UK Leisure Industry First

06.06.2019, 10:17
UK Leisure Industry First
Serco’s leisure division has become the first operator in the United Kingdom, and only one of a handful, globally, to achieve accreditation of its energy management systems to the new (BSI) ISO 50001:2018 energy management standard.
The company operates in an energy-intensive sector and has a large carbon footprint relative to the majority of other Serco operations, globally.
Serco’s Energy, Environment and Sustainability (EE&S) team assisted the Leisure technical, energy and operational teams to develop, implement and integrate a new management system, building upon the good practices developed over a number of years.
Commenting on the development, Michael Lynch, Head of Environment, Energy & Sustainability, Serco UK & Europe, said:
“Serco’s leisure operation is globally one of our most carbon intensive business units, accounting for 9% of our global carbon emissions. Further formalising our approach will help to deliver energy and carbon improvements and contribute towards our wider Environmental Strategy, meeting our client and wider stakeholder expectations. Importantly, it will also help to reduce the damaging air emissions associated with power generation and fuel combustion, helping Serco to contribute toward beating air pollution, which is the global theme for World Environment Day 2019.”
Steven Lawrence, Serco Leisure operations director, added:
“Gaining our letter of conformance to ISO 50001:2018 is an important milestone for Serco Leisure. Our operations have always considered energy and wider environmental impacts and we have delivered significant improvements over the years. Further formalising this crucial element of business operations will ensure a more consistent and cohesive approach across our portfolio, again demonstrating our leadership and commitment to best practice in the Leisure sector.”
Anne Scorey, UK Managing Director for BSI, said:
“Huge congratulations to Serco Leisure for being one of the first leisure organisations globally to receive a letter of conformance to the latest version of the Energy Management Systems standard from BSI. Rising energy costs, possible energy shortages and the need to protect reputation is driving organizations to think more strategically about energy management. Achieving this letter of conformance will enable Serco to drive efficiency improvements, remain sustainable and ultimately, be more resilient.”
Serco Leisure operates over 50 sites in the UK, including gyms, swimming pools. National Sports Centres and cycle hire schemes.