Better Health for All

Kier Group was fined £4.415 million in January 2023 for two incidents in March 2018 and January 2019 where workers struck overhead powerlines on the M6 motorway, causing cables to land in the path of passing vehicles and putting motorway users at risk of death.

The company has also incurred over £9 million in penalties for safety-related offences across 10 cases since 2010. These incidents represent significant health-harming externalities. However, Kier is committed to becoming net zero carbon across business operations by 2039 and across the value chain by 2045. Kier achieved an 18.7% year-on-year reduction in carbon emissions from business operations in FY23. Kier provides comprehensive mental health support for its employees and supply chain, including access to a virtual GP, confidential advice, and counselling services. The company is a corporate supporter of The Lighthouse Club, a charity offering mental, physical, emotional, and wellbeing support to construction workers and their families. Kier has over 500 mental health first aiders and more than 900 colleagues acting as wellbeing contacts. In FY25, over 4,000 hours of training were provided for new wellbeing champions and mental health first aiders, with an additional 250+ hours for refresher training. Kier also contributes to mental health infrastructure by building facilities such as a new NHS Integrated Community Mental Health Centre in Islington and a mental health services ward at Maidstone Hospital, and integrating mental health services at St Mary’s Hospital.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

Kier Group PLC is primarily a construction and engineering company and does not directly engage in financial services, lending, or deposit activities for external consumers. The 'Fair Money & Economic Opportunity' value and its associated KPIs are designed to assess financial institutions based on their direct provision of financial products and services. Therefore, all KPIs are not applicable to Kier Group's core business model. While the company supports employee financial well-being through initiatives like being a Real Living Wage employer

, providing inflation support payments , and facilitating access to financial guidance and responsible loans via Salary Finance , these do not constitute direct financial services to external customers as defined by the rubric's KPIs. In November 2022, around 800 employees received an inflation support payment of £300. Since April 2021, the company has been an accredited Real Living Wage employer .

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

Kier Group PLC was fined £4.4 million in 2023 for two serious safety incidents that occurred in March 2018 and January 2019, attributed to inadequate planning and risk assessment.

Separately, Kier Construction Limited was fined £400,000 after a worker fell in 2017. Historically, Kier was linked to the UK's Consulting Association blacklist, which illegally managed workers' data. Employee concerns have been raised regarding long working hours, extensive travel, and insufficient training and managerial support. In positive developments, Kier improved its employee engagement score from 65% in FY23 to 67% in FY24. The company achieved over 90% ISO 45001 certification in 2023 and partnered with the Lighthouse Club to provide 24/7 wellbeing support. Kier supports diversity through networks like Pride, Gender Inclusion, and Racial Inclusion, maintains transparency in gender pay gap reporting, and its Highways division achieved Disability Confident Leader status in 2019. In FY24, 6% of Kier's workforce were apprentices.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

No specific, quantifiable evidence was provided in the article to assess the company against the defined KPIs for Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing. The article mentions a commitment to ethical sourcing

, certifications like the CIPS Ethics Kitemark , and policies such as the Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking Policy , but these do not provide the necessary data points (e.g., percentages of certified spend, audit frequencies, incident numbers, or traceability coverage) required by the rubric.

Honest & Fair Business

Kier Group was fined £4.4 million in January 2023 for health and safety breaches.

This fine was imposed after workers struck overhead power lines twice while working on the M6 motorway , with the Health and Safety Executive identifying inadequate planning and risk assessment as major contributors to the incidents.

Kind to Animals

Kier Group PLC is a construction and infrastructure services company. The provided articles detail various environmental and biodiversity initiatives, such as seagrass meadow protection

, mine site restoration with habitat creation for badgers and bats , and installation of bird nest boxes . However, the rubric's KPIs for 'Kind to Animals' are primarily designed for companies involved in animal product sourcing, animal testing, or animal agriculture. The articles do not provide specific quantitative data points such as percentages of cruelty-free products, animal testing volumes, humane certifications for animal operations, measurable biodiversity impact metrics (e.g., population increases, biodiversity indices, or percentage of revenue invested in conservation), or direct engagement in animal welfare policy advocacy that are required to score against the defined tiers. Therefore, all KPIs are omitted due to a lack of directly applicable and quantifiable evidence matching the rubric's thresholds.

No War, No Weapons

Kier Group's procurement function is verified to ISO 20400 standards and has been awarded the CIPS Corporate Ethics Kitemark.

The company supports the aims of PPN 02/23 to tackle modern slavery in government supply chains , implements a supplier due diligence process for UK Real Living Wage employers , and operates an Ethical Labour working group . These actions demonstrate that Kier's procurement practices exceed global humanitarian benchmarks, particularly in ethical labor and anti-slavery efforts.

Planet-Friendly Business

Kier Group's greenhouse gas emission reduction targets are validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

The company aims for net-zero emissions by 2039 for Scope 1 & 2 and by 2045 for Scope 3, with specific targets to reduce Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 66% and Scope 3 emissions by 42%. Kier achieved a 9% year-on-year reduction in Scope 1 & 2 emissions in FY24 , building on an 18.7% reduction in FY23. The company has implemented initiatives such as partnering for Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel, aiming to reduce carbon emissions by over 6,000 tonnes , and mandating Battery Storage Units across UK operations, which save seven tonnes of carbon per unit monthly. Kier's highways business achieved the 'Advancing' tier of the Carbon Trust’s Route to Net Zero Standard. The company is investing in renewable energy projects, including solar and wind farms , and exploring corporate Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs). Additionally, Kier joined a project in September 2023 to develop real-time reporting of Scope 3 emissions.

Safe & Smart Tech

Kier Group has achieved the Government's Cyber Essentials Plus Scheme and ISO 27001 certifications, demonstrating a commitment to robust information security practices

. The company has implemented multi-factor authentication and established comprehensive privacy policies . These policies detail the collection, use, and protection of personal data , and outline individuals' rights, including access, correction, and deletion .

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

Kier Group has implemented several waste reduction initiatives, including the SmartWaste system across over 300 projects

, which contributed to a 35% reduction in construction waste volume relative to turnover since 2015 . The company also engaged in resource-efficient practices at the Darlaston station project, such as on-site treatment of contaminated water and the use of recycled concrete as aggregate . Additionally, Kier collaborated on testing biochar for mitigating road runoff pollution . The company aims to eliminate avoidable waste by 2035 and become single-use plastic-free by 2030 . The SmartWaste system is used to monitor sustainability metrics across its projects .