Social Responsibility

Doing the right thing to shape our world

At the heart of Arup are values like care, consideration, respect and value. Not only for our people, but also for the society we live in. Social responsibility is the cornerstone of the way we work. As forward thinkers, we know that the choices we make today will impact on what happens tomorrow. So we’re committed to using our expertise, creativity and innovation to make this world a better place for all.

For us, social responsibility goes beyond what we do in our offices. It’s a commitment we consistently deliver through quality work, acting honestly and fairly in all our dealings and working to improve the quality of life for our people, our clients and the communities in which we impact. Making a difference to the world we live in is just one of the reasons our people feel proud to work with us.

Launched in September 2007, our Sustainability Policy reinforces these values around delivery themes relating to our business, our people, our facilities and our external relationships. Through our Policy and our regional Corporate Sustainability Strategy (CSS) we implement practices that promote economic security, social betterment and environmental stewardship. It’s a cause we’ll continuously strive for improvement in all these areas. And it’s an important part of our success story.

See how some of our initiatives have helped shape a better world:

• We’ve created a region-wide environmental management system to control our impacts and outputs. In line with this, we’ll calculate and report on our annual carbon footprint.
• At Arup, action counts! That’s why we have OvaGreen, a corporate initiative that supports our efforts to reduce our environmental impacts. Members meet on a regular basis to discuss practical ways for reducing our environmental impact and supporting charitable events, including Ride to Work Day, Earth Hour and Clean up Australia Day. OvaGreen has also championed the provision of bike loans to all Arup staff to enable those interested to ride to work.
• Through our Drivers of Change research, we’ve discovered key issues relating to energy, climate change, water, waste, poverty and urbanization, allowing us to provide future-proofing solutions for our clients’ projects. It’s a program that gives our people the freedom to research and develop those drivers central to shaping our world now and into the future.
• To help support community charities in the areas we operate, we set up a partnering fund– this includes a significant pro-bono fund giving staff the opportunity to get involved in charitable projects working in their areas of expertise.
• Arup in Australasia is also a corporate partner of RedR Australia. Arup as a global firm supports RedR in respective regions. RedR is an international charity that trains and deploys professionals to assist in emergency situations. Actively involved in fundraising and field assignments for RedR, our engineers have an ideal opportunity to develop their skills in assisting humanitarian aid projects worldwide.
• Through WaterAid, we’re also involved in projects to deliver safe water and sanitation to thousands of people in need. Our long term collaboration and involvement has culminated in many successful projects, for example in Bangladesh, Zambia and Madagascar. Many people within Arup are supported to actively campaign on behalf of WaterAid.
• We support staff deciding to take sabbaticals of up to three months to help in disaster situations, or to complete training with RedR Australia.

Of course, these are just a few examples of how we help shape a better world. For more on our social responsibility achievements, and to see how you can help make a difference, read the work of Daniel Lambert and Nicole Hahn. Or find out how you can connect with like-minded Arup people around the globe through the Poverty Action Network and our internal commitments and responsibilities.

There’s no better time than now to make the right start!