By Heather Lawley, global head of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and environmental, social and governance (ESG)
Since Sedgwick’s inception, acting with purpose has been an integral part of our mission. This is reflected in our decades-long commitment to social action, honorable business practices, and caring for all — our colleagues, clients, communities and the planet.
As Sedgwick grows, so does our strategic approach to environmental, social and governance initiatives. We have developed an intentional, multiyear strategy designed to maximize our global impact by 2030.
Reducing environmental harm
Sedgwick has long been committed to caring for the environment. There are the small, incremental steps, such as urging colleagues to switch to reusable bottles and turn off lights when not in use. Then there are the sizable initiatives whose impact we’re already seeing. We are minimizing non-essential travel, using virtual site inspection tools when possible, reducing the size of our car fleet, and have transitioned many of our teams into hybrid work environments post-COVID – all of which aims to decrease our carbon footprint and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Other key environmental initiatives include reducing our e-waste tonnage and paper use by extending the useful life of systems, engaging in technology donation programs, and going digital whenever possible. Converting paper materials to digital ones has enabled one of our business units to reduce its use of paper by 46% last year.
In addition, we have a longstanding tradition of providing environmentally-focused solutions to assist clients in effectively managing their own impact on the planet. Sedgwick’s brand protection division, for example, helps clients respond quickly to potentially harmful product recalls.
Fostering a strong social fabric
Sedgwick’s commitment to supporting the larger social environment starts with ensuring that our social fabric is structured to foster diversity, equity and inclusion. We ensure that DEI is woven into the culture of our organization and embedded in all levels of our people practices, hiring and development, and colleague experience.
Community engagement is and has always been integral to our social strategy. Sedgwick provides charitable contributions to organizations that do good in the world — specifically those that are aligned colleague and clients’ values. We also provide hardship grants to eligible colleagues in need through the Sedgwick Family Fund.
Sedgwick has a supplier diversity program that aims to strategically develop and diversify our supplier base and opportunities for socio-economically disadvantaged businesses. Over the past four years, we have more than doubled our annual percentage of spending on subcontracts to and procurements from diverse and disadvantaged business enterprises, including those owned by women, military veterans and ethnic minorities.
A high standard of ethics and values
We also have a multipronged governance strategy that reflects our steadfast commitment of more than 50 years to business ethics, data privacy and security. Our strong foundation in upholding the highest ethical standards is one reason why more than 10,000 clients around the world entrust Sedgwick with their claims.
We recognize the importance of customer data and have robust programs and global procedural guidelines in place that not only ensure a high level of security, but also proactively identify and protect against threats. Technical safeguards in combination with well-informed colleagues helps to ensure the security of our customers’ data, protect privacy and facilitate compliance with global data protection laws.
Looking to the future
Sedgwick’s commitment to ESG initiatives is not new; it’s simply evolving and deepening with time. As a global organization, we are working diligently to harness our role as responsible stewards of the planet, while taking care of people and organizations with the services we provide.
At Sedgwick, we put our values into tangible action, and by doing so we will maximize our collective impact by 2030. Together, we can strengthen our social fabric, protect the environment, and stay true to our commitment to care for each other — always.
> Learn more — check out an expanded version of this article in Sedgwick’s digital magazine, edge, issue 19