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Committed to achieving net zero

Updated: 4 September 2024

We (Aire Innovate Limited) are committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2030.

‍Baseline emissions footprint

Baseline emissions are a record of the greenhouse gases that have been produced in the past and were produced prior to the introduction of any strategies to reduce emissions. Baseline emissions are the reference point against which emissions reduction can be measured.

Baseline Year: 2021/2022
Additional details relating to the baseline emissions calculations

As a result of the company more than doubling in size since the original baseline of 2020 and some reorganisation, we set a new baseline of FY June 2021/May 2022 during our 22/23 reporting period.

Even with the adjustment, Baseline Emissions calculations for 21/22 remain skewed due to the low levels of commuting and business travel during the Covid pandemic and recovery, we therefore expect to be setting a new baseline year within the next five months. We are currently working with a third-party consultancy to achieve this.

Baseline year emissions: 2021/22
Emissions
Total (tCO2e)
Scope 1
0
Scope 2
0.2
Scope 3
(including sources)
0.94
Total emmisions
0.96

Current emissions reporting

Baseline year emissions: 2023/24
Emissions
Total (tCO2e)
Scope 1
0*
Scope 2
0**
Emissions
(including sources - see below)
1.40
Total emissions
1.40

*Scope 1: We are a non-manufacturing business, who do not produce or ship any physical products.
**Scope 2: Emissions total 0.08 (tCO2e) but due to fully renewable energy tariffs we are reporting as 0

Scope 3 data covers the following categories from PPN 06/21:

  1. Waste generated in operations
  2. Business travel
  3. Employee commuting

Upstream and downstream transportation and distribution (categories 4 and 9) are not included as we do not believe these are relevant to our business operations (we do not produce or sell any physical products to that requirement transportation / distribution).

Emissions reduction targets

Whilst our emissions are rising we do have ongoing activities and further plans in place to both reduce and offset these emissions and remain confident of achieving our 2030 Net Zero commitment. We anticipate that carbon emissions will reduce by 28% (9.3% per year) for the next 3 years (2024-2027) and then more rapidly by 24% per year (2028-2030).

Note: following the increase of emissions in this reporting period and determined to remain an exemplar carbon-low consultancy we are engaging external advice and have re-evaluated our approach to maintaining our projected targets. Alongside planned carbon reduction initiatives, we intend to utilise high quality carbon removal credits to at least offset any residual gap between our actual emissions and target emissions. We believe this will allow us to meet our tapered reduction to Net Zero in 2030 through a combined means of both reduction and offsetting. However, we remain determined to keep Scope 3 emissions as low as possible and report transparently when we fail to do so. We are currently in the process of working with advisory partners to provide the quality carbon neutral credits that best align with our business.

All staff emissions graph showing Actual emissions vs Baseline target emissions (tonne CO2e)

Carbon Reduction Projects

Below are a list of company-wide initiatives:

Completed projects

The following environmental management measures and projects have been completed or implemented since the 2022 baseline. These measures will be in effect when performing the contract. Given the size of our organisation (6 permanent employees) these initiatives are run in conjunction with our sister company Aire Logic Limited.

  1. Our (hybrid) majority-remote working policy, planned prior to the Covid pandemic, continues to be in place. It not only reduces our commuting related emissions but also energy to run offices and manage a rapidly growing workforce with limited workspace.
  2. Aire Innovate advocated a paperless policy in 2010. Staff collaborate on Google’s G Suite platform and store documents in our Cloud storage space rather than print paper copies. We chose G Suite as our collaboration platform as Google is carbon neutral and is committed to be 100% carbon free by 2030.
  3. Parallel to our hybrid working policy, we have moved to virtual meetings both internally and externally, where possible, to reduce business and commuting travel.
  4. Our offices are supplied with electricity for power and lighting through a 100% renewable tariff.
  5. We have conducted a waste audit and improved recycling facilities to enable staff to recycle with increased ease.
  6. In 2023 we launched the Salary Sacrifice Octopus EV scheme to help staff buy electric vehicles and reduce their personal carbon footprint.
  7. We offer a Cycle to Work scheme for staff who commute into work in line with the Government's Green Transport Plan.
  8. We have an established Green Guild, a voluntary group of staff members who lead sustainability activities — such as using company time (Aire Time) to support voluntary tree planting — and carbon reduction or offsetting projects.
  9. Certification in ISO 14001 (Environmental Management Systems) and adherence to ISO 26000 (Social Responsibility), Corporate Social Responsibility is central to our operations. Our Environmental Management System (EMS) supports our Net Zero commitments through management and monitoring of measurable targets.
  10. We have amended our Company Travel Expenses Policy to emphasise that the environmental impact of the chosen method of travel must be considered alongside the financial cost.

On-going endeavours

  1. Switching to greener suppliers where possible who also have net zero carbon commitments. One example of this is using a local coffee roastery, North Star, which is a certified B-corp committed to minimising environmental impact with their business.
  2. Annual staff surveys to establish commuting and home-working energy usage, so that future efforts to mitigate carbon emissions from these activities can be measured.
  3. Staff have the option to choose a remanufactured laptop from Circular Computing, instead of a new laptop. For every 2 staff who choose this option 0.6t CO2e which would have been produced over the 3-year life of the laptops, has been removed from our carbon footprint. When our existing inventory of laptops has been exhausted, remanufactured laptops will be provided as the default, when appropriate for the role.
  4. Rather than a traditional ‘swag box’ new starters will receive, in their name, an investment in a selection of environmentally-beneficial initiatives, including reforestation and biodiversity projects.

Future plans

  1. We will continue to investigate and evaluate options for carbon reduction including subsidising the use of Public Transport for employees and reviewing our office locations to reduce commuting for future contracts,
  2. As noted above we intend to utilise high quality carbon removal credits to at least offset any residual gap between our actual emissions and target emissions. We are currently in the process of selecting appropriate companies to both validate this assumption and provide the quality carbon neutral credits that best align with our business. We believe this may include activities such as forest and woodland offsetting and investing in an organisation that plants trees in the UK or a tropical location, or purchasing un-wooded land and arranging planting ourselves.
  3. As the Greenhouse Gas Protocol suggests that emissions from working from home (teleworking) may be included in Scope 3 emissions, we intend to investigate how this can also be mitigated through offsetting.

Declaration and Sign Off

This Carbon Reduction Plan has been completed in accordance with PPN 06/21 and associated guidance and reporting standards for Carbon Reduction Plans.

Emissions have been reported and recorded in accordance with the published reporting standard for Carbon Reduction Plans and the GHG Reporting Protocol corporate standardand uses the appropriate Government emission conversion factors for greenhouse gas company reporting.

Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions have been reported in accordance with SECR requirements, and the required subset of Scope 3 emissions have been reported in accordance with the published reporting standard for Carbon Reduction Plans and the Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Standard3.

This Carbon Reduction Plan has been reviewed and signed off by the board of directors (or equivalent management body).

1https://ghgprotocol.org/corporate-standard

2https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-conversion-factors-for-company-reporting

3https://ghgprotocol.org/standards/scope-3-standard

Carbon reduction plan