Global RSK teams provide ESG and CO₂ reporting to healthcare sector

Project summary

Multiple global RSK teams collaborated to conduct carbon footprint assessments for leading German healthcare provider.

The background

The AMEOS Group is one of the most important healthcare providers in the German-speaking region. It has 107 facilities spanning 60 locations in Germany and employs a workforce of over 18,000, providing care to more than 10,000 patients.

RSK was first approached by the AMEOS Group in October 2021 with a request to conduct a greenhouse gas assessment (carbon footprint) for all 60 AMEOS sites. Alongside this, the team was asked to conduct an environmental, social and governance (ESG) post-acquisition screening assessment of the whole group, including a visit to a site. The AMEOS Group required a review and development of its ESG approach and management.

The project was a collaborative effort between several global RSK teams.

• EDP was involved in the initial proposal development and coordination of the project.
• RSK Alenco GmbH, the German branch of the RSK Group, provided German-speaking project management and translation services and executed the ESG audit on-site.
• RSK Polska was responsible for expert ESG guidance, support, overall ESG assessment and reporting.
• Nature Positive delivered the greenhouse gas assessment and a high-level energy review of the assets.For the greenhouse gas assessment, all three scopes were assessed, with an initial focus on the more direct (scopes 1 and 2) emission sources, followed by an assessment of indirect (scope 3) ones. Each of the involved teams provided unique competencies, which, when brought together, secured a product in line with the client’s expectations.

The challenges

Language barrier
The primary challenge the team faced was navigating the language barrier between the client and the project team. As a global project, the input needed to be received from international teams but delivered in German.

The various RSK teams had to ensure project requirements were communicated seamlessly between the internal and external teams involved and that the work was completed in line with key project timescales. RSK Alenco GmbH collaborated with core teams across RSK internationally to deliver specialised and integrated solutions at appropriately timed implementation phases.

Navigating stakeholders
The project required careful navigation between the needs of the two involved stakeholders: the AMEOS Group (subject of the audit and greenhouse gas assessment) and the financial stakeholders.

Data accuracy
As is always the case with greenhouse gas assessments, especially with scope 3, identifying and obtaining suitably accurate and granular activity data presented some challenges.

The solutions

Thanks to the involvement of RSK Alenco GmbH, the team had access to German-speaking technical experts, who were not just able to translate the information but also fully involved in the processes.

Among the various teams, RSK had a wealth of experience with the challenges presented and was able to effectively mitigate all presented challenges using clear communication and by setting expectations.

RSK provided the following services:

ESG post-acquisition screening assessment

• High-level post-acquisition ESG screening to identify key risk areas requiring corrective or remedial action, e.g., infections or clinical waste; general waste management; health and safety or environment, health and safety systems; and operational practices)
• Assessment of returned documents and management responses using a qualitative ranking system
• Interviewing of company management, ESG on-site audit and interviews
• Reporting

Greenhouse gas assessment

• Scope 1 and 2 carbon footprint and report
• High-level energy review
• Scope 3 screening and follow-up assessment

The impacts

Thanks to RSK’s work, the client obtained a clearer understanding of its greenhouse gas emission sources and the ‘carbon hotspots’ across its value chain. This is an essential starting point in the carbon management and decarbonisation process, as it provides a hierarchy of areas of focus. This helped to satisfy the requirements of the client’s stakeholders and helped the AMEOS Group take the first steps towards the start of a decarbonisation strategy.

The results generated from this project have led to the RSK Group and the AMEOS Group partnering in subsequent years on ESG assessments and carbon footprint reporting.