Geoff Collins is Head of Operations and Compliance at Petards. In this Guest Writer article, he discusses the company’s CSR journey, which has seen it make impressive strides towards a “sustainable and responsible future”.

Several years ago, Petards committed to a comprehensive re-evaluation of its position in the rail market. At the time, we didn’t realise that this strategic review was also the beginning of our corporate social responsibility (CSR) journey.

The review, conducted with the support of an independent third party, included interviews with employees, engagement with key customers, discussions with our supply chain partners, market research, and competitor risk analysis.

The primary objective was to gather valuable stakeholder feedback, critically assess the findings, and apply a structured SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis to determine its impact on Petards’ market position. This analysis enabled Petards to leverage its strengths and address areas for improvement. It also helped us to seize emerging opportunities and mitigate potential threats.

The SWOT analysis in conjunction with stakeholder feedback prompted us to reflect on two fundamental questions:

• Who are we at Petards, and what do we stand for?
• Looking ahead to 2022 and beyond, who will we become at Petards, and what will we stand for?

While the responses were varied, two recurring themes emerged as central to our future direction:

• Establishing Petards as a great place to work – fostering a positive, inclusive, and engaging work environment for our employees.
• Demonstrating our commitment as a responsible and ethical supplier – not only through our technical expertise but also in our everyday business operations and interactions.

It was from these two recurring themes that Petards initiated discussions on CSR – what it truly entails and, more importantly, what it means for Petards as a business.

What is CSR?

• Environmental responsibility – Sustainable practices such as reducing emissions, waste management, and resource conservation.
• Ethical business practices – Fair treatment of employees, anti-corruption policies, and responsible supply chain management.
• Community engagement – Supporting local communities through charitable initiatives, education programs, and social development.
• Workplace responsibility – Fostering employee wellbeing, diversity, and a positive work environment.

On initial review of these key aspects, Petards considered itself to be broadly aligned with CSR principles. ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 certified since 2019, it had an integrated management system including policies and procedures, had created a clean, safe environment to work in, and boasted a strong local presence. It would have been easy for us to consider the job done and the box ticked.

However, we took a step back, reflected further and asked ourselves more challenging questions. Do we truly embrace CSR? How could we demonstrate that to our stakeholders?

This reflection marked the beginning of a structured approach to embed CSR into our core values. It reinforced our commitment to not only being a great place to work but also a responsible and ethical supplier – making CSR a defining principle and not just an aspiration.

Benchmarking (2022 EcoVadis submission)

In 2021, it was essential for Petards to establish a framework for measuring our performance against globally recognised sustainability and CSR benchmarks. We sought to assess our strengths, identify areas for improvement, and determine which best practices we were missing. It would only be through this process that we could take a strategic approach to enhancing our sustainability and CSR commitments, ensuring continuous improvement and alignment with industry-leading standards.

After researching the various benchmarking options, Petards decided to become registered with EcoVadis. EcoVadis is a globally recognised sustainability rating platform that assesses companies on their CSR and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance.
It provides independent, evidence-based evaluations to help businesses measure and improve their sustainability practices based across 4 key areas: environment, labour and human rights, ethics.

In February 2022, Petards submitted its EcoVadis evaluation, including supporting documentation for the 2021 calendar year. By April 2022, we were awarded the EcoVadis Silver Medal, placing Petards in the top 25 per cent of all companies evaluated.
More importantly, the feedback from EcoVadis provided valuable insights into our strengths and areas for improvement, guiding us towards further enhancing our sustainability and CSR practices.

S.P.I.R.I.T values

We then went on to relaunch our core values in line with our mission statement, vision and commitments. We call these values the S.P.I.R.I.T of Petards.

Our goal is to embed these six core values into the very fabric of Petards – guiding every decision we make, every conversation we have, and every interaction we participate in. These values are intentionally bookended by our most important priorities: the wellbeing of our employees, visitors, contractors, and stakeholders (Safety), and the development, respect, and nurturing of our employees (Talent).

