Here at Ghyston we have ambitious plans – we want to be the technical powerhouse in the South West. To get there we know need to do more than just deliver exceptional software projects, we need to be a brilliant employer and care for our community and planet.
Our impact on the environment is something we have been aware of for a long time, but the pandemic gave us chance to reflect on what we were doing and where we can do more. This has led to some pretty exciting plans.
We hope to reach net zero way ahead of the 2050 target set by the government. But where do you start on such an ambitious goal? As the famous phrase goes “what gets measured, gets managed.” To put a plan in place we need to fully understand our current situation. We got in contact with the brilliant team over at Spherics, who provide easy to use software compliant with the GHG emissions protocol. Their analysis of our data has helped us understand where our business emission hotspots lie.
We have offset 84 tonnes of CO2e which covers all our scope 1,2 and 3 carbon emissions in 2021 and are committed to being carbon neutral going forward. We’ve partnered with Ecologi who offset our business emissions using Gold Standard Verified Emissions Reduction offsets and we fund additional tree planting. We believe that carbon offsetting must be carried out using verified carbon credits and so for the purposes of our reporting we don’t include the estimation of the carbon absorbed by the trees we sponsor when calculating our offset. However, trees are one best tools we have in removing carbon pollution from our atmosphere and they will quietly absorb and lock away carbon from the atmosphere over their lifetimes. Which is why they still play a part vital part in our greener journey. We're keen to engage staff, clients and suppliers on climate issues and having a reliable carbon tracking tool in place is a good first step.
Our CSR team continue to champion sustainability internally and encouraging a green commute is just one example. We are a pretty active bunch so many of the team commute to work on bike and our cycle to work scheme makes sure they can do it in style! For those that cycling isn’t possible, we offer a discounted bus ticket scheme and in exciting news we have just introduced an electric vehicle scheme.
It's important to us that our approach is continued whilst remote working so we strongly encourage the team to think about the environmental impact of their home office. We have purchased electricity monitors to check on home energy usage and encouraged the team to switch to green energy suppliers, sharing codes and discounts where possible. Remote working can produce waste that is challenging to recycle such as tech, so we responsibly dispose of these items on behalf of the team to stop it going to landfill.
We are excited that we have an opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the fight against climate change. We are aware that there is still plenty of work to do reduce our footprint so will be constantly refining our approach. If you are on this journey, we would love to hear about your plans and experiences – Afterall collective action is key for success.
