Reducing Emissions

Our global carbon assessment included scope 1 and 2 and the following from scope 3: purchased goods and services; fuel and energy related activities (not included in scope 1 or scope 2); upstream transportation and distribution; and business travel (not included in scope 1 or scope 2).  Our assessment boundary was based on the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard and has an estimated error margin of +/-7.5% based on the accuracy of the data we provided to Carbon Footprint Ltd, a UK-based carbon consultancy company, who helped us measure our footprint.

We have measured our location, market-based and supply chain footprint. Our supply chain footprint is based on total spend per SIC section as defined by the Office for National Statistics. The most significant areas contributing to our supply chain carbon footprint were manufacturing, which accounted for 55.4%, and transport and storage services accounted for 39.7%. Now that we have a base line, we will work closely with Carbon Footprint Ltd to set reduction targets to reduce our carbon footprint as far as possible before considering carbon offsetting initiatives.

Supporting renewable energy is a significant step in this process. In the UK, 100% of our premises have been on green has tariffs since 2020. We aim to roll out this change worldwide, working closely with owner-managed premises to encourage change. Additionally, at our Nottingham warehouse, we have solar panels on our roof which heats our water and installed 14 electric vehicle charging points for employees and visitors in 2022. We have 19 vehicles included in our own fleet and lease vehicles for our employees – five of these are hybrid or electric and from 2025 all new leases we enter will be for fully electric vehicles.

We’ve also introduced smaller measures to reduce our footprint. Automatic lights and energy saving bulbs have been installed in our warehouses and offices. You can ask for an e-receipt in our UK and US shops, instead of using unnecessary paper and we’ve introduced a PIN printing system in our Nottingham and London offices, which helps to reduce energy and paper usage.