Ian's First look:

As part of my new role as Sustainability and Technical Coordinator, I’ve been looking into emissions resulting from our business activities. Emissions are recorded from a range of gases that contribute to global warming, and are measured in tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e). They are then split into three categories, based on where the emissions are generated and who is directly responsible for them.

• • Scope 1 – Direct emissions: natural gas for heating and hot water, fuel for company vehicles, refrigerant for air conditioning.

• Scope 2 – Indirect emissions: purchased electricity. This is measured two ways: market-based (who we buy our electricity from), and location-based (UK grid average emissions).

• Scope 3 – Indirect emissions from supply/value chain: raw materials, manufacturing, shipping & distribution, waste & water, end-of-life treatment of products etc.

Reporting on Scope 1 & 2 is mandatory for a company of our size, whilst Scope 3 is largely voluntary. However, our work so far suggests that our supply chain could account for 99% of our total emissions, so understanding Scope 3 is crucial to reducing our carbon footprint. This will also enable us to operate more efficiently, reduce waste, and reduce costs.