Initiatives, such as investing in energy efficient design at its new head office, have helped the society to achieve the Standard for the second year running, as the business continues to seek more ways to reduce its environmental impact.

Next year more than 800 colleagues from three offices in Leeds city centre will move into their new home in Sovereign Street, which will be powered with 100% renewable electricity.

“Being recertified by the Carbon Trust is a satisfying acknowledgment of our efforts to keep on improving how we measure, manage and reduce our carbon emissions,” said Andrew Greenwood, Leeds Building Society’s chief risk officer.

“As a mutual, we’re focused on long-term sustainability of the business, not just financially, so it’s great to have independent recognition of how we’re striving to reduce our impact on the environment.

“Our new head office will help us in that aim as it will be more energy efficient than our current 1930s building and yet still means we are in the city, so benefit from public transport connectivity, which helps to reduce the emissions associated with getting to and from work.”

John Newton, head of certification at the Carbon Trust, commented: “We are delighted to certify the carbon reductions of Leeds Building Society, which has really invested in long term measures for carbon emissions reduction.

“We look forward to continuing to work with them to quantify the impacts that this investment will have on the organisation’s carbon footprint.”