Efforts to be green are being made by housing association Midland Heart, an early adopter of the Sustainability Reporting Standard for Social Housing. It wants to make sure it maximises the positive impact of its investment in its communities and the planet.

Measures include recycling by the maintenance team, who sort and separate all waste before disposal. The association also works with developers to minimise waste when building new homes — in a current scheme, old roof tiles are being used instead of new ones.

Based in Birmingham city centre and having minimal parking, the association's headquarters promote sustainable commuting. Staff are encouraged to use greener transport methods through discounted travel passes and cycle-to-work schemes in Midland Heart's benefits package.

The association owns and manages more than 34,000 properties, and serves 70,000 customers, making it one of the largest housing associations in the Midlands.

It employs more than 1,100 people and invests in its staff from day one. They are offered learning opportunities and wide-ranging rewards because Midland Heart believes everyone should feel valued and supported at work.

Pay and benefits are reviewed often. Since March last year, in spite of the pandemic, not only did senior leaders commit to not furloughing anyone but also 106 staff completed qualifications to enhance their careers and 29 received an internal promotion.

Smart-working tools were also launched, shaped by colleagues' views and experiences. These enable its teams to work and collaborate effectively.