Shared responsibility
Our commitment to operating a safe and sustainable business, by adopting a People and Planet positive approach for our People, Pub Partners, our Guests and the communities we serve.
Our commitment to operating a safe and sustainable business, by adopting a People and Planet positive approach for our People, Pub Partners, our Guests and the communities we serve.Our People strategy and commitment to operating Safely and Sustainably are two of the three key enablers and we remain committed to doing more in our four priority areas: Planet, People, Product and Policy. These priority areas, or ‘4P’s’, are the central thread of our sustainability strategy with a clear connection to our purpose and where we believe we can have the biggest impact.
Our Impact Report for 2024, previously known as our Insight Report, is a statement of our targets and ambitions, and includes further details of our focus areas and examples of our initiatives.
Our PLANET promise is to operate our business and supply chain more efficiently to reduce our energy consumption, emissions and water use and to reduce our impact on the environment by reducing or repurposing our waste.
Our targets include:
- Net Zero by 2040
- To procure and promote energy from renewable sources
- To reduce the volume of water consumed in our estate
- To maintain our overall recycling rate of at least 75%
Here’s where we are making progress on our PLANET initiatives...
Over 400
Ultra-fast EV chargers across the estate
Solar panels
now at a number of pubs and at our PSC
OVER 133m
pints of water saved
Our Sustainable Pub Support Centre
St Johns House, our Pub Support Centre (PSC) in Wolverhampton, has been awarded Sustainability Champion status by the British Institute of Innkeeping. We are proud to be recognised for the sustainability measures we’ve implemented as part of the office refurbishment in 2023.
Our PSC is powered solely by electricity, with air heat source pumps providing the heating. We have integrated our training facilities into the office with two training and development kitchens which are fully electric. Our car park has EV car charging points, encouraging our team members and visitors to travel electric to the office. Early in 2024, we partnered with Nuvolt, for the installation of solar panels at the PSC. 266 panels were installed across the majority of the roof area. The panels will generate renewable electricity on-site and reduce carbon emissions associated with the operation of our office.
Installing Solar Panels Across Our Estate
Electrifying our estate and making the transition to renewable energy is a priority to reduce our emissions and reliance on fossil fuels. Installing on-site renewables can also significantly reduce our emissions.
Working with Nuvolt and following the successful installation of solar panels at our PSC, we are now conducting a larger roll-out of solar across our pub estate. During FY2024, we installed solar panels at 19 of our pubs. All the panels have Solar Edge inverters to maximise efficiency and ensure that they can be monitored and maintained correctly. In FY2024, the panels generated 267,050 kWh of renewable electricity!
See more on our PLANET progress in our Impact Report.
Our PEOPLE promise is to create a culture of engagement, support and development that attracts, retains and supports the best people from diverse backgrounds. We support our People to ‘come as you are’ by building an inclusive culture among our employees, Pub Partners and suppliers which reflects the diversity of our guests and communities.
Our targets include:
- Employee engagement score of over 8
- Striving towards being an inclusive employer that attracts and appeals to diverse, disadvantaged, and vulnerable groups of people and that nurtures and develops people joining from all backgrounds.
- Assess and enhance our performance across diversity and inclusion, and health and wellbeing.
Here’s where we are making progress on our PEOPLE initiatives...
8.4
Employee engagement score for FY2024
31 People
trained and offered employment through our Excel programme
OVER 200
Apprentices across the business
Come as you are
Diversity and inclusion is central to our core values and our People Pillar. We are committed to promoting an inclusive environment that represents many different backgrounds, cultures and points of view and will always strive to reflect the communities we serve.
‘Come as you are’ is our Diversity and Inclusion strategy which captures our objectives of wanting Marston’s to be a place where our teams:
- Relate to, feel represented by, and trust each other
- Feel valued and supported
- Feel involved in the bigger picture
- Are appreciated as individuals
- Communicate openly, have a voice, and are listened to
Our employee network groups support our D&I plans and activities. They create safe spaces for our People to connect, share their thoughts and experiences, influence real change and work collaboratively with the business to deliver our business and D&I strategy.
Our Excel Programme
Excel is our ex-offender recruitment programme where we work closely with the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), the Prison Service and several charities (including those tackling homelessness), supporting those released from prison back into work.
