Meet Form3's ESG Intern

ESG stands for Environment, Social and Governance, and is a set of factors used to measure a businesses’ impact on society, the environment and their transparency and accountability. It measures how a company integrates environmental, social and governance practices into operations, as well as into their business model.

I was first introduced to ESG whilst studying Geology and Physical Geography at University. We learnt about ESG as a strategy which could be used by companies to align themselves with the Paris Agreement’s aim of keeping global temperature rise below 2°C. During my studies, I learnt about different aspects of climate change from climate modelling to paleoclimatology and I quickly realised that it was a subject I’m passionate about. Before continuing my studies, I wanted to do an internship to see what a career in the field of climate change could look like, and to gain first-hand experience of ESG in business.

Starting the journey

I’m about halfway through my internship now and feeling a lot more confident. But when I first started, I was nervous that I didn’t have all the knowledge. I’d studied climate change and sustainability, but my understanding of payment technology was limited. I was also excited as I knew that working with a company already passionate about their environmental impact but relatively early on in their journey towards sustainability meant an opportunity to make a real difference. I soon realised that this would be a collaborative project, with lots of opportunities to gain knowledge from colleagues from a range of teams.

My mission at Form3

Form3 hasn’t collected a lot of data around its environmental impact to date, but encourages remote working, carbon offsetting for business travel and uses energy efficient office utilities. My first objective has been to calculate our carbon footprint and understand where we have the greatest environmental impact. Gathering data and analysing data around our environmental impact will enable us to implement strategies to reduce and offset our impact. The data I collect will include data that relates the company’s use of data centres, office space, travel, renewable energy sources, waste management, pollution, and its actions around climate change issues.

With this in hand, and analysis completed, I’ll be responsible for proposing the strategies we should be taking to address our impact - which I have to say, is a very exciting project for my first job in the corporate world!

My project gives me the feeling that I’m not “just an intern” but that I’m genuinely contributing to the future of ESG and ESG reporting at Form3!