PASCHALi Is Now Carbon Neutral!
PASCHALi • 13 January 2021
Photo Credit: The Gold Standard
At PASCHALi, we practice what we preach!
PASCHALi is now a carbon neutral company! Through a series of carbon reduction initiatives and carbon offsetting we now have a net-zero impact on carbon levels in the Earth’s atmosphere. We are also proud to be supporting a wind farm in Indonesia which supplies power to over 70,000 homes and has created 35 new local jobs.
This blog post walks you through our journey to becoming carbon neutral and how we can support you to do the same!
Step 1 – Calculating our Carbon Emissions
Step 2 – Setting a Target
Step 3 – Carbon Reduction Initiative
Step 4 – Utilisation of Renewable and Low-Carbon Energy Technologies
Step 5 – Carbon Offsetting
Step 1 - Calculating our Carbon Emissions
The first step to becoming carbon neutral is to calculate your emissions. As a minimum, it is important to cover all emissions you have operational control over. You can also expand this to include upstream and downstream emissions associated with your business. Emissions are categorised as Scopes and grouped in the following ways:
Scope 1 – Direct emissions from company owned facilities and vehicles
Scope 2 – Indirect emissions through the purchase of electricity, steam, heating and cooling
Scope 3 – All other indirect emissions, including public transport, hotel stays, paper usage, waste & recycling
We use the DEFRA 2020 emissions conversion factors to calculate annual carbon emissions in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. The 'equivalent' means that our calculations also take into account other greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide and methane. The other greenhouse gases are multiplied by a factor, depending on their heating potential compared to carbon dioxide. DEFRA produce an updated catalogue of conversion factors each year, making them a great choice to produce accurate carbon calculations for UK businesses.
Step 2 - Setting a Target
The next step in the journey is to set your goals and targets for the project. We recommend setting an emissions goal i.e. carbon neutral, carbon negative, and also setting a target date for completion. We also suggest you consider how you would like to reach these goals. There are many ways of reducing your carbon emissions and the most impactful and sustainable method differs from company to company. It is also important to think about what you want to do going forward. Are you happy maintaining your current emissions targets or do you want to improve?
Our primary target was to become carbon neutral before the end of 2020. Our secondary targets include maintaining this achievement each year and to continue lowering our emissions wherever possible.
Step 3 - Carbon Reduction Initiatives
At PASCHALi, we believe the best way to reach carbon neutrality is by focusing on reducing your existing emissions. A lot of small changes can have a significant impact on your overall emissions and ultimately save you a lot of money in the process too.
There are many simple ways to reduce your carbon emissions in both industrial and office settings. Here is just a short list of ideas which also have to be integrated with measure to reduce the risk of spreading covid-19:
· Replacing old motors with newer ie4 or above
· Adjusting VSD settings
· Adjusting BMS settings
· Promoting virtual meetings - we recognise that the current pandemic has forced this upon us anyway!
· Upgrading lighting to LED and installing sensors
· Behavioural changes and training for employees
Carbon reduction initiatives are a great way of cutting your emissions across the board. Simple behavioural and equipment changes as the ones mentioned above can compound to significantly lower your carbon emissions. They are also usually one of the most cost effective ways to do so.
Step 4 - Utilisation of Renewable and Low-Carbon Energy Technologies
Renewable and Low-Carbon technologies are a good option for the larger companies who own their facilities and have a larger budget to work with. A few methods of this include:
· Renewable energy installations (e.g. wind turbines, solar panels)
· Low-carbon installations (e.g. CHP, biomass, heat pumps)
· Power purchase agreements
· Upgrading to electric vehicles (EV)
· Low carbon/green energy tariffs
These methods mainly target your Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by cutting the emissions at source. Although they are generally more expensive and require more planning, these changes can make a big impact and set your company up for the future as permanent changes to your operation. Renewable energy installations or EV usage can also improve your company's public image.
As we rent out office space in a shared building, we don't have control over our energy supplier and our neighbours would be less than happy if we constructed a wind turbine in the already packed car park! However, when new our building was built, it had the highest BREAAM rating in the country.
Step 5 - Carbon Offsetting
Although carbon offsetting receives some bad press and some see it as a form of ‘greenwashing’, it is often a necessary step to counteract the final portion of emissions which cannot be avoided.
Carbon offsetting is the name given to funding projects around the world that ultimately reduce carbon emissions. For example, this could be a wind turbine project in South America, improved cooking facilities in Africa or even planting trees here in the UK. Larger companies may wish to set up their own carbon offsetting projects, however there are also a number of reputable businesses set up to sell carbon credits in verified projects.
To offset the carbon emissions we could not avoid, PASCHALi turned to the Gold Standard, one of the most reputable businesses supporting environmental projects all around the world.
For 2020 and 2021, we have chosen to support the Sidrap wind farm project in Indonesia. This project consists of 30 wind turbines, combining for 75MW of installed capacity on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. As Indonesia's first commercial size wind farm, it can annually generate over 250,000MWh and power over 70,000 local homes. The project has also created 35 new jobs in the area while improving air quality by reducing Indonesia's heavy reliance on oil and coal. Click here to learn more about the Sidrap wind farm project.
Now it's Your Turn
To learn more about Carbon Neutrality, what it means and how it can positively impact your business, visit our Carbon Zero Support page. Wherever you are in your journey to net-zero, PASCHALi can support you.
If you would like to discuss the blog post above or find out how we can support your business, please contact us.
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