As part of our commitment to the local and global environment, Smartdesc have been working in partnership with World Land Trust (WLT) to offset our unavoidable carbon emissions. We are proud to announce that we have been awarded their Carbon Balanced Certificate.
So, what does this mean?
Using the Carbon Calculator created by WLT, we calculated the carbon impact of Smartdesc in 2022; categorising the organisation’s emissions into what we were directly responsible for (Scope 1) and indirectly responsible for (Scope 2 and 3).
To become carbon neutral for 2022, it was essential that we accounted for all Scope 1 and 2 emissions. This meant calculating the overall energy and water consumption of our two offices. Of course, it is important to note that the impact of our London office was minimal, as we have chosen to base our business in a building that uses 100% renewable energy. We also have a Public Transport by Default policy when it comes to travel.
Finally, we considered the impact of business travel and our digital network, which fell within Scope 3.
So, what next?
Once this data had been collected and checked by the WLT team, our total emissions for 2022 equalled 18.085 tCo2e – the equivalent of 18 trips from Paris to New York – and that is actually a very small footprint believe it or not!
We were then able to invest in WLT’s Carbon Balanced portfolio of projects worldwide. In partnering with WLT and addressing our carbon impact through their Carbon Balanced programme, Smartdesc is proud to support their crucial work with local partners in Ecuador, Mexico, and Vietnam; and contribute to WLT’s mission to save more land and save more species, whilst having positive long-term benefits for local communities.
It is very exciting to be part of such an amazing scheme, and while always looking for ways to reduce our impact, we look forward to recommencing this programme shortly to offset our unavoidable emissions from 2023 on an annual cycle.
You can find out more about the Carbon Balanced scheme and some of the fantastic work World Land Trust do here: Carbon offsetting – World Land Trust
