Making our pledge to Net Zero
It is everyone’s responsibility to look after the environment we live in. But so often for businesses, being commercially viable and competitive is often prioritised over sustainable practices.
At KCI, we think that our daily processes and operations should be intertwined with a clear commitment to ensuring we are always looking for cleaner ways to operate, but also supporting our clients to operate in a more sustainable way by offering a solution to prolong the life of their assets.
We have partnered with Net Zero International (NZI) to ensure we are held accountable on this commitment and to show our pledge to the UN’s Race to Zero campaign. Through their advice and support we can ensure we always have that goal in mind and have the proof to back up our word.
What have we done so far?
Through the support of NZI, we have already begun the transition to become a lower carbon business and reduce our impact.
The independent organisation started by measuring our emissions in a number of areas, such as:
Electricity usage of our facilities
Employee commuting and business travel
Home working electricity
Transmission and distribution of electricity
Overnight stays
Our company-owned van is fully electric (which has been captured in NZI’s emissions measurement exercise), and since June 2022 we are on a renewable tariff for our electricity, with no gas being used at our office and workshop.
What do we plan to do?
By using the information provided through measuring our emissions, we plan to focus our efforts on specific area of the business to continue to lower those figures.
Employee engagement
Through quarterly sessions with our team, we can give guidance on how as individuals they can impact on the company’s carbon emissions. By increasing awareness, our team will be more conscious about the decisions they are making and the influence this has on the business as a whole.
Sustainable travel policy
Within the next year, we will embed a new policy to encourage and educate staff to take lower carbon travel options such as public transport, cycling, walking or car sharing. The aim of introducing this policy is to support our staff in becoming more conscious about their travel.
Sustainable procurement policy
We will also develop a process whereby sustainability will be a key consideration when purchasing key products and services. As well as evaluating price and quality, we will look to understand the supplier’s commitment to sustainability including requesting their carbon reduction plan and reporting information on a quarterly basis.
Waste
By incorporating a corporate waste management policy within the business, we hope to make recognising and reducing the impact of business waste more accessible, including a zero-to-landfill policy.
What is Race to Zero?
In order to make a difference to the green house gasses being emitted by humans, dedication and leadership from businesses, cities and regions is needed and this will be powered by the global campaign: Race to Zero.
The campaign aims to build momentum to move companies to a decarbonised economy in line with the Paris Agreement and the science based targets.
We are proud that we have now made our pledge and have a plan in place to reduce our carbon emissions. This will be an ongoing commitment and journey for KCI, but we feel we are in a strong position to make progress and clearly show the steps we are taking to a more sustainable future.