Neptune Pledges Mental Health Support

Neptune Energy has pledged its support to tackle mental health and youth unemployment issues across the UK and beyond, which it says have intensified as a result of Covid-19.

The company noted that, by forming a series of new partnerships, it is lending its support to a range of social investment initiatives and will work with charitable organizations dedicated to providing mental health support and enhancing employment opportunities for younger people.

Neptune Energy said the commitment is in line with the company’s support for the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to address global challenges such as poverty and inequality, and part of Neptune’s Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy.

As part of its pledge, Neptune Energy will work with partners in each of the countries and regions it operates, including the UK, Norway, Netherlands, Germany, North Africa and Asia Pacific. In the UK specifically, the business said it will partner with Mental Health UK and that it will fund a project to ensure people living with mental illness in some of the most remote, rural communities can get online and access support services. It will also join Movement to Work, a coalition of employers, youth outreach organizations and civil servants committed to helping young people who are not in education, employment or training, to move closer to the world of work.

“Mental health and youth unemployment are significant issues that affect the wider communities in which we operate as well as our own employees and their families,” Neptune Energy’s chief executive officer, Jim House, said in a company statement.

“Covid-19 has led to a surge in unemployment. Even before the pandemic, nearly 68 million young people were unemployed globally. We also know that the psychological impacts of Covid-19 have been significant and are likely to have a lasting effect in the years to come, with levels of stress, depression, self-harm and suicide rates all expected to rise,” he added.

“These social initiatives are about making a difference where we can, and we want to develop mutually beneficial and long-term partnerships that can make a real and meaningful difference to people’s lives,” he went on to say.

Movement to Work’s CEO, Sam Olsen, said, “the UK is facing the highest levels of youth unemployment in four decades – now more than ever we need to provide opportunities for our young people to get on the career ladder and forge bright futures”.

“Movement to Work is delighted to have Neptune Energy as a partner committed to supporting our young people during this challenging period and beyond. We hope many other employers will continue to join us in the fight against youth unemployment,” Olsen added.

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