From introducing waste reduction and recycling programmes to investing in preventative care, industry experts have revealed some of the most sustainable practices the care sector can be adopting to meet Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria.

The ‘top tips’ were shared at a recent ‘Demystifying ESG’ event at Colliers’ EMEA & UK London headquarters, on Wigmore Street, which was led by Spectrum Care Ltd and attended by more than 100 managers, owners and operators from all areas of the care industry.

Held in partnership with Colliers, Bevan Brittan and Barclays, the event explored the importance of ESG and financing, future-proofing stock and preparing to exit, tips for acquisitions, developments and extensions, and regulatory changes and sustainability.

The first discussion on ‘Demystifying ESG’ saw Steve Fergus, head of healthcare at Barclays, and Sam Addison, head of project management at Colliers, explore what ESG really means and why it is important to businesses operating in social care, while the second discussion on ‘ESG Headwinds’ saw Bhavna Keane-Rao, managing director at BKR Care Consultancy, Aaron Sheaf, technical director of Energy & Sustainability at Colliers, and Siwan Griffiths, partner at Bevan Brittan, discuss regulatory changes in sustainability and how businesses can act now and prepare for the future.

Led by chair Sarah Skuse, head of independent health & social care real estate at Bevan Brittan, the final panel discussions on ‘Futureproofing stock and preparing to exit’ and ‘Sustainability and ESG are here to stay’ saw Fergus, Keane-Rao and Sheaf, delve into tips around estate management, acquisitions, developments and extensions, exiting, planning for the future and commercial relevance.

Spectrum Director Shaleeza Hasham, who runs the family-owned care group, CHD Living, and fronts the charity, Adopt a Grandparent, said: “In recent years, ESG criteria has emerged as a fundamental framework for measuring the sustainability and societal impact of care businesses. This event was a great opportunity to hear from leading experts from several fields on what is a large and hot topic for our sector. We aimed to not only provide clarity on the subject of ESG but also prepare and excite care operators with their own future ESG plans.”

The event was jointly held with the Caring Times Owners Club, following a new 12-month partnership that seeks to capitalise on the pair’s individual networks and knowledge to create an enhanced support system for providers, at a time when the care sector continues to face uncertainty. The next event will be held on 31 October at The Belfry, which will feature workshops on CQC’s single assessment framework, raising debt for development and negotiating with local authorities and ICBs.

Membership to Spectrum is open to everyone, and it is completely free to join. Anyone interested in joining the community will benefit from access to workshops and seminars featuring expert speakers, and be provided with timely insights on key issues within the care sector.

Anyone seeking advice on how to implement ESGs into their business can reach out to Spectrum for support by visiting https://www.spectrumcareltd.co.uk/.

Alternatively, to join Spectrum or find out more information on the consortium, visit [email protected]. To join or find out more on the Caring Times Owners Club, visit https://ctownersclub.com/.