Anchor publishes Sustainability Report 2023

Anchor has today published our Sustainability Report for the year ending 31 March 2023, sharing the results of our continued work to meet the needs of older people in a sustainable way, and play our role in addressing climate change.

Sarah Jones, Chief Executive said: 

As a housing and care provider for older people, we want to ensure both current and future generations of older people can love living in later life. Our work creates social value and we operate to high standards of governance and financial control. Our Environmental Sustainability and Net Zero Carbon strategy will support us in mitigating the environmental risks and impacts of our operations, and in reaching net zero by 2050 and our latest Sustainability Report shows our progress.

This is the third year we have prepared our Sustainability Report using the Sustainability Reporting Standard for Social Housing and we’re pleased to share the results of our continued work for the 2022-23 reporting year.  

The report is accompanied by the publication of our Sustainability Bond Allocation & Impact Report for 2022-23, showing how we have used the proceeds raised under Anchor’s 2021 Sustainability Bond, securing social and environmental outcomes in line with the eligible criteria set out in Anchor’s Sustainability Finance Framework. Our bond allocation and impact report has been independently assured by DNV-GL. 

Highlights from the report include:

• We provide over 54,750 homes to more than 65,000 residents across 1,700 different housing schemes, including 125 care homes. Our Sustainability Strategy is focused on helping both current and future generations to love living in later life.  
• Over 2022-23 we developed our Environmental Sustainability and Net Zero Carbon Strategy, which was published in June 2023 and sets out our high level targets and pathway to meeting the net-zero carbon target by 2050. Our strategy covers: cutting carbon, protecting the environment, mitigating climate impacts and assisting our residents and colleagues to live well. We conducted a full baseline measurement of our carbon footprint in 2021-22 and repeated this for 2022-23 and are now carrying our detailed environmental assessments to enable targets and workplans to be put in place in every area of our operations.
• We hold data on the energy efficiency of nearly all our homes and are in a strong position - 83% of our rented and care homes are rated at EPC C or above and we are taking steps to bring the remainder up to at least EPC C, including delivering retrofits to 341 homes through Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund projects under wave 2.1. 
• We are committed to building 5,700 sustainable new homes for older people over the lifetime of our 10-year business plan.  By 31 March 2023, we had completed 323 homes, we were on-site with 834 units, and the Board had approved a pipeline of 1,363 plots.  We delivered 82 new homes to more sustainable and energy efficient standards in 2022-23 with an average SAP rating of 82.3 (EPC B). From 2023, we will design to net zero and build to a minimum ‘green line’ standard above Building Regulation energy efficiency requirements. We also acquired 13 new care homes over the year, all of which are rated EPC A or B. 
• Affordability is part of sustainability. We rent 35,000 homes at social rent for older people. Our Be Wise financial support services have expanded in the last year. The team opened more than 3,300 cases, gaining an average of £4,900 in benefits or savings for each resident helped. 
• We employ over 10,000 colleagues, with a majority in care roles. We are proud to be a Real Living Wage employer and to be a diverse and inclusive organisation, awarded Gold Standard Accreditation by Inclusive Employers this year. 

Download our Sustainability Report 2022-2023

You can find more information about our ESG strategy and performance here.