great Britain through Blue Square's sponsorship of the Football Conference;
• 40% of the waste generated in the course of the Group's operations was collected for recycling;
• Mecca Bingo and Grosvenor Casinos served more than 3.3 million cups of Kenco coffee and 0.8 million cups of Suchard hot chocolate, made from coffee and cocoa beans entirely sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified^TM farms.