Global Sustainability

TACKLING GLOBAL POVERTY

Partnering with SEWA (Self Employed Women’s Association), we work to empower two million self-employed women in India to avoid the ‘poverty trap’ and learn the skills and training they need to develop entrepreneurial expertise and self-sustaining businesses or into the mainstream financial ecosystem.

FIGHTING AGAINST HUNGER IN A PLENTIFUL WORLD

No child deserves the injustice of being deprived of food. In an effort to put an end to global hunger, we provide lunch meals to nursery children every week-day throughout the school year at the Weligama Community, Welfare and Education Centre in Sri Lanka, a centre for the very poorest children of society, (according to the Government’s state register of poor). That’s approximately 4,500 meals provided a year.

IMPROVING THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL WELL-BEING OF LOCAL CHILDREN

We support Spencer Lynx Community Outreach Programme to deliver hockey coaching to local children who have not had the opportunity to play before. Designed to inspire local inner city youngsters to partake in sport, the programme increases their physical activity and mental wellbeing, develops teamwork skills, encourages loyalty and responsibility and teaches respect for others.

SUPPORTING WORLD CLASS RESEARCH

Oracle Cancer Trust is the UK's national leading charity solely dedicated to funding research into head and neck cancer, one of the fastest growing cancer types in the UK yet only receiving less than 2% of research funding.

Oracle’s pioneering work, led by some of the world’s leading authorities on head and neck cancer treatment has resulted in breakthroughs in delivering new surgical techniques, radiotherapy treatment, speech & language therapy, drug development and virus and immunotherapies with fewer immediate and long-term side effects for patients. We support them in their vital work.

PROVIDING EDUCATION TO ALL

The Weligama Community, Welfare Educational Centre (WCWEC) provides free education to the poorest local children in Sri Lanka aged between 4 - 16 years, including: English language, I.T. and other lessons, ensuring an essential base for continued learning and development, enabling qualifications and the chance of a prosperous future. We supply the resources needed to sustain this community centre guaranteeing vulnerable children improved access to education and leading to productive and fulfilling lives.

DEVELOPING A WIDER UNDERSTANDING AND GOOD CITIZENSHIP

Recognising the importance of advancing debate, dialogue and education, by providing forums for discussion involving academics, thinkers and experts to develop wider understanding and good citizenship, we support the Academy of Ideas in London’s Battle of Ideas Festival, and Debating Matters Championships for sixth form students.

COMMITTING TO EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

Integrity International Group is dedicated to ensuring equal opportunities and fairness within our businesses and pride ourselves on the exemplary values and high standards we set; leading with integrity. Our current employee gender split across our companies is 56% female: 44% male. We ensure the equal ease of access to opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making.

PROVIDING THE BASIC MEANS TO LIFE

Those attending the WCWEC in Sri Lanka, which we continue to fund, are amongst the very poorest in society, all officially registered on the government’s poverty alleviation scheme, ‘Samurdhi’. These families have as little as a single candle in their homes. The centre ensures the children from these most deprived communities have a safe place with clean drinking water and sanitation; preventing disease, maintaining health and prolonging lives.

PIONEERING DESIGNS

Tower Suites, our newest hotel, has an innovative, high-quality design delivered at low energy demand achieving the BREEAM "Excellent" qualification. The pioneering features of Tower Suites enables a large percentage of the building’s total energy usage to be generated from renewable energy sources, satisfying the requirements of the City Corporations’ vital clean energy development plan for 2026.

SECURING EMPLOYMENT FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE

Over 60% of the world’s employed population earn their livelihood working in the informal economy, with the issue being more predominant in developing countries and with women and young girls. Women working in the informal sector leaves them without any protection of labour laws, social benefits, health insurance or paid sick leave, routinely working for lower wages, in unsafe conditions and facing a number of structural constraints which prevent them from accessing well-paid jobs.

SEWA works to empower poor women in India’s informal economy. They provide skills development and vocational training programmes across India to help young women become more employable, gain access to a variety of opportunities and attain financial independence. With over two million active members across fifteen states, SEWA is a nationwide movement. Partnering with SEWA, we help to secure the funds needed to equip these young women with the tools they require to secure self-reliance and full employment.

SAFEGUARDING A PROSPOROUS FUTURE FOR CHILDREN IN NEED

Sustaining the WCWEC, guarantees vulnerable children improved access to education - fundamental for children in securing a positive future and building sustainable lives for themselves and their families. The centre has seen many children progress through the school and go on to further education or to gain full time employment.

CREATING A BEACON

Our charity, Integrity International Trust is constructing a community welfare and education centre in Nepal (NCWEC) to assist in rebuilding the lives of survivors who have been rescued from the clutches of sex trafficking - a growing global crime. The centre will lead by example in its construction and innovation; wherever possible utilising recyclable and eco-friendly building materials such as solar panels. The site is sourced with its own brick factory, generating further employment for local individuals and reducing carbon footprint. Running as a social enterprise, the NCWEC will eventually become self-funded to ensure its long-term future.

