Having set an ambitious target of achieving net zero carbon emissions by the end of 2025, well ahead of our competitors and many other businesses, which often cite 2030 at the earliest as their target, we are delighted to announce that we have now achieved that goal.
Carbon Offsetting
As our impact and emissions reports have highlighted, we have been able to achieve an impressive downward trend in emissions thanks to the hard work of Jaime Thornton as our Facilities Manager, ensuring our offices run with sustainability at their core, in combination with employee efforts in reducing carbon through increasing sustainable travel methods, reducing waste, electricity use and paper usage, and following the internal Net Zero Hero campaign. This placed us in a position of being able to offset the remaining carbon emissions via certified removals credits.
It’s an outstanding result and comes four years after the initial goal was set out. The collective effort of everyone within Stephens Scown has made it possible. This aligns with our commitment to balance people, planet and profit and to ensure we play our part in seeking to leave behind a world the next generation can enjoy.
The Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions will be offset via two projects, forest restoration in Nicaragua, and via Plant One in Cornwall. The Nicaraguan project comes via the Norteak Group, a sustainable forestry initiative managing over 3,500 hectares across reforested and protected areas. It focuses on teak and native-species plantations to capture carbon, restore degraded land, and supply sustainably managed timber, all while protecting 120 hectares of rainforest.
It also supports local communities, training hundreds of workers, creating stable employment, investing in infrastructure, and promoting inclusive, sustainable development in rural regions, protecting or restoring ecosystem functions and supporting biodiversity.
With Plant One, Stephens Scown will be planting 317 trees to restore the Celtic temperate rainforest. A Community Interest Company, Plant One increase carbon capture within local communities, creates habitats for wildlife, and enables landowners to increase their biodiversity.
Hitting the Target
Having started to measure our carbon footprint in 2019, the figures are verified by Chris Phillips at the University of Exeter. Initially, the focus was on our Scope 1 and 2 emissions plus business travel (‘core emissions’), which covers our direct and indirect emissions. Measuring our Scope 3 emissions is more difficult, covering indirect emissions which tend to be outside of our control – waste disposal, software licences etc, the things we can influence, but not control.
There was an 80% reduction in the six years of measuring our core emissions, with our full carbon footprint measured over the last three years, and a 30.45% reduction in that whole footprint during that period. Action taken to reduce our carbon footprint have included:
- Moving to 100% renewable energy
- Significant upgrades to the Exeter office changing its EPC rating from C to A
- Paper lite policy – moving from paper to electronic files
- Installing EV charge points and getting an electric pool car
- The green travel policy and emphasis on car sharing
- Choosing new suppliers carefully via our procurement process.
Verity Slater, Partner in the Employment team, and one of the leads in the push to Net Zero said, “In making the initial push to be net zero by the end of 2025, we wanted to give ourselves an achievable goal, and one that would give us a real chance of demonstrating the firm’s commitment to building a better future. Having achieved it, we’ve shown what’s possible when people come together with a shared purpose and a determination to do what’s right.
“While this is a fantastic result, we know this is only the beginning, and that collectively we can continue to further reduce our carbon footprint. It will be great to see what impact our offsetting also has in the years to come.”
While this is a terrific achievement, the next step is to continue in our path to sustainability as we aim to recertify our B Corp™ accreditation. It’s another distinction that marks Stephens Scown out as a business that is different, and one which is making a difference.
Stephens Scown was supported in achieving its Net Zero goal thanks to the services of Cornwall-based Carbon Sense, which works with businesses to design credible, reduction-first Net Zero strategies.