Protective continuously pursues efficiency within our operations, finding energy savings where possible.
To ensure we are doing our part to build a sustainable future for our planet, we decreased power usage at our headquarters in Birmingham, Ala. through efforts like installing LED lighting, improving our campus’ chiller utilization and adjusting building control system setpoints. These efforts, along with our transition to a more distributed workforce, helped us to reduce power usage by over 15% since 2019. To prepare for the future growth of electric vehicles, Protective installed six electric charging stations in each parking deck at our headquarters. Initiatives like these also help us effectively manage costs and align with our overall business strategy.
We also continued our Renewable Energy Credits with Alabama Power, powering our headquarters with 100% renewable energy, equivalent to 18 million kilowatt-hours of wind energy. Because of this and other sustainable efforts in our facility, Protective maintained recognition as an EPA Green Power Partner, a program focused on promoting renewable energy to reduce the environmental impact of electricity.
As we make updates to our buildings, we consider using existing infrastructure before replacing equipment. By working with engineers and consultants to maintain our existing facilities, we can improve efficiency before replacing, where appropriate and whenever possible.
Materiality Matrix
Protective continued applying strategic direction from our materiality matrix, which was developed in 2021. In 2022, we built a three-year sustainability roadmap focused on the most material areas for our business. Areas of priority include:
- Climate Risk Management
- Community and Social Engagement
- Data Privacy and Security
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- Employee Engagement
- Governance Framework
- Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Reduction
- Sustainability Communication and Reporting
- Sustainable Investments
- Waste Reduction and Recycling
GHG emissions
Alongside our parent company, Protective is engaging in initiatives to understand our carbon footprint. Direct emissions from owned or controlled sources (Scope 1) and indirect emissions from the generation of purchased energy (Scope 2), are measured and monitored. We also continue to closely monitor the evolving development of measurement techniques for indirect emissions that occur in our value chain (Scope 3).
