What is this goal?

Eradicating poverty in all its forms remains one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. Globally the number of people living in extreme poverty declined by more than half between 1990 and 2015, however the pace of change is declining. It is expected that the economic fall out from the current global pandemic could increase global poverty for the first time in thirty years.

What is our plan?

In the UK we are accredited with the Living Wage Foundation and apply the London Living Wage, ensuring individuals are able to lead a decent life and participate fully in their communities. We support this principle globally and intend to build on our UK accreditation through our other hubs.

In addition, we donate quarterly to two charities: one is Oxfam that aims to eradicate poverty globally but also focuses on many of the other UN Goals (oxfam.org.uk) and the other as nominated by a member of staff.

What is this goal?

Ending hunger and ensuring access by all people to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round. After years of steady decline, the number of people who suffer from hunger began to slowly increase in 2015. It is estimated that the current global pandemic could have doubled the number of people suffering from acute hunger.

What is our plan?

QCIC supports Action Against Hunger by making an annual donation.

Action Against Hunger is a humanitarian organisation that is committed to ending world hunger. The organisation helps malnourished children and provides communities with access to safe water and sustainable solutions to hunger. In the past year, this global network served more than 21 million people in 47 countries.

https://www.actionagainsthunger.org/countries

What is this goal?

Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being at all ages is essential to sustainable development. Significant strides have been made in increasing life expectancy and reducing child mortality and controlling preventable diseases.

What is our plan?

We maintain internal policies and procedures that are reviewed regularly to ensure our employees can manage health and well being.

We recently organised a walking challenge to get people away from their desks, out into the fresh air improving both their fitness and mental well being.

We support staff pursuing their own fitness and well-being challenges and readily sponsor them to support their own local or personal charities.

What is this goal?

Education enables upward social mobility and is key to escaping poverty. Despite progress in 2018 around 260m children were still not being schooled – nearly one-fifth of the population in that age group.

What is our plan?

QCIC donate annually to the Trevor Noah Foundation.

The foundation is based in South Africa and aims to cultivate partnerships that can grow communities through education, improve infrastructure, train teachers and provide youth support.

What is this goal?

Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world. The last decades have seen massive progress towards ending inequality, however, challenges remain and have been exacerbated by the pandemic.

What is our plan?

At QCIC, we have a Global Equal Opportunity and Diversity Policy and we are committed to a work environment that promotes gender equality. Women are represented within our Senior Leadership and in each of our Hubs.

QCIC sponsored the Professional Security Magazine Women In Security Awards from 2019 to 2022. The awards recognise and honour the accomplishments, value and contributions of women to the broader world of security.

What is this goal?

Access to clean drinking water and sanitation has progressed but millions across the globe still lack these basic services.

The aim is to improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing the release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally.

What is our plan?

In 2021 we invested in the Vp Biosupply Wastewater Treatment and Biogas Utilisation Project in Thailand. This project captures methane at a Thai starch plant by using two closed anaerobic wastewater treatment facilities and converting the gas into energy. This not only improves local air, but it also assists with improving the quality of the water.

What is this goal?

The world is making progress towards Goal 7, with encouraging signs that energy is becoming more sustainable and widely available.

Access to electricity in poorer countries has begun to accelerate, energy efficiency continues to improve, and renewable energy is making impressive gains in the electricity sector.

What is our plan?

Being ISO 14001 certified, QCIC is committed to monitoring energy use and seeking to reduce usage. Our EMS is enabling our Pledge to Net Zero under which we have set our science-based targets in line with the Paris Agreement.

As part of our carbon offset programme, we invest in the Indonesia Geothermal Gunung Salak Geothermal Energy which produces energy from a renewable source.

What is this goal?

Promoting sustained and inclusive economic growth, higher levels of productivity and technological innovation. Encouraging entrepreneurship and job creation are key to this, as are effective measures to eradicate forced labour, slavery and human trafficking

What is our plan?

At QCIC, we follow closely our Ethical Policy, we do not knowingly enter into a business agreement with any person or company that fails to uphold the human rights of its workers or those affected by the organisation’s activities.

We recognise the importance of economic growth, and our recent branch extension in Cape Town adds valuable impetus to South Africa’s developing economy.

What is this goal?

Investment in infrastructure and innovation are crucial drivers of economic growth and development. Promoting sustainable industries, and investing in scientific research and innovation, are all important ways to facilitate sustainable development.

What is our plan?

QCIC encourages the use of innovative processes to streamline the design, build and running of security systems. The use of automation and smart tools allows us to offer our clients sustainability benefits as well as reduce costs.

We have been working with clients to use virtual services and offer sustainable options with decreased business travel allowing both QCIC and our clients to benefit for several years.

