CEO Statement
For humanity to prosper, we must change and we must work together.
Life Worth Living is our plan to care for people and the planet. While our creations are enjoyed by only a few, all of us at Winch Design believe a Life Worth Living is for everyone to enjoy, now and in the future. It is our purpose to fulfill our clients’ dreams, our people’s ambitions, and our communities’ needs, in a way that consistently improves lives and protects the environment.
We believe it is vital to be authentic, honest, and transparent so others may learn from our experience and make progress as well. We want to start a positive chain reaction in our industry, so we will collaborate with our suppliers, peers, and wider stakeholders to make transformational changes.
Our people are absolutely vital to our shared success. It is through their passion and expertise we are where we are today, so we will be focusing on initiatives that educate, motivate, and empower them. At Winch Design, we are putting our head above the parapet, so it is my promise to you that our growth will be coupled with social and environmental prosperity.
We invite you to join us in creating a Life Worth Living for everyone.
Aino Grapin
CEO
Life Worth Living Plan
A Robust Methodology
Our ambitious plan to care for people and the planet requires a constant review of the way we do business. Our framework allows us the freedom to be agile to constant changes in our world. The Life Worth Living plan is an anchor for our business which we review and update annually. Ultimately, the aim is to ensure a positive legacy for future generations to enjoy.
Creating Value
To ensure the Life Worth Living plan is of value to all our stakeholders, it is aligned it with our business plan and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
We are proud that we will be contributing to the following goals:
Governing Our Plan
Every Winch Design employee contributes to the success of the Life Worth Living plan with each person having a yearly target to achieve. Every employee has their sustainability aim written into their personal objectives. We are co-creating solutions, bringing in external expertise and consistently checking on our progress. By encouraging individual ownership, we are turning the dial up on our sustainable and social progress not just within Winch, but also in the wider industry.
Caring For Our Communities
Our dream is to positively impact the lives of those that we connect with. We are stronger when we support our communities, so we put people at the heart of everything we do.
Our People
People want to work for companies where they can really make a difference. The happiness of
our people is directly linked to the pride they share in delivering their best to our clients and the
wider world. We are a family of colleagues who value one another and who always want to improve.
Diversity & Inclusion
We will create a more diverse place of work that is an accessible and inclusive place for everyone.
Our people make Winch Design a success. We currently have 20 different nationalities at Winch which creates a vibrant and exciting culture to work in. However, we know we can do more to understand and improve our diversity and inclusion levels. We want the best minds to work on our projects and as our family grows, we will keep attracting a community of talent that is as diverse in background as it is in skill.
Employee Health & Wellbeing
We aim to be the employer of choice for the design industry.
Winch Design has always invested heavily in physical health by providing daily lunches, fitness classes and massage sessions for all employees. Recently, the focus has been on mental health, and we appointed 10 individuals from across the business to train as Mental Health First Aiders. All employees have 24/7 access to a dedicated team of trained counsellors provided by our insurance provider AVIVA. Our key goal is to increase our health and wellbeing satisfaction rating year on year.
Training & Development
We encourage all our employees to build and share their sustainability knowledge.
Our internships are open to talented students who reflect Winch’s values and ethos. We offer a rich variety of internship opportunities with individual investment by members of staff. Many of our interns are permanently hired and are given the opportunity to establish their career at Winch Design. By investing in the next generation we will develop a thriving business, brimming with fresh creativity and knowledge.
Key 2024 Goals
We will aim
for 70% Diversity
and Inclusion
satisfaction
rating.
We will aim
for a 70% Health
and Wellbeing
rating.
We will embed sustainability into each employee’s personal objectives.
Our Communities
We play an active role in supporting our local communities and address the social issues which have the most impact. We are committed to using our skills, experience, and determination to help the wider world.
Community Engagement
We build a long-term, positive impact in our communities.
We are proud to support Blue Marine Foundation, QEST, Maggie's and the Felix Project. We enable every employee to positively contribute to society by giving each an annual volunteering day to support one of our nominated charities.
