TES is committed to improving its environmental impact, and its goal is to be Carbon Net Zero by 2027.
By the end of February 2022, TES’ partners Grain will have completed collating the necessary data to measure and publish TES’ carbon footprint in line with industry-leading protocols. Grain will then help TES identify opportunities to reduce emissions and recommend carbon removal projects for any remaining emissions to achieve net zero.
“The climate crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic have brought to the forefront the urgent need for all of us — individuals, businesses, government, finance — to make radical changes to ensure that our world can be a safe and healthy place now and for the decades and centuries to come. We are pleased to be able to support TES on their sustainability journey.”
Christoph Geppert
In 2019 the UK Government set a revised target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the UK to be at least 100% lower than 1990 levels by 2050. This is otherwise known as the Net Zero target. The UK became the first major economy to set this target, and it’s one of the most ambitious in the world.
In December 2020 a new Government target was introduced to accelerate progress, with a further commitment being made to reduce the UK’s emissions by at least 68% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.
Everyone will be expected to contribute to ensuring the 2050 target is met. Net Zero requires a reduction in emissions and, where required, that any emissions generated are balanced by schemes to offset an equivalent amount of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, such as investing in biodiversity protection schemes or using technology like carbon capture and storage. Businesses and organisations contribute through measuring and understanding their own levels of emissions and creating a targeted plan for reducing their levels to Net Zero.
A Carbon Reduction Plan captures an organisations commitment to meeting the Net Zero targets set by the Government. It provides a measure of the carbon emissions generated by a business as they go about their day-to-day activities, and includes contribution from areas such as energy use, business travel, employee commuting, and waste production. The Plan also sets out the environmental management measures that an organisation has in place to achieve their Net-Zero target.
By creating a baseline for an organisation’s emissions it provides a record of the greenhouse gases that have been produced in the past, and were produced prior to the introduction of any strategies to reduce emissions. Baseline emissions are the reference point against which emissions reduction in the future can be measured.
The baseline emissions for TES have been calculated with support from sustainability consultancy Grain using the cloud-based software provided by Compare Your Footprint. The calculations provided adhere to the GHG Protocol Standards for Scope 1, 2 and 3 and are based on the Government’s official DEFRA conversion factors.
The data has been calculated for the 12 months from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 and covers all Scope 1 and 2 emissions as well as parts of the Scope 3 emissions including business travel, employee commuting, waste generated in operations, upstream transportation and distribution and downstream transportation and distribution.
TES will now work with Grain in creating our sustainability strategy, incorporating our plan for meeting our 2027 commitment to Net-Zero, reducing our emissions in line with the latest climate science, and balancing the remaining residual emissions through carbon removal credits. See our current 6 point plan below.
TES will measure and report on its carbon footprint in full, every year, and share the results publicly. 2022 will be the first year TES has measured its carbon footprint. Like many businesses, the pandemic has meant that TES’ emissions have been unusual – switching to full remote working with more limited employee travel.
TES will use FY 20/21 as a base year for changes in FY 21/22, and it will give the company a better idea of the largest areas of impact under more ‘normal’ circumstances, for example, when many employees are back in the office and not working from home.
TES will deliver strong governance for its environmental work, with regular reporting to the Board and with a clear view of its carbon footprint and emission reductions measures, providing regular updates and progress reports on TES’ website.
To reduce emissions in its supply chain. This will take longer to achieve, but as a start TES has begun to ask new and prospective suppliers about their own climate goals as part of the procurement process moving forward.
To operate its facilities in a responsible manner and with due regard to the community through energy management, recycling and other appropriate means.
In a post-pandemic world, evaluate TES’ strategic, operational and environmental requirements while maintaining integrity and core values, incorporating the needs and preferences of TES customers for onsite and virtual working, delivering guidance and support for an employee hybrid working model.
To make all employees aware of its environmental policy whilst improving environmental awareness.
Underpinning TES’ digital and business transformational solutions is its long-standing partnership with Microsoft. Microsoft helps TES accelerate implementation of its solutions, reduce risk and create value for its customers through the delivery of cloud-based services. Microsoft therefore form an important part in TES delivering on its own environmental commitments.
Cloud computing is more efficient and resilient than locally hosted services, with estimates of up to 87% energy use reduction being quoted through the transfer of software applications to the cloud. It is also a major enabler of both home and remote working, helping to reduce commuting and business travel emissions. But cloud computing and its increasing growth and demand does have an impact on the environment.
Through choosing to partner with Microsoft, TES is operating alongside one of the top five global organisations. They are committed to the highest environmental standards with ongoing plans for green investments. Microsoft is already one of the largest cloud computing purchasers of renewable energy, and by 2025 they are committed to matching their electricity usage with purchases of renewable energy. In addition, Microsoft is already carbon net zero through purchasing offsets.
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