Sustainability

Aberdeen Women F Ca

GAC's Roadmap to Sustainability outlines the Group's commitment to "adapt, innovate and reduce" its activities and encourage others to create non-destructive, long-term value moving towards a sustainable future. GAC UK recognises its own role in meeting these ambitions and in 2021, we launched our ten-year sustainability programme – MARS30. Read on to learn more.

GAC UK MARS30 ICONS FOR WEBSITE

“We are committed to growing long-term relationships with customers we serve across multiple services, whilst significantly reducing our environmental impact, improving the well-being of our people, and influencing our stakeholders to do the same.”

We recognise we have a responsibility to operate sustainably and responsibly. We have been incorporating sustainable practices into our business operations for some time, and we understand there is always more to do.

All our MARS30 People and Planet objectives are mapped to the most relevant UN SDGs to our business (SDG3, SDG8, SDG10, SDG13, SDG14 and SDG15) and underpinned by our ISO14001 Environmental Management System, which is externally certified by a UKAS Authorised Auditor.

Team effort

We have a dedicated MARS30 Microsoft Teams internal communications channel where our objectives are detailed and progress monitored. It is a platform where our staff can share ideas, opinions, and personal successes which is key in keeping our goals in the spotlight, ensuring our staff are continually aware of our objectives and helping us all achieve our targets.

Our ambition to promote equal opportunities for all was demonstrated in 2021, when GAC extended its partnership of Aberdeen Football Club to include sleeve sponsorship of Aberdeen FC Women. This support has benefited the club with the women’s squad achieving semi-pro status by the end of the 2021/22 season. What’s more, in partnership with Aberdeen Football Club, we support an annual ‘Fair Play for All’ community event for primary school aged children from areas of social deprivation. Youngsters experience unique coaching sessions and STEM activities at the club’s training facility, Cormack Park, before meeting squad members from the Women’s Team. In 2024, we announced a new three-season partnership with Aberdeen FC, extending our Official Sleeve Sponsorship of the Aberdeen FC Women’s team to include the Girls’ Academy. This underlines our continued commitment to the development of women’s football in the north-east by promoting equal opportunities for everyone – on and off the pitch.

AFC Day

Biodiversity

To help promote biodiversity, GAC UK sponsors several beehives in Scotland, as well as a local farming wildflower meadow located next to our bee colonies, with the aim of restoring the natural biome of the soil using traditional methods and moving away from fertilisers and pesticides.

In September 2022, we became involved in a seagrass restoration project, in partnership with Falmouth Harbour and marine restoration charity, Our Only World. We co-sponsor the production of the Seavive Pod, which we hope can be used in many more Seagrass regeneration projects across the world to help raise awareness of the importance of Seagrass and similar marine habitats.

Bees

At the beginning of every year, we publish our MARS30 Commitment, which clearly sets out our objectives and goals for the coming year, 2030, and ultimately, Net Zero 2050. Please click here to learn more about our wide range of People and Planet-focused goals, all strategically linked to our overarching mission.