29 April 2021

SThree plc

2020 ESG Impact Report

SThree plc ("SThree" or the "Group"), the only global pure-play specialist staffing business focused on roles in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics ('STEM'), has today published its annual review of the impact of the Group's ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) strategy.

The report includes an overview of the Group's ESG activity and progress in 2020, as well as its commitment for the future, the success of which will be measured against a number of targets. These targets include:

• Positively impacting a total of 150,000 lives, 2020 to 2024 inclusive
• Doubling the share of our global renewables business by 2024 (2019 baseline)
• Reducing our absolute carbon emissions by 20% by 2024 (2019 baseline)
• Increasing gender representation at leadership levels to 50/50 by 2024

The report highlights progress against these targets in 2020, including:

• Positively impacted a total of 19,889 lives in 2020:
  • 14,000 people accessed decent work through SThree placements
  • 989 people accessed community programmes ran by SThree
  • 4,900 people accessed career development opportunities hosted by SThree
• Our renewables business grew 20% and now represents 6% of revenue (2019: 5% revenue)
• Reduced our absolute carbon emissions by 56% on 2019 levels, driven by the global pandemic and associated lack of travel. The focus is now on stabilising our carbon emissions within a more flexible working environment
• Representation of women at all leadership levels of 36%

ESG Strategy update

The Group's long-term commitment to the environment and society has laid the foundations for its newly refreshed ESG strategy, which was introduced in October 2020. The ESG strategy focuses on the three key areas of building a green future, building an inclusive workforce for the future and building on our business ethics. These three areas are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and are integral to the successful execution of the Group's broader growth strategy. The new ESG strategy will be implemented and measured by the Group ESG Committee, which includes the Company's Chair, CEO and CFO. 

Early adoption of TCFD recommendations

The Group has also made a commitment to adopt the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures ("TCFD") and align the Group's reporting and disclosures by undertaking climate-related scenario analysis.

An update will be provided at the time of the interim results announcement, with the Group's full findings and management response disclosed in line with the TCFD guidelines in SThree's FY 2021 annual report and accounts.

Mark Dorman, CEO of SThree, commented:

"We've always known the true value of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in making our world a better place, and our purpose of 'bringing skilled people together to build the future' has never felt more relevant or important than it does today. Publishing our 2020 ESG Impact Report today is another step forward in our commitment to generating positive change in the world, that we first made over 35 years ago. We look forward to reporting on our progress next year."

Gemma Branney, Global Head of ESG for SThree added:

"We've made great strides in progressing our ESG strategy over the past 12 months, most importantly in setting ourselves tangible ESG targets. These targets not only challenge us to be focused on what we need to achieve in terms of sustainability in the years to come, they underpin our growth as a Group - we believe sustainability and business success are interwoven. We are also pleased to have committed to being transparent in measuring ourselves against these targets, and to holding ourselves accountable in our annual impact report. We've already changed the lives of tens of thousands of people around the globe. And we want to continue take meaningful and deliberate actions to tackle some of the biggest challenges we face in society, to build a better, more sustainable future for everyone."

The full report is available here:

https://www.sthree.com/media/3607/impact-report-2020.pdf

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Notes to editors

SThree plc brings skilled people together to build the future.  It is the only global pure-play specialist staffing business focused on roles in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics ('STEM'), providing permanent and flexible contract talent to a diverse base of over 9,000 clients in 15 countries.

The Group's c.2,600 staff cover the Technology, Life Sciences, Engineering and Banking & Finance sectors.

SThree plc is quoted on the Premium Segment of the Official List of the Financial Conduct Authority under the ticker symbol STEM and also has a US level one ADR facility, symbol SERTY.