Certified Carbon Neutral Business
Our Journey to Carbon Neutrality
At Glendining Signs, we are dedicated to promoting sustainable initiatives and to continue widening the scope of our eco-friendly practices. Towards the end of 2023, we wanted to further commit and reduce our carbon emissions, beginning the journey towards becoming a certified carbon neutral business.
Aim
Carbon neutrality is defined as a balance between the amount of carbon emissions released into the atmosphere and the amount removed or offset. A carbon-neutral state would be achieved when all the emissions associated with an entity's activities are effectively zero, or balanced. This was our aim as a business, with the support of Blue Marble environmental consultants.
Measure
After gathering data for a set period of 12 months (our “Base Year") we discovered that our carbon foot print was around 198tCO2e. Therefore, we would put plans into place across the business to reduce and offset this amount of carbon. This included:
- Implementing measures to minimise carbon footprint..
- Investing in projects that offset an equivalent amount of carbon from the atmosphere
Reduce & Remove Emissions
Throughout the 12-month period of measured emissions, we identified opportunities for where emissions can be reduced going forward. This included either putting new initiatives into place or continuing existing projects. For example,
- We were already increasing our use of digital meetings to reduce travel.
- We had installed solar panels to reduce energy usage.
- We had an efficient recycling and waste management programme and were continuing to invest in ways to reduce further waste materials.
- We continue our plans and initiatives with our efforts being reviewed and measured annually.
At Glendining Signs we have always taken pride in our work. As a reputable business we take our sustainability and environmental responsibilities seriously. We pledge to maintain our Carbon Neutral status and continue to work with our clients to help create a cleaner and greener future in our sector.
Chris Lake | Operations Director
Certified Carbon Neutral from 2024
Glendining Signs became a certified Carbon Neutral business in accordance with recognised standards in January 2024. The “base year” data for this certification was measured for the period commencing October 2022 to September 2023. This is officially certified by Blue Marble.
1. Offsetting Emissions
Calculated from the data gathered across our base year, we needed to offset around 198.6 tonnes of CO2 emissions. That's the equivalent to planting 8000 trees!
- 9.8 equivalent tonnes from on-site heating (400 trees)
- 27.2 equivalent tonnes from energy use (1000 trees)
- 161.6 equivalent tonnes from our supply chain (6600 trees)
To achieve this, we invested in a scheme to fund construction of a Hydroelectric Power Plant, This is a VERRA certified carbon standard scheme. On 26 Jan 2024, 200 Verified Carbon Units (VCUs) were retired on the behalf of Glendining Signs Ltd, thereby offsetting our carbon footprint.
2. Transport Reduction
We continue to reduce the environmental impact of our transportation activities by utilising third-party couriers for delivering our signage solutions, thereby optimising delivery routes and minimising single-address delivery trips. We also continued the use of digital meetings to further reduce any business travel where possible.
3. Energy
Through the adoption new print technology utilising LED cold cure lamps and ambient temperature curing inks, we've reduced our energy consumption by up to 82% throughout our printing process.
4. Waste Management Strategies
Our comprehensive waste reduction strategies are seamlessly integrated into our operations, spanning from manufacturing processes to the elimination of 99% of single-use plastic packaging materials from our daily operations. All significant waste from our production processes is recorded and analysed with a view to future reduction or elimination.