News / carbonreduction

Breakthrough Funding tackles own business impacts with The Planet Mark™ certification programme

Breakthrough Funding is a ‘profit for purpose’ social enterprise. It helps innovators claim back their R&D tax and then puts half of the profits it earns from that activity into social impact projects. The company has been awarded The Planet Mark™ for calculating the carbon footprint of its office in Ashford, Kent, for the

A decade of protection: how our partnership with The Planet Mark™ and Cool Earth is helping local and global communities

By Andrew Griffiths, Managing Director and Regional Head UK, Prologis Twenty years ago, when Prologis in the UK was founded, industrial logistics buildings (or sheds as they are affectionately known) were regarded as little more than places to protect the goods inside from theft and the worst effects of the British weather. At

Winvic retains The Planet Mark™ as carbon footprint down 8% per employee

Winvic is widely known as the UK's leading 'shed specialist' and now also regarded as an authority in privately-rented sector projects, specialist sustainable builds and retail and leisure schemes. The Planet Mark™ award is in recognition of Winvic achieving a 7.8% reduction in its carbon footprint per employee in its latest year-on-year

Case study: saving water at The Eden Project

The Eden Project, an educational charity, connects us with each other and the living world, exploring how we can work towards a better future. Eden is nestled in a huge crater. Here massive covered Biomes housing the largest rainforest in captivity, Mediterranean landscapes, stunning plants, crop displays, art installations, exhibitions

Today is Earth Overshoot Day…what are you doing to cut your carbon footprint?

It’s hard to believe, but at the moment humanity is consuming the resources of 1.7 Earths. In the UK, our economy and way of living means we are actually consuming the resources of three planet earths – and in America and Australia the level of consumption is akin to living on five planet earths and five+ planet earths respectively!

Carbon management: why bother reducing your carbon emissions?

A majority of UK adults (64%) now believe that human activities are contributing to global warming – a consensus held by 97% of climate scientists for some time now. Yet climate change remains a complex issue that is just as likely to trigger an emotional response as it is to lead to reasoned argument. Moreover, our views on its

Planet Mark-certified M3 Solutions helps Chester Zoo cut carbon with switch to solar

The rooftop installation of 150 solar panels is the second in three years to be completed by M3 Solutions at Chester Zoo, bringing the total to 430 solar panels. The solar panels have been installed at Chester Zoo’s administration centre, Animal Health Centre and Zoo Entrance and provide enough power to run 25 homes. Phase One,

GreenZone awarded The Planet Mark™ for fourth year as cleaning company slashes carbon footprint

The big drop in carbon emissions per employee was partly attributable to a 14% reduction in electricity emissions at GreenZone’s Battersea office and an 18% reduction in fleet emissions per employee in 2016 compared to 2015. This is the fourth year GreenZone has retained The Planet Mark™ Certificate. The Planet Mark™ Certificate

WCG awarded The Planet Mark™ for third year
 as college group cuts annual carbon footprint by 4%

WCG, one of the largest further and higher education providers in the Midlands, has been awarded The Planet Mark™ in recognition of its commitment to continuous improvement in sustainability. The college group reported a 3.7% cut in its total carbon footprint in the year ending July 2016. The certification marks the third consecutive

Steve's Blog: it’s 2017…time to set three-year carbon targets with our ‘2020 Vision’ programme

Take a look into the future. Would you like your organisation to be a leaner, greener operation in three year’s time while contributing to the local and global effort to tackle climate change? We’re kicking off the new year by incentivising organisations to set and achieve three-year targets to reduce their carbon emissions. We’re

DP World London Gateway wins Green Port Award

The accolade was awarded to DP World London Gateway at the inaugural IHS DPC Innovation Awards held on November 10 in London. DP World London Gateway was judged the best Green Ports and Terminals of the Year because of its pioneering global industry first in delivering a sustainable practice which demonstrates a commitment to carbon

3 Years of The Planet Mark™: what’s been achieved so far – infographic

The Planet Mark™ launched in 2013 with a mission to empower organisations and their people to make year-on-year progress in sustainability. The certification is awarded to businesses, properties, new developments and projects that are committed to reducing their carbon emissions. Here are the highlights: • Since launching, The

The Planet Mark™ to protect an ‘Acre of Rainforest’ with every new business it certifies

The Planet Mark™ pledge is being made through Cool Earth, the charity that works alongside indigenous villages to halt rainforest destruction. It is the first of its kind to be made through the award-winning charity. One acre of rainforest at risk from loggers will be protected every time a new Business Certificate is delivered by

Holman Fenwick Willan LLP commits to 5% carbon cut and starts major LED refit at London office

The commitment was made as the firm announced it was undertaking a major lighting refurbishment set to slash its energy usage at its London office. “We are committing to a 5% reduction in our carbon emissions for our first year of being Planet Mark-certified and are delighted to be able to announce as part of this commitment we have

Sustainable business travel: 5 questions to ask about your organisation’s culture

Planet Mark-certified construction company Higgins Group’s cut more than 10% of its carbon footprint last year. This was mainly due to a 32% cut in its diesel and petrol use across its 212-strong fleet, but also because it encouraged its employees to car share or use public transport. Consulting Group Capgemini, meanwhile, introduced

6 ways to cut your business travel carbon footprint

Consultants PwC report that “Business travel remains our single largest generator of carbon emissions, and – as we’ve continued to reduce our emissions from energy - has grown to represent 70% of our total carbon footprint in 2015." Business travel can often build strong relationships with customers and clients but it is also a

Higgins Construction cuts carbon emissions by 11%

The family-run business, which operates from offices in Loughton, Essex, cut its total carbon footprint equivalent to 637 tonnes between January and December 2015 – an 11.4 per cent fall on the previous year. The reduction is more than double the 5% carbon reduction target the company was committed to achieving in 2015, as part of

Cool Earth best charity at cutting carbon emissions through rainforest protection

The findings are the result of research by leading charity advisor Giving What We Can (GWWC). It assesses which charities around the world are most effective at what they do. GWWC looked at around 50 climate change charities and concluded the most cost effective is Cool Earth. Cool Earth works alongside indigenous villages putting

New Planet Mark guide offers innovative ideas and practical steps to cutting carbon emissions

The guide contains innovative ideas, inspiring case studies and practical tips. It is being offered for free by The Planet Mark™, a unique sustainability certification that is aiding dozens of organisations make year-on-year improvements in their sustainability performance. The Planet Mark™ Practical Guide to Cutting Carbon Emissions

Sustainability stories at 'Rethinking Business Seminar' inspire RWHA members

The RWHA’s ‘Sustainability: Rethinking Business’ Seminar, held in central London last week, challenged its members to think differently about business sustainability. The event also saw the RWHA officially presented with The Planet Mark™ certificate. ‘Sustainability: Rethinking Business' was attended by dozens of Royal Warrant holding

5 ways to embed sustainability in your supply chain

There are many environmental risks associated with your supply chain and eliminating supply chain risks is now seen as the top priority for CSR and supply chain professionals across the world, according to Ethical Corp. But aside from the risks, there are other benefits to taking a structured approach to supplier engagement. These

Budget 2016: Carbon Reduction Commitment to be scrapped

The CRC, a mandatory scheme to drive up energy efficiency in large public and private sector organisations, is to be closed in 2018-19. It will be replaced by an increase in the Climate Change Levy (CCL), a tax on energy used by business. The move is part of a wider effort by the Treasury to simplify the energy tax regime. The abolishment