Maggie's
We are proud to support Maggie’s, a charity that offers practical, emotional, and social support to people with cancer. Winch Design donates through numerous internal initiatives using bake sales, quizzes and Winchledon, our highly competitive table tennis competition. We continue to raise awareness in our community to ensure they can continue to reach more people.
The Felix Project
The Felix Project is a charitable organisation in the United Kingdom, that saves surplus food from suppliers and redistributes it to charities. It has the dual aim to help reduce food surplus and feed our communities. We support the program by partnering with the organisation with our team’s annual charity days to visit the site and help cook and distribute meals.
Key 2024 Goals
We will aim for over 50% annual charity day usage.
We will increase our social value.
We will support the strategic aims of our key charity & community partners.
Protecting our Air, Land and Sea
Our dream is to help create a thriving planet while encouraging others to do the same. Our creations exist so our clients can enjoy the beauty of the natural world, now and in the future.
We recognise that a healthy environment is essential to the health of society. In recent years we have become increasingly invested in protecting our environment and as we implement Life Worth Living over the next few years, we commit to taking it further.
Climate Action
The Planet Mark
We are proud to have been awarded The Planet Mark certification since 2018 in recognition of our commitment to measure and reduce our carbon footprint, engage our staff and communicate our progress. Through our Life Worth Living plan, we will continue to reduce our carbon emissions year on year to help end the climate crisis.
Environmental Protection
Blue Marine Foundation
The protection of our oceans is very close to our hearts. We are proud of our long-standing partnership with the Blue Marine Foundation in their mission to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030. Since establishing the London to Monaco bike ride in 2016 we have raised in excess of £250,000 for Blue Marine to help fund their vital worldwide marine projects.
Waste Management
We have the ambition to send zero waste to landfill and recycle at least 70% of our waste, whilst eliminating single use products. This will not be an easy journey, but it is one we are committed to achieving.
2024 Goals
We will achieve one annual conservation project.
We will eliminate single use products.
We will aim to recycle 70% of all our waste.
Leading Our Industries
Our dream is to lead positive change in our industries and create designs fit for the future. Winch Design strongly believes in the role that creativity, innovation, and collaboration have to play in creating a thriving planet.
Industry Transformation
We aim to be leaders in sustainable transformation of our industries.
Water Revolution Foundation
We have the opportunity to create ripples of change within our industries. The Water Revolution Foundation is the first independent, science-driven foundation focused on transforming the superyacht industry. In February 2020, we signed the Water Revolution Foundation’s Code of Conduct, advancing our commitment to lead the transformation of our industries for the future.
The Circular Economy
We support the UK’s transition to a circular economy.
We are pleased to be signatories of The Walpole British Luxury Manifesto which aims to drive positive change through the following key aims: leading the transition towards a circular economy, safeguarding the environment and natural resources, guiding partners and suppliers towards sustainable practices and advocating for equal and respectful working conditions.
Preservation Of Craftmanship & Heritage
We celebrate the rich British history of Winch Design while preserving our craft.
The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST)
We are recognised as a strong British brand that invests in excellence in craftmanship. Our celebration of these elements is reflected in our promise to preserve them. Since 2019, Winch Design have supported QEST, a charity dedicated to preserving British craftmanship through access to education opportunities, sustaining craftmanship skills and promoting excellence across industries. We now have a growing collection of Winch QEST scholars who we are proud to support.
Sustainable Innovation & Design
We embed sustainability principles into our design and services.
We have a responsibility to support, invest in and promote designs that protect people and the planet. Our global influence means we have a visible platform to advocate sustainable design and to make it the most desirable option.
As one of the six initial members of PRIME, we have a great forum to share ideas and best practice between other like-minded businesses whilst also having a clear structure on which to further improve our business. The PRIME principles and method of PRIME scoring were created to help businesses to develop, measure, manage and improve their environmental, sustainability, diversity and inclusion agendas.
The PRIME principals are:
1. Being Environmentally Better
2. Embracing Sustainable Innovation
3. Spreading the Word
4. Delivering Impact
5. Making a Difference
6. Being Accountable
Key 2024 Goals
We will build sustainable technologies and design into our process.
