Our Environment and Sustainability Strategy

We all have a role to play in tackling climate change, protecting the environment and creating a sustainable future.

As England’s largest provider of housing and care for older people, our role is to reduce the environmental impact of our homes, buildings, and the work we do, whilst supporting residents and colleagues to embrace the transition to a low-carbon economy. 

Our vision for a sustainable future

Anchor’s Environmental Sustainability and Net Zero Carbon Strategy (our ‘Sustainability Strategy’) is focused on protecting the environment, reducing carbon emissions, and supporting sustainable lifestyles to limit the effects of climate change on current and future generations.

Download our Sustainability Strategy highlights (Feb 2024)

Download our full Sustainability Strategy (July 2023)

We will be working across the following areas towards our vision of enabling current and future generations to love living in later life.

Cutting carbon

Carbon emissions are the main contributor to climate change. We will achieve net zero carbon by 2050 at the latest.

Protecting the environment

Measuring and improving the environmental impact of our work including waste, water, pollution. Protecting and improving biodiversity and green spaces.

Mitigating climate change

Mitigating risks such as flooding, overheating, and extreme weather as well as risks to supply chains and business operations driven by climate change. 

Living well

Supporting the wellbeing of our residents and colleagues through sustainable lifestyles alongside our Resident Wellbeing Strategy.

Anchor's key sustainability commitments

• All new homes will be designed to net zero from 2023. Delivery on site won’t fall below our ‘Green Line’ standard.
• We will be net zero ready in the way we run our services by 2030*
• Rented homes will reach a minimum of EPC C energy efficiency by 2030.
• Care homes will reach a minimum of EPC C energy efficiency by 2028.
• We will be net zero across all carbon scopes including our supply chain by 2050.

How we will get there

Our sustainability journey will include: 

Making homes more energy efficient

We will be making residents’ homes more energy efficient so that they use less energy to stay warm in winter and cool in summer, reducing carbon emissions.

Protecting our environment and green spaces

We will look after and improve biodiversity and green space around our homes, reduce waste and water use and reduce the use of pollutants. 

Building sustainable homes

We will design all new homes to Net Zero from 2023 onwards, with delivery on site not falling below our Green Line minimum standard which is above building regulations for energy efficiency. 

Creating an ethical supply chain

We will buy what we need responsibly and ethically, carefully selecting our partners and supply chain so we know they share our goals and commitments to a sustainable future.

Living well

We will support residents and colleagues to learn about environmental sustainability and embrace the changes, and benefits of living sustainably. 

Taking a Fabric First approach

We will start by looking at improving how the fabric of each home (walls, doors, windows, roof and floors) stop heat escaping, as this makes the biggest difference to energy efficiency. We also want to make heating systems more efficient.

What do we mean by ‘Fabric First’? 

A fabric first approach to retrofitting homes means that we will look at the building as a whole and work out where energy is escaping from. Most homes lose energy through the roof, windows, doors, and floors. The diagram below shows where energy tends to be lost.  

Our experts will then decide what improvements will make the building more energy efficient: that might mean insulation in the loft or walls, more airtight windows as well as better ventilation. We will also look at more energy efficient heating systems and support the transition away from gas and towards renewable sources of energy, such as solar panels. 

Resident involvement in our sustainability journey

Resident involvement is key to developing Anchor’s approach to sustainability and to its success. 

Resident focus groups, the Resident Council and the Resident Property, Building Safety and Sustainability Forum all fed into the creation of Anchor's Sustainability Strategy and told us that residents want:

• To see action on sustainability following a clear timeline.
• To see energy efficiency making homes affordable and comfortable to heat in winter and cool in summer without the risk of damp or mould. 
• To have a balanced approach to retrofitting and understand the need for a ‘Fabric First’ approach. 
• To be involved in determining Anchor’s direction of travel and plans for sustainability through a specialist resident group focussed on these issues. 
• To consider new technologies and funded opportunities, whether these are solar panels, electric vehicles, or the next new development. 
• To consider sustainable retrofitting for both rented and homeownership homes. 

We now have a Resident Environmental Forum to support the governance of our progress against our Sustainability Strategy. If you’d like to get involved, please contact [email protected].

Annual sustainability reports

We report each year on our environmental, social and governance work under the Sustainability Reporting Standard for Social Housing. This includes reporting our carbon outputs, as well as how energy efficient our homes are and a whole range of other measures including how we support residents and how Anchor is governed.

These reports can be found on our ESG performance page.