Since starting this programme, we have successfully employed 54 people through Excel, something we are very proud of. In October 2023, we also opened the Lock Inn, our Kitchen Academy inside HMP Liverpool, where we train prisoners to become qualified line chefs and roles above.
Marston's Mile With The Burnt Chef Project
In September 2024, our Men’s Network, in partnership with the Burnt Chef Project took part in the ‘Marston’s Mile’. The challenge was to walk, run or cycle one mile per day, during the month of September, gaining sponsorship from family, friends and colleagues, to raise money for the Burnt Chef Project.
We’re proud of our well-established partnership with The Burnt Chef Project, who provide education, support, and resources, to tackle mental health stigma and work to ensure the hospitality and leisure industry is healthier and more sustainable by focusing on people’s wellbeing first.
See more on our PEOPLE progress in our Impact Report.
Our PRODUCT promise is to deliver quality food and drink to our guests, that is ethically sourced and in a way which reduces food waste and emissions.
Our targets include:
- 50% reduction in food waste by 2030
- To enhance the authentication of our supply base against our charters and policies
- To provide guests with access to information and products that meets their lifestyle and dietary preferences
Here’s where we are making progress on our PRODUCT initiatives...
Over 38,000 meals
saved from waste through our partnership with TGTG
Over 21,000
plant-based meals sold each week
Over 90%
of our food suppliers are BRC Grade A or above
Food Supplier Charter
Our guests have a right to expect a high level of diligence in the sourcing of goods, products and services. Our Charter sets out our expectations on the quality of product, traceability of ingredients, ethical approach, sustainable sourcing and associated labour practices. The Charter conveys our expectations for suppliers to reduce their own environmental impact by minimising unnecessary packaging and choosing recyclable materials, wherever possible.
Tackling Food Waste With Too Good To Go
As well as providing a valuable social service, Too Good To Go (TGTG) is helping us to meet our goal of reducing our food waste by 50% by 2030.
We are proud to partner with TGTG and it’s app-based solution to food waste, selling surplus food to consumers at a reduced price, that would otherwise have gone to waste. Our Community Carvery sites made a monumental impact in 2024 through their participation in the TGTG initiative. Through the sales of TGTG Magic Bags, we saved over 66,000 meals from going to waste. This is not just a statistic, it’s a testament to our commitment to minimising food waste across our operations.
Partnering With Responsible Suppliers
Taking responsibility for the impact we have on the food supply chain is not something we can do alone, and thankfully it is also a view our suppliers share.
We partner with like-minded suppliers and a good example of this in practice is the six-year relationship we have had with Fresh Direct. Fresh Direct supply 100% of the fresh produce needed for our menus and they have sustainability embedded in their business, by promoting sustainable farming practices to help avoid land degradation, preserve water sources and foster biodiversity. Fresh Direct has targets to reduce Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 27.5% by 2030 which will help support our work in reducing our Scope 3 emissions.
See more on our PRODUCT progress in our Impact Report.
Our POLICY Promise is to support the development of our business in delivering its objectives by promoting high standards of governance, risk management and transparency.
Our targets include:
- All our pubs to have 5* EHO score
- Maintain our FTSE4Good certification
- To grow the number of suppliers sharing data with us on Sedex
Here’s where we are making progress on our PRODUCT initiatives...
94% of our pubs
achieved 5* EHO in FY2024
4.1 FTSE4Good Score
in FY2024
Over 100 suppliers
engaged with us on Sedex
Operating a Safe Business for Our Guests and Our People
The health and safety of our guests and our People is of the upmost importance to us.
We’ve committed to this within our business strategy, to operate a safe and sustainable business and with our target to achieve a 5* EHO score for all our pubs. At the end of September 2024, 94% of our pubs had a 5* EHO score. By including this target as part of our objectives and incentive schemes, this helps us to consistently raise the bar and promote a culture of safety, helping us make the shift from a cultural mindset of compliance to one of commitment.
Our Policies
The way in which we promote high standards of good governance is embedded within our business through our company policies and processes that reflect our culture and our values.
See below for links to some of our value-based policies for more information.
See more on our POLICY progress in our Impact Report.