We will deliver two thought leadership pieces on sustainable design.
We will support the circular economy through our service and design process.
Transforming Our Business
Our dream is to transform into a sustainable business by inspiring people. We will be transparent in our progress towards embedding the ‘Life Worth Living’ plan into everything that we do. We recognise that the decisions we make as a business and as individuals will influence the future of our planet and society. We will provide the resources to achieve our goals, constantly challenge ourselves to improve and to be open about our successes and challenges.
Travel
We are transforming the way we do business by reducing our journeys and offering more sustainable means of travel.
We develop lifestyle experiences for our clients across the globe and we are aware that in order to do so, we rely on international travel that is carbon-heavy. As we embrace Life Worth Living it is paramount that we offer sustainable travel options. One of our project teams working in Paris now regularly takes the Eurostar, instead of air travel.
Suppliers & Partners
We will promote sustainable action with our suppliers and partners.
We have always encouraged our suppliers and partners to make responsible business decisions. We are mapping the sustainability credentials of each of our suppliers, and are researching sustainable materials for use across all Winch projects. We will focus on equipping our suppliers with the knowledge they need to make the right decisions for people and the planet. We will continue to drive supply chain improvement by setting out policies and targets that build sustainable businesses.
Communication & Transparency
We use our reach and influence to inspire sustainable action.
By launching this first report on our sustainability progress, we hope to showcase the great things we’ve accomplished, demonstrate where we want to improve and motivate our staff to work together to achieve our goals.
Corporate Governance & Compliance
We ensure we have the resources needed to achieve our goals.
We have set ambitious long-term goals in the Life Worth Living plan that will require time, money and skill. We are committed to ensuring that we plan accordingly so that we have the resources and ability to achieve our goals.
Key 2024 Goals
We will aim to reduce business travel by 20%.
We will produce an annual report with our progress.
We will develop sustainable procurement policy for suppliers.
Our Life Worth Living 2024 Goals
We have set 32 ambitious goals to be met by 2024.
As we work through them, we will benefit from our success along the way and these will be passed
on to our clients, our people, and our communities.
Caring For Our Communities
● Increase our social value year on year
● Support the strategic aims of our key charity
& community partners
● Donate £1,000 per employee annually for our
chosen charities, and sustainability initiatives
● Achieve a volunteering rate of over 50%
● Support local businesses and seek new
opportunities to engage the local community
● Achieve 70% diversity & inclusion satisfaction
rating on the internal staff survey
● Further develop a more structured and consistent
internship programme
● Achieve 70% health & wellbeing satisfaction
rating on the internal staff survey
● Ensure 100% of staff have a tracked development
process with embedded targets
● Life Worth Living training targets
● Create an internal mentoring programme
● 100% of design led staff have a yearly objective
to build internal and external knowledge of
sustainable technologies and design
Protecting Our Air, Land & Sea
● Reduce energy consumption across the business
(2017 baseline)
● Use 100% renewable energy across all our buildings
● Achieve The Planet Mark Certification every year
● Set and achieve one annual conservation project
● Zero waste to landfill
● 70% of all waste recycled
● Eliminate single-use products
Leading Our Industries
● Be recognised as a leader in sustainable
design innovation
● Deliver two thought leadership pieces on
sustainable design for our industries
● Build sustainable technologies and design
into our processes
● Create a model for sustainable design based
on zero carbon principles
● New business models contribute 5% to
our turnover
● Support the circular economy through
our services and design practices,
workplace and public affairs activities
● Create and implement a long-term plan for
preserving our crafts and heritage
Corporate Governance & Compliance
● Reduce business travel by 20% per FTE
(2019 Baseline)
● 30% of all business travel to use sustainable
modes
● Develop a sustainable procurement policy for
suppliers and sustainable guidance for partners
● Create and implement a sustainability
communication plan
● Annual report on our Life Worth Living progress
● Achieve 100% of our Life Worth Living targets
while complying with all legislation and new
business requirements as they come into force
● Maintain the highest data quality score (20
points) with The Planet Mark Certification.