Being a supplier of low carbon heating technologies, carbon reduction and sustainability is a part of who we are. We strive to manage business operations in an environmentally responsible manner, complying with relevant environmental legislation and regulations. Through our Quality Environmental Policy ISO14001, we are committed to continuous improvement with products and services, as well as recycling and reducing pollution.
The United Kingdom was the first major economy to set a legally binding target of Net Zero carbon emissions by a target date of 2050. Although a daunting challenge, the date is set, and we all must work collectively to achieve this goal.
Grant Project Zero is Grant UK’s long-term company-wide carbon reduction programme. This transformation initiative helps us focus on our commitment to Net Zero to ensure we do our bit as a Company towards achieving our nation's Net Zero Carbon target.
It considers all business processes from facilities, vehicles and energy usage to waste, business travel and our supply chain.
For Grant Project Zero we document the carbon our business operations generate each year. In 2021, we appointed external carbon consultants Carbon Lens to calculate our carbon intensity and support us with managing our resource consumption so that we can be recognised as a carbon neutral business and aim towards Net Zero.
Carbon Lens review the following data:
The report covered Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. Scopes are a way of classifying different emissions a business generates. Scope 1 covers the emissions that our business directly makes e.g. running company vehicles. Scope 2 covers the indirect emissions e.g. where/how our electricity is being generated. Scope 3 is the largest of all and accounts for all emissions our business is indirectly responsible for throughout our supply chain e.g. where and who we purchase our products from.
This data is then used to calculate our carbon footprint. The emissions have been calculated using the Greenhouse Gas Protocol methods and targets set using the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) principles for achieving Net Zero by 2045.
In 2024, Grant UK's carbon footprint for scopes 1 and 2 and some of scope 3 which cover direct and indirect emissions including electricity, waste and fuel usage was calculated as: 215 Tonnes CO2e. Our total footprint which includes any indirect emissions through the supply chain was calculated to be: 10,111 Tonnes CO2e, which is a decrease of 1.7% compared with 2023.
We are already making positive steps forward to achieve more sustainable business operations. Today, Grant UK employees are encouraged to reduce waste and recycle whenever possible with the placement of recycling facilities throughout our premises. Since introducing these measures, we have significantly improved waste collections and recycling volumes. In less than a year, cardboard waste reduced by 55%, plastic waste reduced by 52% and the amount of general waste produced onsite also greatly reduced with over a tonne being handled as mixed recyclables.
Low-energy LED lights are used throughout the offices and Training Academy and the vehicles in the Company's fleet are now moving to either fully electric or hybrid models as appropriate.
In addition to our onsite recycling and waste reduction initiatives, sustainability is also a central feature of our premises. Our Company HQ in Swindon, Wiltshire, has been designed to be as environmentally friendly as possible from the choice of materials used within the office spaces and Training Academy through to the renewable heating system fulfilling the site's heating and hot water requirements.
Alongside the biomass heating system which provides heating and hot water, 768 solar panels and storage batteries have been installed as part of the 303kWp Solar PV system which has been fitted onto the roof of both of our units. This system is already fulfilling over 83% of the electricity demand for the main office unit and 91% of the electricity demand for our Training Academy. Generating 50MwH of electricity in June 2023, this system is helping Grant UK to reduce its reliance on the grid and it is hoped that in the future, it will fulfil all our electricity demand as well as feeding renewable electricity into the grid. In the last twelve months, we have exported over 80,000kWh of renewable energy generated by our solar PV to the National Grid [correct March 2024]. Furthermore, any electricity we use from the grid is also renewable so any energy used on site is 100% renewable (view our Renewable Energy Certificate).
Please click here to read more about our HQ's facilities and features.
With an established carbon baseline, our Management Team are committed to challenging and continually reducing the use of carbon over the coming years.
Our long-term commitment is split into three phases:
Reduce
Offset
Net Zero
Grant UK has been a carbon neutral company since 2021 and we are pleased to confirm that we have maintained carbon neutrality for another year covering scope 1, 2 and selected scope 3 in 2024. As a company, we measure our scope 1, 2 and significant scope 3 carbon emissions (CO2e) annually. In conjunction with our Net Zero plan, we continue to offset the emissions previously reviewed by the UN Climate Neutral Now programme. This carbon-offset strategy has been completed in line with PAS2060 and reviewed by our carbon management partner Carbon Lens.
Since 2021, as part of Grant Project Zero, we have supported UN Certified projects to offset our carbon emissions in line with PAS 2060 including the Nadarivatu Hydropower Project in Fiji and the RIMA Fuel Switch in Brazil. We are currently supporting the Wigton Windfarm II project in Jamaica where wind turbines are being used to generate electricity, reducing the community’s reliance and use of fossil fuels and promoting the use of renewable energy.
As well as facilitating the power of the wind to produce electricity, Wigton Windfarm II also works closely with the local community, supporting schools with the delivery of education on renewable energy and offering scholarships and bursaries for students in engineering and science. Wigton Windfarm also supports the farming community, helping farmers with repairing their rainwater harvesting tanks. Collectively, Wigton Windfarm II delivers a range of social benefits including local employment opportunities, reducing imports of fossil fuels into Jamaica, providing additional revenue for farmers and providing educational resources to schools and universities. Click here to view our carbon offset certificate with this UN Certified project.