To reinforce these values, Petards introduced the monthly S.P.I.R.I.T. Award, recognising employees who actively embody these principles. Any employee demonstrating the S.P.I.R.I.T. values can be nominated, with the winner selected by the Senior Leadership Team and the previous month’s award recipient. Each winner receives a personal prize and a charitable donation to their chosen organisation, sponsored by Petards.

This initiative has been highly successful in keeping the S.P.I.R.I.T. values at the forefront of our culture, encouraging employees to go above and beyond their daily responsibilities in a way that positively impacts both the business and the wider community.

UN Global Compact membership and Petards CSR Report

The primary feedback from the EcoVadis submission highlighted the need for Petards to clearly define its strategic CSR objectives and establish a structured approach to measuring progress. While PJL already had key performance indicators (KPIs) in place -tracking health and safety, environmental spills, energy, and water usage – these metrics were not formalised or directly linked to any Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Based on this feedback, Petards identified two key gaps that needed to be addressed:

1. Alignment with global CSR initiatives
   As an SME, acting in isolation without clear strategic goals would limit our ability to make a meaningful impact. However, by aligning our CSR objectives with those of other SMEs globally, our actions could contribute to a larger, collective effort. In 2023, Petards joined the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) to reinforce this commitment.
2. Structured reporting and communication
   Petards needed a clear mechanism to communicate its CSR strategy, track progress against KPIs, and demonstrate improvements. As a result, we published our inaugural Corporate Social Responsibility Report in 2023, covering performance from the 2022 calendar year.

The UNGC is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, designed to encourage businesses worldwide to adopt responsible and sustainable business practices. Launched in 2000, it provides a framework for companies to align their strategies and operations with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.

Becoming a Member of the UNGC reinforces our dedication to ethical business practices, sustainability and CSR on a global scale. It also provides the strategic direction guiding our tactical decision making when allocating resources towards the SDGs where Petards could have the most significant impact.

To enhance stakeholder visibility of PJL’s CSR strategy and objectives, Petards published its inaugural CSR report in March 2023. This report provided insights into key areas, including:

• Mission, Vision, and Values.
• Sustainability Strategy, aligned with relevant SDG targets.
• Stakeholder Impact Assessment.
• KPIs covering Environmental, People, Ethics, and Governance metrics.
• Improvement Strategies.

The 2024 CSR Report followed, reinforcing Petard’s commitment to transparency and continuous improvement. Moving forward, Petards will review and publish its CSR Report annually.

Apprenticeship scheme

To future-proof the business and support the local community, Petards employed three apprentices in 2023 under the Maintenance Operations Engineering Technician programme. This two-year apprenticeship will conclude with an end-point assessment in June 2025. Upon successful completion, the apprentices will become full-time employees, further strengthening our competencies.

ISO 45001: 2018 Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSM)

A key recommendation from Petards’ EcoVadis submission was to demonstrate our commitment to Occupational Health and Safety by obtaining ISO 45001:2018 certification. This international standard provides a framework for improving employee safety, reducing workplace risks, and preventing accidents.

While Petards did not initially hold this certification, we had already established a strong workplace safety culture and a proven track record in accident reduction. Building on this foundation, we launched an accelerated certification programme with BSI in 2022, integrating our existing Environmental and Quality Management Systems with an Occupational Health and Safety Management System.

Petards went on to be awarded ISO 45001 certification by BSI, reinforcing our commitment to safety and the wellbeing of our employees and stakeholders.

ISO 27001: 2022 Information Security Management System (ISMS)

A further recommendation from Petards’ EcoVadis submission was to demonstrate our commitment to Information Security by achieving ISO 27001:2022 certification. This international standard provides a robust framework for managing information security, safeguarding assets, infrastructure, and personnel.

As a defence sector business, we already had well-established processes and a strong security culture covering both physical and information security. Building on this foundation, Petards launched an accelerated certification programme with BSI to attain ISO 27001 compliance.

