Sustainability - Environmental and Social

As digital energy consultants we set out 5 years ago a new framework to reduce its environmental impact whilst increasing its social impact. Significant actions over the last 5 years include but are not limited to:

> Reduction in Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions of 99.6% (22.9tns CO2e per annum)

> Disposal of company head office and move to home working

> Moving all company cars to full EV

> Moving all energy supplier invoice validation and analysis to digital (removing over 20,000 printed supplier copy invoices per annum being generated)

> Ethically offsetting more carbon than the emissions we generate as a business through “employ to plant” tree planting schemes in third world countries with mass deforestation.

> Implementing a supply chain “minimum standards” policy to ensure all key suppliers are at least carbon neutral with a path to net zero.

> Enrolling all employees in a Climate Positive Workforce scheme which includes

> Ethically offsetting their entire personal carbon footprint based on the UK average

> Offering weekly tips to enable employee to address their own environmental impact outside of the workplace

> Continuing to support our local good causes

> Providing employees with access to mental wellbeing services

We have subscribed to Play It Green to help Repair the planet through reforestation, Reduce our companies and our employees carbon footprint.

We have worked hard to drive our carbon footprint lower and lower each year by replacing the things that use carbon with the things that either use less or none at all.

Education has played a big part in our journey so far and play it green have been a major factor in our progress.

Anyone can simply offset their carbon without making any changes, and rightfully so this would be classed as green washing and this is why more and more companies are getting called out for this exact activity.

Ethically offsetting more carbon than the emissions we generate as a business through “employ to plant” tree planting schemes in third world countries with mass deforestation.

Play It Green is different because education comes first, by providing a weekly tip to our staff we educate them on the carbon impact of everyday activities or products that we consume and suggest an alternative product or solution that has a direct impact on carbon emissions.  Often these tips are supported with a try before you buy or discount voucher so we can all engage and learn new ways to cut carbon whilst cutting costs at the same time.  A win win for the environment and a great way to save money.

So how does it work – well for £5 per month per employee play it green plant enough trees to offset a typical persons annual carbon footprint, from our subscription 10% also goes to our nominated charity which is Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

From our Catalyst digital forest garden we can track how many trees have been planted and the carbon impact of our activity.  In addition to this we can top up our carbon account for additional activity’s such as flights, or train journeys.

Our business has worked hard to significantly reduce our carbon footprint over the last 3-years but there are still areas that we can’t impact and for these areas we choose to offset greater than our footprint making us a carbon neutral business including all of our employees personal footprint.

Planting trees is taking immediate action on your carbon footprint, supports local and global sustainability targets and will leave a true legacy for future generations.

With science behind his words, David Attenborough has said that replenishing the lost ecosystem through tree planting is critical to reducing the CO2, the main greenhouse gas, in our atmosphere.

By planting trees with Play It Green we are removing CO2 from the atmosphere, providing employment and creating life. Our tree planting partner is Eden Reforestation Projects.

We have reduced our scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 99.6% (22.9tns CO2e per annum)

Eden Reforestation Projects is a not fo profit NGO that works in developing countries to rebuild natural landscapes destroyed by deforestation.

Eden works directly with communities experiencing extreme poverty resulting from the deforestation and destruction of the land that sustains them.

The organization employs thousands of local community members and provides them with the education and tools necessary to plant, grow, and protect to maturity, millions of trees each year.

Eden currently plants approximately 15 million trees a month, and in 2020 reached over 423 million trees planted of which over 225 million are mangrove trees.

Catalyst Commercial Services, prime supplier of energy technology solutions is a named supplier on the Crown Commercial Service Framework (CCS) Spark Dynamic Purchasing System (RM6094). Crown Commercial Service was renamed the Government Commercial Agency (GCA) on 1 April 2026; the frameworks it runs, including RM6094, are unaffected. It helps the public sector buy goods and services more efficiently, using pre-agreed frameworks that have already been through rigorous compliance and value-for-money assessment.

Spark the Technology Innovation Marketplace can help government and public sector to access new and emerging technology products. This Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) uses a filter system that helps customers find relevant suppliers.

As digital energy consultants we’ve signed up to the WM Net Zero Business Pledge and we’re doing our bit to make the West Midlands net zero by 2041.

Why not make your pledge at www.wmca.org.uk/netzeropledge.  The pledge asks you to consider what you can do to reduce the impact your organisation makes on the environment. It also encourages you to think about how you can influence your staff, customers, visitors or supply chain to make changes to their behaviours and actions too.

We’ve signed up to the SME Climate Commitment and recognising that climate change poses a threat to the economy, nature and society-at-large, our company commits to take action immediately in order to, halve our greenhouse gas emissions before 2030, Achieve net zero emissions before 2050 and Disclose our progress on a yearly basis.

In doing so, we are proud to be recognised by the United Nations Race to Zero campaign, and join governments, businesses, cities, regions, and universities around the world that share the same mission.

Pledge – at the head–of–organization level to reach (net) zero GHGs as soon as possible, and by midcentury at the latest, in line with global efforts to limit warming to 1.5C. Set an interim target to achieve in the next decade, which reflects maximum effort toward or beyond a fair share of the 50% global reduction in CO2 by 2030 identified in the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5C.

Plan – Within 12 months of joining, explain what actions will be taken toward achieving both interim and longer–term pledges, especially in the short– to medium–term.

Proceed – Take immediate action toward achieving (net) zero, consistent with delivering interim targets specified

Publish – Commit to report publicly both progress against interim and long–term targets, as well as the actions being taken, at least annually. To the extent possible, report via platforms that feed into the UNFCCC Global Climate Action Portal.

Related reading: SBTi Scope 2 hourly matching: what the new Net-Zero Standard means for your electricity