RESPECTING LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE

We understand the importance of taking care and paying respect to our local communities and environments. For that reason, we support The Thorney Island Society, a Westminster conservation and amenity society founded in 1985 who look after the interests of both residents and businesses within the area.

REVIVIFYING THE HOME OF THE YOUTH

St Andrew’s Club is the world’s oldest youth club, which has been making a priceless contribution to the local community for over 150 years. The Club offers a safe, welcoming and active environment and aims to help their members become self-efficient and in turn make positive contributions to society. Spread over three stores, purpose-built premise the Club is in much need of rejuvenation. We offer pro-bono access to architectural and feasibility services through IIG’s existing professional advisors.

PROVIDING A CHANCE TO ALL

The Lord's Taverners supports some of the most marginalised and at risk children in the UK. There are currently 4.6m young people in the UK living in poverty or with a disability. The Lord's Taverners creates a range of opportunities for young people from deprived areas and those with disabilities to engage in sport and recreational activities in their local communities to have a sporting chance; a chance to interact, play and train, to learn, have fun and to make friends. We continue to support them in their much needed work.

OVERCOMING BARRIERS

Despite making up 94% of India's female labour force, informal economy women workers continue to struggle for protection. SEWA is both an organization of poor women workers and a movement for them to create better alternatives. We partner with SEWA and their over two million members to empower these women to equip themselves with the personal confidence, community support, and practical tools necessary to fulfil their needs and exercise their rights.

ADOVCATING LOCAL COLLABORATION

St Andrew's Club has been enriching young lives for over 150 years. They are a local charity and community based youth club in Westminster, where around 40% of children are classed as living below the poverty line. They provide a safe, welcoming and active environment that helps their members, aged 5 to adulthood, develop educationally, socially and personally through a wide range of sport, art, practical skills, trips out and training. IIG is committed to supporting the local youth of St Andrew’s Club in sustaining the running of their evening programmes. Further, IIG has provided license-free access and the use of specialist Membership Software which enables the Club to be more efficient and productive in delivering their own community objectives.

In addition to working alongside Thorney Island Society, we also support the Vincent Square Residents Association, a community group representing residents collectively to improve the amenities and enjoyment of Vincent Square and acting as a voice on local matters.

The NCWEC, being built by Integrity to assist in rebuilding the lives of survivors who have been rescued from the clutches of sex trafficking, will also benefit the local community. The centre will provide facilities to enable learning opportunities together with workshops; delivering skills and education which are most needed to help it develop.

DEMONSTRATING RESPONSIBILITY TO OUR ENVIRONMENT

With the power of collaboration, we sustainably source environmentally friendly products and are committed to working with local suppliers. Naturally, we encourage guests in our hotels to conserve on energy consumption. We have exciting plans for the future for our hotels to produce their own guest amenities providing access to job opportunities for the disabled and decreasing our carbon footprint even further.

UTILISING NATURAL RESOURCES

The WCWEC in Sri Lanka that Integrity sustains, grows its own food produce such as cinnamon, coconuts, Jackfruit and bananas, utilising these resources to feed their beneficiaries and staff. The centre also has a zero food wastage policy, only ordering the exact requirements needed and advocates recycling principles throughout the centre.

JOINING THE ‘BIG CLIMATE FIGHTBACK’

We encourage our team to volunteer and participate in a mass tree planting campaigns across London and the UK to aid with reaching the government’s aim of 1.5bn new trees by 2050 to meet the net zero carbon target. We are always on the lookout for innovative ways to make a positive sustainable impact on the environment.

BREAKING THE GRIP OF SLAVERY

We proudly partner with Justice and Care, who helps to rescue people who have been trafficked and brutally exploited in slavery. They partner with law enforcement agencies to dismantle criminal networks and bring abusers to justice and work with Governments to achieve systemic change. Justice and Care has trained 45,000 police, judges and front-line professionals; helped the Police arrest more than 1,150 suspected traffickers; pioneered national systemic change, and shaped legislation in South Asia and the UK. We assist Justice and Care in raising funds needed to bring perpetrators of trafficking to justice.

Amongst their undertakings is Sport for Freedom - an initiative to utilise the power of sport to raise awareness, educate and inspire others to action against human trafficking.

It’s a Penalty generates awareness-raising campaigns to harness the power of sport to prevent trafficking and exploitation on a global scale. Their Research & Advocacy work ensures that children worldwide are legally protected from sexual exploitation and abuse. Through collaboration including with our hotels, It’s a Penalty has been able to achieve significant results: 16,865 victims have been protected during campaigns at major sporting events since 2014 and 155million people on average have been reached throughout each campaign. It’s a Penalty has been working to disrupt the fast growing and second largest criminal industry in the world: human trafficking and exploitation and we are right behind them.