In May 2024, Petards was awarded ISO 27001 certification by BSI, underscoring our commitment to information security and further strengthening the protection of our employees, stakeholders, and critical assets.

CY 2023 EcoVadis submission

In March 2024, Petards submitted its EcoVadis evaluation for 2023 with the goal of achieving Gold Status, placing Petards among the top five per cent of all assessed organisations.

As part of the submission, Petards provided comprehensive evidence of improvements implemented and initiated throughout 2022 to 2024, including key documentation and KPIs from the CSR Report, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to sustainability and corporate responsibility.

Petards proudly received the Platinum Award from EcoVadis in recognition of our 2023 CSR initiatives and commitment.

This rating puts Petards in the top one per cent of all organisations evaluated and means the organisation has demonstrated exceptional performance in the areas of environmental awareness, labour and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement, showcasing industry-leading sustainability efforts, robust governance, and a strong commitment to ESG principles.

Sustainability wins

We are pleased to report a 26 per cent reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions compared to 2021 levels. This achievement is the result of a combination of strategic initiatives and operational improvements, including:

• Energy-saving awareness training focused on promoting responsible energy usage, such as turning off lights, powering down electrical equipment, and implementing a facility shutdown checklist to ensure all appliances and lighting are off when not in use.
• Investment in a high-efficiency boiler, resulting in significantly improved performance and reduced natural gas consumption.
• Transition to electric material handling equipment, including the replacement of a gas-operated forklift with an electric model.
• Restructuring of operations and workforce in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to more efficient resource utilisation.

In addition, water usage has decreased by 44 per cent compared to 2021. Key factors contributing to this reduction include the installation of water-efficient bathroom facilities and post-COVID operational restructuring.

These results reflect our continued commitment to improving environmental performance and resource efficiency across our operations.

Petards has already made a strong start to 2025, proudly receiving the Made in North East Sustainable Manufacturer Award and Alstom’s Fighting Climate Change SME Award as a testament to our ongoing commitment to sustainability. Additionally, we have been nominated for the National Spotlight Rail Corporate Responsibility Award, further recognising our dedication to CSR and ethical business practices.

CSR and sustainability are continuous journeys, and for Petards, this journey began in 2017 – though we didn’t initially realise it. The decision to pursue ISO 14001 certification set us on a path towards greater environmental responsibility at a time when CSR was largely associated with energy companies or multinational corporations with significant carbon footprints. At that stage, CSR was not a primary focus for Petards or many other SMEs.

So, what are the next steps on that journey?

Leverage our agility for greater impact – As an SME, we take pride in our agility across all areas of the business. We aim to extend this agility into our CSR activities by further engaging all employees in CSR decision-making, identifying synergies between our core technology and green innovations, and accelerating progress toward achieving our SDG goals.

Strengthen our supply chain responsibilities – We will enhance our supply chain sustainability by conducting additional ESG supplier assessments, sourcing locally where possible to minimise transport impacts, and collaborating with suppliers on waste management and sustainable practices.

Continue community engagement – Our commitment to community engagement will remain strong through ongoing support for our annual charity of choice and local education initiatives, such as STEM programmes, fostering future talent and growth in our region.

Scale up sustainability within our budget – We will continue to drive sustainability within our budget by implementing energy-efficient initiatives, collaborating with clients on end-of-life product solutions (e.g., recycling, reusing, or harvesting components), and minimising landfill or WEEE disposal.

Broaden our scope – Carry across best practices into our defence sector. This started in 2024 and the Petards 2024 CSR includes both rail and defence initiatives.

Promote the positive impact of CSR – Finally, as an SME, we will actively promote the positive impact of our CSR initiatives on the organisation, employees, stakeholders, the environment, and the local community. We will do this by pursuing industry awards, sharing our EcoVadis score, and releasing press statements that highlight our progress and commitment to sustainability.

Today, we recognise that CSR is an ongoing commitment – one we embrace every day, together as a team. There is no final destination, only continuous progress toward a more sustainable and responsible future.