**Corporate Responsibility** Local Government
Case Study | Westminster City Council
Under its service agreement with Westminster City Council, Ricoh made a commitment to support a range of social value initiatives for Westminster communities. These include improving employment opportunities for young people, supporting emergencies like the Afghan refugee crisis and entertainment events for the elderly.
Name
Westminster City Council
Location
London, UK
Size
4,800 staff
Activity
Local Government
Challenges
Solution
Benefits
“This is the best workshop we’ve ever done” was the response from Year 5 pupils at the Burdett Coutts Primary School in Westminster following a technology workshop run by four volunteer employees from Ricoh. It was just one of several events and initiatives delivered to communities in the City of Westminster as part of Ricoh’s commitment to supporting local communities.
Westminster City Council aims to create a world class city that supports communities and helps them become stronger, healthier and greener. Part of the vision is the Responsible Procurement and Commissioning Strategy, a framework for procurement and commissioning activities. Lauren Bailey, Social Value Manager at Westminster City Council (WCC) says, “The council spends around £500 million a year
commissioning goods and services, so we want to see what added value we can get back from businesses for economic, environmental and community-based activities. Social value shows residents that as well as delivering value-for-money services, the council and its business partners are also delivering social value within the borough.”
Social value includes initiatives like improving employment opportunities, community-based activities and sustainability, as well as unprecedented emergencies such as the Covid-19 pandemic, Afghanistan crisis and war in Ukraine.
Under Westminster’s Responsible Procurement and Commissioning strategy up to 20% weighting is given to social value during the supplier evaluation process thus encouraging businesses to ensure social value is at forefront of any service delivered.
In 2013 the UK Government enacted The Public Services (Social Value) Act. It requires businesses providing products and services to public organisations valued at over £100,000 to make a social value commitment around supporting their customers, addressing the social, economic and environmental needs of the community.
Even before the Social Value Act - in response to the many challenges that society faces - Ricoh was committed to use its technology expertise, economic resources and employee goodwill to give back to the communities it touches. Ricoh founder, Kiyoshi Ichimura, was determined to contribute to society.
In 1946, he created Ricoh’s founding principles called “The Spirit of Three Loves” - love your neighbour, love your country, love your work. These underpin how Ricoh operates and grows as a responsible business.
Ricoh UK set up a dedicated corporate responsibility division - Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG). A national ESG Manager and regional Corporate Responsibility Champions drive responsible business from
sites across the UK, utilising employee skills, time, and passion to support their local communities. Ricoh gives every employee two days each year for volunteer work in their community. ESG manages several social projects such as delivering social value, job opportunities for ex-armed forces people and a raft of environmental initiatives.
One of Ricoh ESG’s flagship relationships is with WCC. The council uses a range of Ricoh Business Process and digital transformation services including Production & Managed Print, Document Management, inbound and outbound digital mailroom and scanning and archiving. Because of this partnership with WCC, Ricoh is committed to providing a range of social value initiatives to Westminster communities.
In Westminster, Ricoh ESG activities include sending teams of employees to support Westminster STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) Week.
This is an opportunity for young people aged 11-24 years living or educated in Westminster to connect with the world of business and explore careers in Science, Arts and Maths. Lauren Bailey says, “It is important to get businesses like Ricoh involved in activities, such as Westminster STEAM, because it inspires young people to consider a career in STEAM, and they love meeting and hearing from businesspeople.”
At Burdett Coutts Primary School and St Mary of the Angels School Ricoh employees delivered a technology-themed activities such as code cracking, making 5G towers and building a circuit board helicopter. In addition, Ricoh and its staff have supported tea dances for the elderly in Westminster, helped Afghan refugees and used Ricoh printing expertise and facilities to provide free printing services in Westminster.
Ricoh is also part of WCC’s Responsible Business Network that comprises both WCC business partners and companies located in the area. Among many other initiatives, WCC and the network developed an emergency response plan to support Afghan refugees and in three days raised £35,000 to support just under 1,000 refugees with accommodation and
essential basic items. Businesses also made contributions in kind such as wheelchairs, mobile devices and toys.
Although not part of its formal social value agreement with the council and in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, Ricoh staff collected and donated boxes of clothes to give to the refugees.
Isabelle Bernard, Business Community Partnerships Manager at WCC who led the Afghan refugee action, says, “I was on my own with limited resources and what I really appreciated was businesses like Ricoh who immediately stepped up to the plate and offered help and support to the refugees.”
Every year WCC celebrates those over 65 in Westminster with Silver Sunday, a tea and entertainment event at a local hotel. When the pandemic lockdown stopped the event, WCC and local businesses including Ricoh made and distributed 1,020 luxury tea boxes to elderly residents – including one aged 102 - living in sheltered accommodation.
As well as managing suppliers and local businesses, WCC leads by example with its own social value programme which includes efforts to reduce the gender pay gap and sponsoring staff volunteering. Lauren Bailey says, “WCC has an ambition – wherever and with whoever – to operate in a socially responsible manner.”
Isabelle Bernard added, “Ricoh is fully engaged with what we are doing in the WCC’s Responsible Business Network. One thing we do sometimes struggle with is getting businesses to respond to us in a timely way, but Ricoh always responds in an amazing fashion and whenever it can, the company and its staff go above and beyond their social value commitment to help the community.”
In just one week, Ricoh expertise and employee time given to Westminster school children was valued at over £3,500. Nine Ricoh staff also spent two days providing employment advice to students at Westminster Academy valued at a further £1,800.
One area WCC is looking to develop with Ricoh is work placements. Lauren Bailey says, “One of the council’s key strategic aims is job opportunities and we are looking forward to working with Ricoh on this in the future.”
The council believes it is important for residents in Westminster to benefit from and see how the council engages with businesses that act in a responsible way and want to support the communities where they are delivering goods and services.
Isabelle Bernard added, “As a council employee but also as a Westminster resident myself there is sometimes a negative perception about commercial businesses and a lack of trust about how residents engage with business and
the local authority. To have a company like Ricoh, which is socially responsible and is out in the community helps residents see the impact of social value and that businesses do actually care.”
Ricoh Solution/Products
Ricoh ESG
Voluntary Ricoh employees
By delivering its social value commitment to WCC, Ricoh is helping to improve the lives of people young and old across the City of Westminster.
Lauren Bailey says, “The primary beneficiary of Ricoh social value activity are the residents of Westminster and key stakeholders in the community. In schools, for instance, the students get a much better understanding about the world of work. By working in partnership with Ricoh, we can generate greater social impact within the borough.”
Ricoh is empowering digital workplaces using innovative technologies and services that enable individuals to work smarter from anywhere.
With cultivated knowledge and organizational capabilities nurtured over its 85-years history, Ricoh is a leading provider of digital services and information management and print and imaging solutions designed to support digital transformation and optimize business performance. Headquartered in Tokyo, Ricoh Group has major operations throughout the world and its products and services now reach customers in approximately 200 countries and regions. In the financial year ended March 2021, Ricoh Group had worldwide sales of 1,682 billion yen (approx. 15.1 billion USD).
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