The Contract and Partnership between King’s Cross and JPC Samsic, a British subsidiary of the Group, commenced in January 2019, but is already successfully bringing and achieving many CSR goals, and has given rise to many innovative projects. The King’s Cross neighborhood, right in the heart of London, is currently being fully renovated. Designed to be a real space of urban regeneration, the 27-hectare site is set to include not only the head offices of major international corporations, such as Google and Louis Vuitton, but socially-inclusive housing and areas given over to nature. This multi-award-winning project is a symbol of environmental excellence. JPC Samsic’s services are proud to support this ambitious project to build neighborhoods with a positive impact on the planet and on society. Gary Smith, Estate Director King’s Cross
HOW IS JPC SAMSIC SUPPORTING KING’S CROSS IN DEVELOPING THE PROJECT?
The Kings Cross project is an ambitious urban plan with extremely high environmental and social considerations. Choosing an ISO 14001 certified partner like JPC Samsic therefore made sense to us, because of our common ambition to create shared value.
Its company vision of making a positive contribution to local areas, particularly in terms of social inclusion, excited us. Taking environmental issues into account was also a decisive factor in our choice.
For example, JPC Samsic has trialled a system to transport waste utilising the canal system, which is far more Environmentally friendly than using road transport. Finally, being able to count on the support of a partner like Samsic, who besides being a source of new ideas and Innovation can be relied on to Manage projects, making things happen and subsequently taking away some of that responsibility and pressure.
IN YOUR VIEW, WHAT ARE THE STRENGTHS OF SAMSIC THAT SUPPORT YOU IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF EMPLOYMENT, TRAINING AND INCLUSION?
JPC Samsic’s work on this project has been excellent! To be able to provide the quality of work we demanded, JPC Samsic hired committed and motivated employees and challenged existing methods, processes and systems.
This investment was made possible by a long-term policy of support and training of teams in the field. Transmitting knowledge to nurture employee development is essential, not only in the short term, but for the future. The Group set up the JPC Academy and Passport to Success to give people the means to retrain throughout their whole working lives.
Moreover, together with Samsic, we collaborate with local organisations in the field, in line with our strategy of sustainable, local recruitment..
THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN BUILT AROUND THE IDEA OF REGENERATION; HOW IS YOUR COLLABORATION HAVING A POSITIVE EFFECT ON THE ENVIRONMENT?
This collaboration to enhance environmental performance has been invaluable for us. After working together for just 6 months, we’re already seeing the positive effects. JPC Samsic has put forward and implemented innovations that are already having an impact.
This is the case for the waste removal project we mentioned earlier. We’re also constantly looking at other projects. We’re working together to reduce our environmental footprint: water, energy, waste and packaging.
This collaboration enables us to progress together, co-constructing to boost our positive impact, both social and environmental, on the neighbourhood – and on the city of London, more generally.
