A message from our leadership
At Carrington West we recognise that recruitment organisations play an important role in shaping the workforce of the industries we support. The infrastructure sector is critical to the UK’s future, and the people who deliver these projects must reflect the communities they serve.
Our ESG strategy reflects our commitment to operating responsibly, supporting a more diverse workforce and maintaining the highest standards of ethical recruitment. By working closely with our clients, candidates and partners, we aim to contribute positively to the future of the built environment sector.
Ella Razzell
ESG Lead, Carrington West
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
Our Commitment
At Carrington West, we recognise that recruitment organisations play an important role in shaping the future workforce of the industries they support.
As a specialist recruitment partner to the UK built environment and infrastructure sectors, we are committed to operating responsibly and contributing positively to the industries we serve.
Our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy sets out how we will:
• Support a more diverse and inclusive infrastructure workforce
• Promote fair and responsible recruitment practices
• Reduce the environmental impact of our operations
• Maintain strong governance, transparency and ethical standards
Through our work with clients, candidates and industry partners, we aim to support the development of a sustainable and resilient infrastructure workforce across the UK.
Why ESG Matters in Infrastructure Recruitment
The UK infrastructure sector is undergoing significant transformation driven by major investment in transport, energy transition, water resilience and sustainable development.
Delivering these projects requires not only technical expertise, but a workforce that is diverse, inclusive and equipped to meet the challenges of the future.
However, industry data continues to highlight gaps in workforce representation:
• Women represent approximately 23.4% of the infrastructure workforce, compared with 50.5% across the UK workforce
• Representation of people from ethnic minority backgrounds within the sector is approximately 13.9%, compared with a national workforce average of 20.2%
• LGBTQ+ representation across the industry is estimated at around 2%, compared with 3.9% across the wider workforce
Recruitment organisations have a direct influence on how talent enters and progresses within industries. By expanding candidate pipelines, promoting inclusive hiring practices and improving accessibility within recruitment processes, agencies can help support positive change.
Carrington West is committed to playing a responsible role in helping the infrastructure sector access broader and more diverse talent pools.
Our ESG Priorities
Our ESG strategy is built around three core pillars.
Environmental
Although Carrington West operates as a professional services business, we recognise that our operations still have environmental impacts.
Our focus is on reducing operational emissions while supporting the delivery of sustainable infrastructure projects through our recruitment activities.
Key priorities include:
• Reducing operational carbon emissions
• Improving office energy efficiency
• Reducing paper usage and increasing digital processes
Social
The social pillar of our ESG strategy focuses on supporting diversity, accessibility and workforce development across the infrastructure sector.
As a recruitment organisation, we are uniquely positioned to influence how talent enters the industry.
Our priorities include:
• Expanding access to infrastructure careers
• Increasing diversity within candidate pipelines
• Promoting inclusive recruitment practices
• Supporting workforce development across technical sectors
Our consultants are encouraged to promote diverse shortlists, inclusive job descriptions and fair recruitment processes to help clients build more representative teams.
Governance
Strong governance underpins responsible recruitment practices and ensures accountability across our business.
Our governance priorities include:
• Maintaining high standards of ethical recruitment
• Ensuring transparency and accountability across our operations
• Embedding ESG considerations into business decision-making
• Monitoring and reporting ESG progress annually
Our senior leadership team oversees ESG performance and ensures that commitments are embedded across the organisation.
ESG in Practice: Our Current Initiatives
Carrington West has already implemented a number of initiatives that support diversity, workforce development and responsible recruitment practices.
These include:
• Supporting Pride and LGBTQ+ inclusion initiatives
• Delivering CV writing and interview workshops within prisons and universities to support access to employment
• Providing diversity and unconscious bias training to employees
• Advising clients on workplace inclusion topics including menopause awareness
• Supporting client ESG initiatives through inclusive recruitment strategies
These initiatives demonstrate our commitment to supporting positive change across the infrastructure workforce.
Our ESG Targets
To ensure accountability, Carrington West has established a number of measurable ESG targets between 2026 and 2030.
These include:
Environmental
• Reducing operational emissions and business travel impact
• Increasing supplier engagement on sustainability practices
• Moving towards near-paperless operations
Social
• Increasing diversity within candidate submissions
• Expanding outreach and candidate pipeline initiatives
• Improving accessibility across recruitment processes
Governance
• Strengthening ESG reporting and oversight
• Delivering ESG training across the organisation
• Maintaining strong compliance and ethical recruitment standards
Progress against these commitments will be reviewed annually.
Looking Ahead
Carrington West believes recruitment organisations have an important role to play in shaping the future workforce of the infrastructure sector.
By embedding ESG principles across our operations and recruitment services, we aim to contribute to:
• A more diverse and inclusive infrastructure workforce
• Sustainable infrastructure delivery across the UK
• Responsible and transparent business practices
We remain committed to continuously improving our ESG performance and supporting our clients and candidates in building a more sustainable and inclusive industry.