For some companies, corporate social responsibility is little more than a box-ticking exercise. For PG Mutual (UK), one of ICMIF’s newest members, being socially and environmentally aware is firmly part of the company’s DNA.

PG Mutual has been protecting its members for over 90 years and has a long tradition of being a socially responsible company. This is at the heart of what the mutual does, and the insurer is continuously striving to implement and improve its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices and incorporate these initiatives and activities into daily operations in a responsible and sustainable way.

Alongside this, PG Mutual is fully committed to supporting local and national communities, its staff, as well as protecting the environment whenever it can. Learn more about the inspiring projects supported by PG Mutual and the ways in which it is reining in its environmental impact.

PG Mutual launched an Annual Charity Award

From mental health to food poverty, PG Mutual says it has always aimed to support a broad range of charitable causes. But with so many invaluable charities out there, deciding which charities to support was an unenviable task.

To give its policyholders – and the wider public – the chance to have their say, PG Mutual launched an annual charity award. Each year the company will shortlist a number of charities whose cause has particularly resonated with the team at PG Mutual. Then a vote will be conducted to allow the public to decide which charities will receive support for the year ahead. The four charities with the highest number of votes will each receive GBP 1,000.

Helping to tackle poverty in the UK

Over the last twelve months many people in the UK were sadly made redundant and PG Mutual says this was a stark reminder of how easy it can be for anyone to fall into poverty – through no fault of their own. For more than 200 years, The National Benevolent Charity has provided vital financial support to people of all ages and backgrounds living with financial hardship. Between 1 November 2020 and 31 January 2021, PG Mutual donated a percentage of each new policy to The National Benevolent Charity for each new qualifying PG Mutual policyholder, this raised GBP 3,450.

From cakes to Christmas essentials

PG Mutual also wanted to recognise the selfless hard work and dedication provided by key workers in local communities during the Covid-19 pandemic. One such group is the staff of Apex Care Homes, a corporate client of PG Mutual, who it was felt had done a fantastic job of providing support to their residents during the pandemic. As a small gesture to show their respect for their hard work, team members from PG Mutual visited all the care homes belonging to Apex with a bumper doorstep delivery of cakes and biscuits. In further support for the local community, PG Mutual donated GBP 500 to the St Albans & District Foodbank to help local people over the Christmas period.

Helping young kids make memories

PG Mutual continues to support PHAB, a local charity that arranges activities for children aged 5 onwards with disabilities, while offering support for their families too. As soon as it is safe to do, PG Mutual says it will help to fund a two-night break at the Hilltop Outdoor Activity Centre near Sheringham for the children who receive help from this charity.

Fewer commutes, fewer emissions

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, environmental benevolence began at home when PG Mutual’s employees started working from home in March 2020. The insurer set about tracking the carbon it was saving as an organisation since the daily office commute had come to a halt. To date, the reduction in travelling has saved over 60 tonnes of CO2. PG Mutual also shared guidance with all its staff on how they could cut their carbon footprint while working from home.

Green and going greener

Another sustainable initiative from PG Mutual was to switch to LED lighting as they believed that this is an easy way for businesses to reduce their carbon footprint while cutting energy bills. In the last three years, transitioning to LED lighting across the Head Office has made the buildings 85% more energy efficient. The company’s energy supplier is also reviewed regularly to make sure they adhere to expectations regarding the use of renewable energy.

PG Mutual says it is proud of the difference that its actions are making. But the long-term mission is to become carbon neutral; that’s why they launched their ‘Plant a Tree’ scheme in early 2021 and now donate to the Woodland Trust for each new qualifying member. To date, this has resulted in a £600 donation to help create, protect and restore UK Woodland.

And finally, whilst all of PG Mutual’s postal communications use 100% recycled paper, the insurer says it wants to do better. So, soon it will be giving policyholders the option to make a small difference to the environment by going paperless and receiving their updates electronically.

PG Mutual’s founding ethos was one of social support

PG Mutual’s founding ethos was one of social support. They have been engaged with social and community responsibility for more than 90 years – and the mutual says it has no plans to change. It’s part of who they are. Because while the last twelve months have been incredibly challenging, PG Mutual says the pandemic has delivered an important message: when a community unites behind a shared purpose, it can conquer anything.

Learn more about PG Mutual’s charitable and environmental projects at pgmutual.co.uk/csr-pathway.