Carbon Counting and Offsetting
Carbon Positive Offsetting
For the last two years, we've been working with Earthly, a fellow B Corp that helps companies balance their carbon impact. We’ve been busy counting our carbon scope I, II and III impact and have chosen to offset via Earthly’s recommended Verra Verified Carbon Standard projects. Find out more here:
https://teams.earthly.org/prof...
In 2020, since this was a bit of an odd one, we’ve over accounted aspects to do with distribution in order to compensate for other areas being unusually low (e.g. travel). In 2021, we invested in a fourth project that hits all 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
We are not only counting, we are using Earthly's reports to better understand our operations and find areas for improvement. Year on year, the hope is that we reduce our impact. Of course carbon will likely always be involved in manufacturing to some extent, but we’ll continue to make improvements on both product and process, do it responsibly, design for the Circular Economy and build to last.
Carbon Reduction
We consider offset an action of last resort. Ideally we will reduce, avoid, or even, occasionally, capture carbon ourselves. We have internally set ourselves the goal of net zero by 2030. So far we have done a better job of cutting into our product’s carbon (to the benefit of our customer’s scope III) than we have our own. There is still much to be done there, its time to turn more attention to our own footprint. We have moved all of our electrical supplies to renewable tariffs and our heating gas is double offset. Capital investments on heating plant, insulation and further electrification are to be scheduled in the next year. An initiative to increase staff awareness and shift behaviour has seen a meaningful dent in energy usage achieved already. Simply by switching off unused appliances, closing doors and putting on another jumper!
2022 saw the arrival of the company’s first all electric vehicle. The small diesel van that runs between local suppliers, HQ and our finishing facility multiple times per week was replaced with an all electric equivalent. We immediately saw our fuel bill slashed and estimate to be saving £200.00 - £250.00 of diesel per month.
