Go-Ahead Group is leveraging the power of its procurement function to spearhead a new sustainable future for passenger transport
GO-AHEAD
Go-Ahead Group is leveraging the power of its procurement function to spearhead a new sustainable future for passenger transport
Go-Ahead ’ s passenger transport services play a vital role in connecting communities via road and rail . It is the largest bus operator in London and its regional bus services account for 11 % of the wider UK market . It operates the busiest rail franchise in the UK – GTR – as well as holding international rail contracts in Norway and Germany .
But Go-Ahead ’ s commitments extend far beyond delivering efficient , safe and affordable public transport . Sustainability has risen to the top of the agenda . In 2019 the group released its Sustainable Procurement Charter , a list of measures to make impactful contributions to climate change and to deliver greater value to all of its stakeholders .
“ That charter was our first deep dive into the sustainability agenda ,” says Glyn Watts , Group Head of Procurement at Go-Ahead . “ We recognised that , whilst we thought we were good at sustainability in the past , we actually weren ’ t that mature in our approach .”
Despite the added pressures and challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic , Go-Ahead ’ s ambitions in sustainability and diversity have developed further in the intervening two years , with a target to be a net zero business by 2045 . “ Since the sustainability charter we have released the climate change strategy , which directs us in where we are heading as a business ,” Watts says . “ And this has been followed more recently by our SME strategy .” sustainabilitymag . com 117