Sustainability at Wessex Archaeology 

As  a  leading  cultural  heritage  organisation,  Wessex  Archaeology  is  committed  to  protecting  and enhancing  the  value  of  the  historic  environment,  meeting  the  needs  of  the  present  without compromising those of the future. 

Our Sustainability strategy has been developed in the context of the increasing climate emergency, the drive towards  Net  Zero,  and  the  emerging  worldwide  consensus  that  the  UN’s  2030  Agenda  for  Sustainable Development be adopted as the blueprint for future peace and prosperity. 

Sustainable Development, and the attendant SDGs, provides a value framework and common language to identify and articulate the benefits Cultural Heritage can deliver, and one which is understood and accepted by governments, industry and stakeholder groups worldwide.  

This strategy provides a remit to achieve the required evidenced, measured reduction in our environmental impacts, and to delivering an enhanced appreciation of our work as a key part of Sustainable Development. It ensures that public benefit is at the heart of our business, to deliver meaningful value to the clients and communities that we serve. 

  1. Accelerate reduction of our carbon footprint to meet net-zero by 2030 

The UK’s 2050 net zero commitment is our legal obligation. However, to match our ambitions and reap the benefits of proactivity, we aim to lead the sector with a target of operational net-zero by 2030. The iterative process will begin with a review of our operations and supply chain, benchmarking and measuring our current carbon emissions, with a revised Environmental Policy and Environmental Plan in place by Q2 of 2022.

  1. Lead the sector in delivering Cultural Heritage value as part of Sustainable Development 

We will actively pursue opportunities to research and develop the role of our work within Sustainable Development, build key connections within clients and industry, and work with them to understand and develop ways in which we can most effectively help deliver their sustainability ambitions via the leveraging of Cultural Heritage value. We will also continue to collaborate with selected Historic Environment partners to continue momentum and ensure sector wide improvements.

  1. Establish governance to embed our approach to sustainability throughout our operations 

Responsibility for delivering a sustainable future rests with everyone at Wessex Archaeology. However, to assure accountability, set goals, and measure progress, we will put in place clear governance to drive this Strategy through all parts of our business, and deliver revised and robust new policies and procedures and a regular review and reporting process by 2022. Responsibility for the governance of this process will rest with our Executive Management Team. 

 

Carbon Footprint

Positive Planet helped us to measure our Carbon Footprint to find our starting point and since then we've been developing our strategy to achieve our targets and ensure we play our part in helping the UK to achieve its 2050 commitments.

You can have a look at our latest Carbon Footprint report via this link Wessex Archaeology – Positive Planet – Disclosure

Want to know more about our approach to sustainability? Please contact info@wessexarch.co.uk