THE UNITE GROUP PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2024 45 Our ambition Making a positive impact for young people Making a positive impact for communities Making a positive impact for our people Making a positive impact for the environment Our targets • Maintain support to the Unite Foundation. • 100% of properties to have Resident Ambassadors. • Sign up to the Care Leaver Covenant. • 1% of adjusted earnings on social investment. • All teams achieve Bronze award or higher in our Positive Impact sustainability engagement programme (bonus metric for all employees). • 20% of all employees participate in volunteering in 2024. • 40% women in senior leadership by end of 2025. • 65% of leadership and management population hired internally. • Zero reportable accidents and incidents. • Maintain Real Living Wage accreditation. • 10% ethnic minority representation in management and senior leadership by end of 2025. • Net zero carbon by 2030. See our net zero carbon pathway for details https://www.unitegroup. com/sustainability/our- net-zero-pathway. • 56% cut in Scope 1 & 2 market-based emissions by 2030 vs. 2019. • 28% reduction in energy intensity by 2030 vs. 2019. • 100% renewable electricity by 2030. • 35kWh/m² operational energy for new developments by 2030. • 625kgCO2e/m² of embodied carbon for new developments by 2030. • EPC A and BREEAM Excellent for all new builds. Key progress in 2024 • Five internships linked to the Interns Foundation, and eight industrial placements. • 95 new Unite Foundation scholars at the start of the 2024/25 academic year. • New six-week welcome programme, with Resident Ambassadors and interns shaping and delivering a programme of meaningful and inclusive events. • Over 90% of student- facing employees completed new student support training under our Support to Stay programme. • 6% increase in number of propoerties with Resident Ambassadors, up to 91% from 85% in 2023. • Report to Government on Care Leavers in HE. • £2.6 million (1.2% of adjusted earnings) invested in social initiatives in 2024, a £160k increase from 2023. • 36% increase in the number of teams achiving a Positive Impact Gold award for local communtiy projects, compared to 2023. • Passed a cumulative total of £2 million of donations from our properties to British Heart Foundation over seven years. • 9% increase in volunteering particpation rate, up from 22% in 2023 to 31% in 2024. • Continued to pay the Real Living Wage. • Achieved Gold Investors in People accreditation. • Ranked 7th in the Best 50 Small-Medium Sized Placement Schemes for our Early Careers programme. • Launched My Impact framework to help drive performance. • Made progress towards our 40% target of women in senior leadership roles with 37% representation achieved. • £10.2 million invested in energy, water and carbon reduction in 2024. • 56.7% reduction in Scope 1 & 2 emissions vs. 2019. • 99.9% of electricity backed by renewable energy certificates. • Lowest ever new build embodied carbon (694kgCO2e/m2) and design operational energy (69kWh/ m2) at Bromley Place. • 0.7% reduction in water consumption vs. 2023. • 91.7% A-B rated EPC by floor area. SUSTAINABILITY TARGETS AND KEY PROGRESS IN 2024