Ignitec is close to becoming a carbon neutral company

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• Find opportunities to reduce C02 emissions
• Create a ‘carbon neutral company’ methodology where we can track our progress over time
• Set our emissions targets for the long term and play our part in helping the UK (and the world) to achieve the goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050

How do we reduce our C02 emissions?

With consultancy contracts across several sectors worldwide, we produced 2.8 tonnes of CO2 in 2021 through energy consumption. Considering that a survey conducted in 2021 found that only 1 in 10 SMEs measure their carbon emissions and that the average UK carbon footprint is about 10 tonnes per person per year ^[1] (double the world average), we’re definitely on the right track.

The strategy that has enabled us to achieve positive results thus far includes:

• Installing timer switches on appliances that would typically be on all the time
• LED lighting and motion sensing switches
• Raising awareness internally to communicate energy-saving policies and putting up posters to serve as reminders
• Using energy that comes from 75% renewables (wind, biomass and solar power)
• Installing window films that retain heat in winter and keep heat out during the summer
• Encouraging lift sharing, public transport and cycling to work
• Reducing business travel and using video calls for meetings
• Significantly reducing international travel
• Investing in tree planting projects
• Buying offsets for anything we need to ship and essential flights that we have to take

Ignitec’s approach to carbon offsetting

Carbon offsetting is often criticised for making environmental problems worse; in a sense, that critique is valid. When big industries such as airlines use carbon offsetting to avoid real climate action, it not only shifts the responsibility onto the consumer but also does little to reduce global warming. In addition, there’s the negative impact of poorly implemented tree-planting projects on local communities.

We have considered these criticisms and use carbon offsetting in addition to (and not instead of) our in-house strategies.

We work with accredited partners to ensure that the projects we invest in will have the best possible outcome for local communities and the environment, furthering our business goal to become a carbon-neutral company. An initiative that we’re proud to be supporting is the Midas Creek project in Kenya:

• Empowers local villages to plant and protect mangrove ecosystems
• It helps to restore degraded mangrove forests within the local marine park and nature reserve and is a UNESCO Designated Biosphere Area
• Provides a safe habitat and nesting area for turtles
• The surrounding coastal region offers a safe nursing ground for humpback whales and protection for a resident population of dolphins
• Provides employment opportunities for local communities
• The goal is to plant 1 million trees

To date, Ignitec has planted 500 trees and contributed to tree-planting initiatives in Madagascar and Haiti. The logic of offsetting carbon globally, rather than at the site where it was generated, is done for the best possible outcome.

We acknowledge that the climate crisis impacts developing countries (which generally produce the least amount of greenhouse gas) the strongest. By focusing on offsetting projects in areas where regeneration through tree planting is most valuable, we can help affected communities become more resilient and promote environmental sustainability simultaneously.

How close are we to achieving ‘carbon neutral company’ accreditation?

We are fired up to do all that we can to help the planet cool down. Environmental sustainability is one of our core values, and we’re proud that our actions speak as loud as our words.

As a company, society, country, and global community, we are far from the goal of carbon neutrality and environmental sustainability – there is still much work to be done. More businesses and government sectors must take the climate crisis seriously and become responsible for their actions.

Carbon emissions offsetting can have a positive and significant impact when implemented correctly, but it’s not a stand-alone solution. The International Energy Agency (IEA) reported that energy-related C02 emissions increased by 6% from 2020 and reached the highest ever annual level of 36.6 gigatonnes (GT) in 2021 ^[2]. How many trees would we have to plant to offset that? Considering trees don’t grow overnight, how many decades would it take to have any carbon-neutralising effect?

The good news is that Ignitec is a solutions-based company – harsh realities don’t easily daunt us. We will continue pushing towards becoming a fully carbon-neutral company, helping and encouraging other businesses and partners to do the same, and looking for more opportunities to reduce harmful environmental impacts.
What kinds of solutions have you implemented, and what have been the results? Please feel free to share your thoughts with us – we’re always looking for fresh ways to go greener.

1. UK average footprint. (n.d.). Retrieved 26 September 2022, from https://www.carbonindependent.org/23.html
2. Global Energy Review: CO2 Emissions in 2021 – Analysis. (n.d.). IEA. Retrieved 26 September 2022, from https://www.iea.org/reports/global-energy-review-co2-emissions-in-2021-2