The pandemic has enforced this way of working at times, however, we will encourage this working pattern even when the pandemic risk is reduced.

What is this goal?

Reducing inequalities in income as well as those based on age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or another status within a country. Whilst inequality within countries in concern so is that between countries with those living in developing countries far more likely to die in childhood, have a disability and live in poverty.

What is our plan?

QCIC follow all policies, practices and relevant legislation in each of our Global Hubs. In particular our Equal Opportunity and Diversity Policy ensures that all employees are required to act in a way that does not subject any other employees or clients to discrimination based on their race, gender, relationship status, disability, religion or beliefs, age or sexual orientation.

In the UK we are accredited with the Living Wage Foundation and apply the London Living Wage, ensuring individuals are able to lead a decent life and participate fully in their communities. We support this principle globally and intend to build on our UK accreditation through our other hubs.

What is this goal?

The World is becoming more urbanised with more than half the population living in cities. Whilst cities are powerhouses for economic growth they also account for around 70% of global carbon emissions and over 60% of resource use.

What is our plan?

Whilst working in 4 global cities QCIC, under the framework of both ISO 14001 and our Pledge to Net Zero, we have committed to reducing our impact on emissions in each location.

We have developed software that allows offsite configuration of security whilst also enabling 95% of all packaging to be recycled at source.

What is this goal?

Worldwide consumption and production rest on the use of the natural environment and resources in a way that continues to have destructive impacts on the planet. Economic and social progress over the last century has been accompanied by environmental degradation that is endangering the very systems on which our future development — indeed, our very survival — depends.

What is our plan?

As part of our ISO 9001 and 27001 management systems, QCIC undertakes internal reviews for both new and current suppliers to ensure our entire supply-chain follows sustainable processes.

In addition as part of our ISO 14001 environmental management system, we review and monitor our own behaviours seeking to improve on an annual basis.

What is this goal?

Climate change is affecting every country on every continent. 2019 was the warmest year on record and CO2 levels in the atmosphere are also at a maximum. The Paris Agreement adopted in 2015 aims to strengthen the global response by keeping the global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius.

What is our plan?

Our long term goal is to reduce our emissions to zero and we have made the Pledge to Net Zero setting science-based targets in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement. In the short term, as we work towards that goal we are already carbon neutral. We invest in Verified Carbon Standards (VCS) certified projects that reduce carbon emissions via the displacement of fossil fuels offsetting our current use.

As part of our ISO 14001 framework we set annual KPI’s internally, many of these concentrate on climate action including a green travel policy and promotion of remote communication with clients.

In 2021, we invested in RMDLT Portel-Para Redd Project in Brazil which is helping to reduce deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.

What is this goal?

The ocean drives global systems that make the Earth habitable for humankind. Our rainwater, drinking water, weather, climate, coastlines, much of our food, and even the oxygen in the air we breathe, are all ultimately provided and regulated by the sea and its management is key to a sustainable future. However, at the current time, there is a continuous deterioration of coastal waters owing to pollution, and ocean acidification is having an adversarial effect on the functioning of ecosystems and biodiversity.

What is our plan?

QCIC is actively involved in beach cleanups in our South Africa hub to reduce the amount of pollution that affects marine and coastal ecosystems.

During the beach cleanups, our staff are encouraged to consider the amount of non-biodegradable material that exists in their lives and its effect on the environment. We hope to find more opportunities in our other hubs to undertake similar projects.

What is this goal?

Nature is critical to our survival: nature provides us with our oxygen, regulates our weather patterns, pollinates our crops, produces our food, feed and fibre. But it is under increasing stress. Human activity has altered almost 75 per cent of the earth’s surface, squeezing wildlife and nature into an ever-smaller corner of the planet.

What is our plan?

In 2019, QCIC purchased Trappist Wood, more than five acres of mature forest in the heart of rural United Kingdom.

The forest was bought primarily for conservation and to enhance QCIC internal sustainable awareness campaign.

What is this goal?

Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

What is our plan?

QCIC’s work in anticipating risks and securing our clients’ buildings and information plays a role in promoting peace and strong institutions. We are also committed to ensuring our own business is effective, accountable and inclusive on all levels and our policies ensure that we work only with institutions that have the same values. QCIC have strong governance in place to ensure the business is compliant in all jurisdictions in which it operates.

QCIC makes an annual donation to Amnesty International, a charity engaged in promoting justice, freedom, truth and dignity wherever it is denied.

What is this goal?

All of the UN goals can only be realised through a strong global partnership and cooperation.

What is our plan?

QCIC continue to set up and seek out new partnerships to promote all of the UN goals, whilst we can not make a difference at a global level we can work locally within each of our regions to make a significant contribution.