Following the Science Tuesday 4th October 2022

Alex Weller explains in this short blog how Thames Cleaning has set itself robust science-based targets to help it achieve its Net Zero Promise by 2035.

We have always been conscious that our actions impact the environment around us and over the years, we have introduced various initiatives to take action and try to minimise any negative affects.   However, as the climate change crises continues, we believed that we could and should do more to reduce our carbon footprint, help preserve our environment and move towards building a sustainable brighter future for all.

Our passion for the environment is where the idea for Thames Cleaning to become a Net Zero company was born. 

It is one thing to say it but another to achieve it and I will admit that “going Net Zero” felt initially daunting, pretty complex and far beyond our own internal capabilities.  After some research we engaged with Planet Mark, a company committed to helping organisations of all sizes achieve this goal.  Planet Mark is so much more than a sustainability accreditation or a box ticking exercise it is all about creating a community of people who commit to a fundamental shift in behaviour for the benefit of our environment.  Plant Mark works to a robust scientific process that began by assessing our carbon and social status and then helped us agree an appropriate course of action which has now become our Net Zero programme.

After our initial assessment our total carbon emissions were worked out as 18.7 tCO2e which in simple terms is equivalent to 17 flights from London to New York.  From an employee head count perspective, we were producing 1.3 tCO2e per employee.  

Our carbon footprint is categorised as Buildings, Paper, Business Travel, Fleet Travel, Waste and Water.  The data is broken down into a lot of detail however, it is relatively easy to see at a glance where our focus should be and where gains can be made by looking at this chart below.

The next step was to set targets.  We agreed to reduce our carbon per employee by a minimum of 5% which we feel is an achievable target and one that moves us closer to our Net Zero goal.  Engaging employees and suppliers is key to this plan working in practice.  Planet Mark’s engagement experts helped us communicate the importance of these targets by setting up workshops and training for our employees as well as working with our leadership team to set SMART goals.

We have also worked hard to communicate our priorities to our supply chain too so that we can consciously choose to work with suppliers who share our values and vision.  Planet Mark also provided guidance around general best practice for us to follow which ensures we collect data correctly and continuously monitor how we are doing as a business.

For us, becoming Net Zero is a strong commitment by our business and team to annually reduce our environmental impact and get to the point that we achieve a net zero target by 2035.  By 2050 all UK companies must be net zero carbon regardless of their size, so if you have not started on your journey already now is a good time to start.