Sustainability is a core ingredient of Colt’s DNA and its future business strategy as Colt seeks to make a difference to the health of the planet.

Colt runs a Sustainability Champion Award that was created by the company's CEO Keri Gilder. The award celebrates Colties who work or live in a sustainable way, are pioneers for sustainability, and inspire others with their green actions. It celebrates exceptional Colties who have inspired others through their actions, and is a way of letting them know their efforts are making a difference - not only to the environment ,but to the people who surround them and to the business. They are Colties who give their time, skills and energy to improving the environmental performance at work, home and in their communities.

Colt Global Alliance Manager, Patrick Godden, and Colt Personal Assistant Sally Lands have been named as Colt's Sustainability Champions. "We’re delighted to announce that after a considerable process, Patrick Godden, Global Alliance Manager, and Sally Lands, Personal Assistant, have been named our Sustainability Champions and won this very special CEO Award," commented Colt.

The two Champions, Patrick and Sally, were chosen by Colt CEO Keri Gilder, Colt’s Executive Leadership Team, and Polar Explorer & Environmental Leader, Robert Swan OBE. Robert Swan OBE was the first person to walk to both the North and South Poles and has dedicated his life to the preservation of Antarctica through the promotion of recycling, renewable energy and sustainability to combat the effects of climate change.

Patrick and Sally joining Robert for a once in a lifetime opportunity - an expedition that will inspire definitive action towards the preservation of Antarctica. The trip starts in Ushuaia, Argentina, then Colt's winners set off for the Antarctic Peninsula on the Ocean Atlantic expedition ship. They will bring back their experiences to help Colt drive its sustainability agenda further. "This is an incredible opportunity and well deserved by Patrick and Sally! We’re excited to see how both our Champions use this experience and their ideas to help drive our own sustainability agenda here at Colt on their return," said Colt.

A key focus on climate change

"This award is to find two incredible individuals from the company who not only are living and breathing sustainability, but also have an eye to how sustainability can work for the business, and who will be champions for the Colt Sustainability Campaign over the next," commented Robert. "The prize for two incredible people, and I would say quite lucky people, is to join myself and a team of over 100 leaders from 40 nations who are going to the Antarctic. Antarctica is one of the most extraordinary beautiful, incredible places on the planet, and one of the reasons that we go to Antarctica is to show people that climate change and all these issues that we talk about are actually really happening, they're there it's going on in Antarctica, and we like to show people to actually become climate witnesses in the Antarctic. It's an incredible opportunity, and it's such a spectacular place, an inspiring place to go."

The team assembles in the most southerly city on the planet in Ushuaia, Argentina, where they get to know each other and go through important safety issues. They head south from the bottom of South America go across the Drake Passage. The team have the opportunity to see wildlife ashore, including penguins, birds and seals, as well as wildlife while on the ocean, such as whales. The team also undertake a leadership program, involving a renewable program and a sustainability program, to discuss the important issues.

"It's all about being an ambassador, not only an ambassador for the health of our planet, but an ambassador for Colt and the mission of sustainability that the company is undertaking. But I think most importantly with this the people that Keri and I are looking for are people that are passionate, and they want to inspire other people around them, to be people who are interested in not the problem but the solutions, to the issues that we all face on planet earth," explained Robert.

The two winners also join Colt’s sustainability steering committee during 2022, that is jointly chaired by Keri Gilder, and Richard Wellbrock, Vice President Real Estate with Colt DCS. This offers a unique opportunity to help shape how Colt continues to build on its global sustainability strategy, developing a more thoughtful and considered approach to the impact it has on society and the environment.

Focusing on climate change, climate science, health and safety

"We've met so many inspirational people, we're spoken to the team here, and Robert Swan at length about our plans and what we plan to do when we get home. The lectures have been about climate change, climate science, health and safety of course. We've had such a fun time already, we've been on a glacier trek, we've been out hiking, we've been outdoors quite a lot," said Sally.

"It has really got us both thinking about what more we can do as individuals and we as Colt do to drive the sustainability agenda. In particular, we've been thinking about how we can scale our sustainability pledges outside of Colt and to help transform the industry. What if we had some great partners that would help us do that with our wholesale customers," commented Patrick.

Colt's sustainability champions also discussed the connections they're making during the Antarctica expedition in a conversation with Keri. This enables the company to drive meaningful change, setting new standards for a better, more sustainable future. The connections and community they are surrounded with play a vital role in inspiring the team.

Sustainability is key for Colt

As part of Colt’s sustainability journey, the company is committed to achieving global net zero emissions for its own operations by 2030. Key to this are the comprehensive science-based emissions reduction targets, that are approved by the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi).

Environmental awareness is at the heart of everything Colt does, and the company knows that sustainability matters at all levels of the organisation.

Everyone and anyone can make a positive impact, and Colt encourages its employees to live as sustainability as possible, and the company celebrates those who do

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