In 2013, Chesapeake completed 114 projects under its ‘Chesapeake 100’ initiative. The programme, now in its fourth year, aims to reduce the environmental impact of the group’s global operations. At the start of the year, 134 new challenging targets were set and some of these now will be extended into 2014. 

Phillip Adams, CSR Director, said: “Once again, we made solid progress during 2013 and the response from employees has been incredible. The projects were varied but included a good number of social responsibility related initiatives which have helped to strengthen our links with local communities. Employees have baked cakes, planted trees, cycled, walked or ran lengthy distances - or simply made donations - to support nominated charities. These fund raising events have made a positive contribution to local community projects and other worthy causes. Many sites have also provided resources, sponsorship or work experience opportunities to collaborate with local schools and colleges.”

As part of the programme, Chesapeake also set a group-wide goal to maintain an injury rate equivalent to less than one reportable injury per 200 full time employees. This target was exceeded and will remain a key priority for further improvement during 2014. There was also a clear goal to maintain a safe working environment involving identifying and reducing risks that can lead to fires and accidents. 

In 2013, there were a number of clear environment related benefits: 

• Improvements in waste reduction particularly diverting waste from landfill and making better use of our resources including lower use of water and chemicals
• Improvements in the way we use energy including switching to newer, more efficient lighting systems
• Supply Chain efficiencies 

In 2014, the Chesapeake 100 will be based firmly around the ‘6 Pillars’ of CSR; namely: People Safety, Plant Safety, Energy, Environmental Management, Certified Materials and Ethical Standards.  All sites will contribute to this initiative and ensure that each of the six pillars is given an equal standing.  In total, the business has committed to in-excess of 130 projects which means every Chesapeake site has committed to at least two targets. Many targets from previous years are also continuing to deliver measureable results that will contribute to the process of sustainable improvement across the business for years to come.

Phil Adams, sums up: “The Chesapeake 100 anchors our environmental strategy and provides a prominent point of focus for a wide range of site-specific initiatives. We’ve got plenty to do but we continue to make advances in conserving resources, lowering energy consumption, minimising waste and extending our social responsibility programmes. The ownership of all our projects remains at site level although the outcomes are being shared globally to ensure that best practices are adopted across the business. The projects demonstrate that, due to our scale, making even the smallest changes can deliver impressive results.”