Grainger exec Tim Nicholson claims green views led to sack

Oct 8 2009 The Journal

In a witness statement to the previous hearing, he said: “I have a strongly-held philosophical belief about climate change and the environment.

“I believe we must urgently cut carbon emissions to avoid catastrophic climate change.

“This affects how I live my life. I encourage others to cut their carbon emissions, and I fear for the future of the human race.” Mr Nicholson stopped working for Grainger as head of sustainability in July last year, having worked for the company since June 2006.

He claimed the company’s chief executive Rupert Dickinson showed “contempt” for his concerns and once flew a member of staff to Ireland to deliver his Blackberry that he had left in London.

In an earlier hearing, Mr Nicholson said he had tried to set up a carbon management system for the company but was unable to work out its carbon footprint because staff refused to give him the necessary data.

A spokesman for Newcastle-based Grainger plc, which owns 14,000 properties in the UK, said they would not comment while the case was ongoing. A statement on the company’s website said: “We are increasingly aware of our impact on the environment and the communities within which we work. Our corporate responsibility activities reflect our commitment to caring and the importance of ensuring a synergy between them and our business activities.”