Tag Archives: carbon emissions

News

JustCarbon helps SMEs support race to net zero

Climate-conscious companies are increasingly feeling the pressure to step up the pace in the Race to Net Zero.

 

But for some that will be a tough exercise. No matter how great their intentions and practical efforts to cut emissions, they will continue to produce carbon that impacts the climate.

 

That goal of net zero – putting no more carbon into the atmosphere than you’re taking out of it – can seem unattainable to a small business. But, instead of striving for the impossible, the solution is to offset the carbon that absolutely can’t be reduced, says JustCarbon, a blockchain carbon credit marketplace.

 

“With COP27 just around the corner and a keenness for politicians to take more action to tackle the climate emergency,businesses will, in time, have to make the leap into making a real commitment as part of the evolutionary low carbon economy,” stresses Adrian Rimmer, JustCarbon co-founder. “Because what you do, no matter how small your business, can make a real difference to the planet.

 

“However, we understand that it is still a voluntary decision and it may be very difficult to address unavoidable carbon emissions that occur even with emissions-reducing techniques. This is where alternatives come into play, for example engaging another organisation to purchase carbon credits that help fund capture carbon elsewhere through things like tree-planting projects to support carbon sequestration.”

 

Not only do opportunities like this reduce net emissions, they can also produce benefits in other ways, like improving biodiversity and people’s livelihoods. Nature-based carbon offsets that are certified and verified ensure positive effects on climate change mitigation.

 

Adrian Rimmer continues: “Businesses should understand that not all carbon offsets are the same. Some are poor quality and have limited or negative impacts. Equally, continuing a ‘business as usual’ approach, while purchasing offsets without a combined emissions reduction strategy is equally as detrimental and could be seen as greenwashing.”

 

JustCarbon, which supports the UK government’s partnership with business and climate group, the UK Business Climate Hub, offers businesses a simple, straightforward way to take meaningful action to offset their climate impact through the purchase of high quality, nature-based carbon credits. Converting carbon credits to JustCarbon Removal Units (JCRs) and making these available for sale, provides climate project developers with a simple and accessible way of monetising their carbon removal activities.

 

“Small businesses account for 99% of UK enterprises so the potential for meaningful change is enormous. Our aim is to encourage more and more to take practical action on climate change as, collectively, the individual actions of many companies can be transformational.” Ended Adrian Rimmer.

 

The UN’s ambition to combat global warming requires emissions to reduce by 45% by 2030 and to reach net zero by 2050. The UK Business Climate Hub has advice, tools and resources to help companies cut their carbon emissions, including how to offset those that cannot be reduced.

Climate, News

UK Deathcare sector urged to face up to its part in the environmental emergency

Medical advancements and better living standards have contributed to people living much longer, but with around 1% of the populace dying each year, for many years, the death care sector along with most of society has been unknowingly contributing to Global Warming and Climate Change.

As COP26 approaches and sustainability is brought to the top of the global agenda, industry experts are urging the deathcare sector to face up to the role it is playing in the escalating environmental emergency.

New information has emerged about the toxicity of materials involved in body disposal, from the ecological effects of embalming fluids and coffins, through to the effects of natural body composition and even the release of mercury from tooth fillings. What is clear is that the sector as a whole is facing a significant challenge when it comes to addressing and reversing its contribution to the Climate Crisis. 

The pressure to implement change is no longer coming from the smaller, eco-conscious subsections of the community alone.  As of 24th February, it was reported that 300 out of a total of 404 District, County, Unitary and Metropolitan Councils had so far declared a Climate Emergency. This includes 8 combined Authorities and City Regions.  As part of the declaration, aggressive timelines and plans are being put into place to address all of the areas under their control, including death care services. Time is of the essence too, with the vast majority of these plans set to be implemented by 2030. 

“Many death care professionals think that it is impossible to avoid the negative impacts on the environment completely, regardless of whether customers are opting for burials or cremations,” explains Scott Storey, Head of European Operations for OpusXenta, a global technology company serving the death care profession and its suppliers.

Earlier this year, Scott conducted a webinar ‘The Climate Emergency: What Changes Can Crematoria, Funeral Homes and Cemeteries Make to Protect Our Environment?, alongside  Executive Officer for the FBCA, Brendan Day and guests from the sector. In it they discussed the steps that Funeral Directors, Crematoria and Cemeteries can take to help limit their impact on the environment. 

These included:

  • Pollution reduction – a single cremation generates NOx (greenhouse gas) emissions equivalent to a car travelling 2,280 miles. Burials are also problematic, due to toxic chemicals which leach into the soil and have been detected in groundwater around cemeteries, posing a risk to public health.
  • Preserving Ecological Habitats – the intensive maintenance of lawns  and memorial plots in cemeteries and gardens of remembrance continues to damage the environment and the local ecology.
  • Recycling – there is more to be done than just composting of floral tributes or the reuse of plastic, including rainwater harvesting solar panels and even electrical car charging ports.
  • Energy Consumption – crematoria consume significant amounts of energy which often just escapes directly into the atmosphere, however there are ways in which some of this energy can be captured and reused.

Scott believes that the death care sector as a whole must accept the role it continues to play in the climate crisis. “Despite providing much needed and valued services to the communities they operate in, their impact on the environment continues to be damaging and unsustainable. By taking practical steps to fully assess the operation, identifying areas for improvement and actively seeking out solutions which benefit the environment, bereavement service professionals can ensure that the future death care sector delivers far more than it takes away,” he says.

“What is clear is that the most fundamental shift needs to come in mindset, outlook and company culture. It is only by changing your perspective and considering the environmental impact of all activities undertaken can we truly start to make the necessary changes, and see them permeate the entire death care sector,” concludes Scott. 

Executive Officer of the Federation, Brendan Day, said ‘the need for education across the sector and amongst the public is central to ensuring we can reduce the impact of funerals on the environment. To encourage this shift we now provide our members with a free Environmental Awareness Report when we carry out Compliance Inspections and we encourage them to adopt an Environmental policy to support their efforts to be more sustainable’. 

News

SmartTask takes environmental action with launch of industry-first initiative to offset customers’ carbon footprint

Leading Carbon Neutral workforce management company commits to helping customers reduce carbon footprint

SmartTask, a UK-based developer of cloud workforce management solutions, has been certified a carbon neutral business by Carbon Neutral Britain™.  As well as offsetting its own carbon footprint, SmartTask has made the ground-breaking move to offset the additional footprint generated by its customers’ IT in using the SmartTask solution – believed to be an industry-first initiative.

Paul Ridden CEO of SmartTask explained; “Studies show that there is a growing consumer demand for products and services from businesses that are taking action on climate change. Our mission at SmartTask has long been to build solutions that not only help our customers to operate more efficiently but also that lessen their impact on the planet by reducing the use of paper, improving communications and minimising unnecessary travel.

“Our latest environmental initiative will help our clients to reduce their carbon footprints still further. We believe that we are the first Carbon Neutral Workforce Management platform provider for the security and cleaning/facilities management sector and the first to offer this additional benefit to our customers.”

SmartTask has undertaken a broad package of ongoing measures to reduce its carbon footprint.  These measures include:

  • Additional building insulation and latest specification replacement windows to reduce heat loss and reduce heating requirements
  • Replacement heating and lighting systems with the latest low emissions
  • Providing Electric Vehicle (EV) charging points for staff and replacing all company vehicles with EV or Plug-in Electric Hybrid Vehicles (PEHV).

Ongoing initiatives include:

  • Retiring aging IT equipment to replace with energy efficient equivalents
  • Encouraging the reduction in staff commuting with more flexible working policies
  • Moving to Utility suppliers that generate power from 100% sustainable sources.
  • Solar panels to further reduce requirement for grid-based electricity.

Remaining emissions are being offset by contributions to a portfolio of certified carbon offsetting projects including sustainable energy such as windfarms, hydroelectric and reforestation programmes that are certified to the highest global standards.

Carbon emissions at SmartTask were monitored and calculated during the calendar year January to December 2020 using the ISO 14064 Standard and the GHG Emissions Protocol Accounting Standard – the two largest and most recognised standards for carbon footprint calculation in the world.