We’re all conscious of the need to respond to the global climate emergency and it’s down to every organisation to play its part. In line with the UK’s commitment to combat climate change Signbox has pledged to be net carbon neutral by 2030 and we wanted to share our journey so far….
We all need to play our part in delivering on Net Zero by 2050
It’s no longer enough for businesses to serve as a well-performing financial model in the modern era. Today, every organisation must inspire its stakeholders, to innovate, to drive cultures and, crucially, to aspire to a carbon neutral future.
The fact is that we all need to play our part in delivering on the UK’s commitment to reach Net Zero carbon emissions as a nation by 2050 and setting a standard within our own industries.
The actions of those responsible companies will play an increasingly important role in responding to the world’s climate emergency, appropriately and effectively. We know that drastic action is required to combat global warming so we must all be accountable for the part we play and try to implement sustainable alternatives and practices wherever possible.
“The climate emergency demands action from all of us. We need to get to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and everyone has a role to play.”
Niklas Hagelberg, UNEP’s Climate Change Coordinator.
How the effects of climate change and global warming take hold
Global climate change has already had a dramatic effect on our planet. Glaciers have shrunk, ice on rivers and lakes is breaking up faster than ever, plant and animal ranges have shifted and trees are flowering earlier. Effects that scientists had predicted in the past would result from climate change are now our reality.
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which are created from burning fossil fuels, deforestation and agriculture, are all responsible for global warming and climate change. As the concentration of GHGs in the atmosphere increase due to human-caused emissions, energy radiated from the surface becomes trapped in the atmosphere, unable to escape the planet. This energy returns to the surface, where it is reabsorbed.
What we’re doing at Signbox to become carbon neutral
Signbox has pledged to be carbon neutral by 2030, to limit our impact on climate change wherever possible and to carry out business activities in a sustainable way. We’ve already finished calculating our carbon output and begun to implement some impactful changes. These includes re-evaluating ourselves and our supply chain and taking a closer look at all the materials we’re using. We’ll also start to offset our carbon emissions in Q3 2022 and, in doing so, we’ll become a more socially responsible and sustainable company.
These are some of the steps we’ve taken so far:
- Measuring and analysing our greenhouse gas emissions.
- Creating a Business Model Canvas, which records our findings and outlines our Scope 1, 2 and 3 carbon emissions in detail.
- Making changes internally to reduce our carbon emissions, including reducing our energy consumption, switching to renewable energy, reducing company travel, moving to hybrid company cars and using GreenGuard certified inks.
- We’re working towards a sustainable and ethical supply chain, so we’re reviewing our products and suppliers.
- We will be offsetting our carbon output to Forest Carbon from September 2022.
- We’re using our supply base to educate on new, sustainable and innovative materials to improve what we offer our clients.
- We’re committed to being carbon neutral by 2030 for our Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions that Signbox incurs in our day-to-day business.
“Companies that don’t adapt and move towards zero-carbon emissions will go bankrupt without question.”
Mark Carney, Governor of Bank of England.
A focus on the impact of the construction industry
The construction industry is responsible for 40% of global GHG emissions. The major contributors stem from the materials used and the heating, cooling and lighting of buildings and infrastructure.
Parts of the construction industry are already taking a lead in addressing these challenges. Globally, the World Green Building Council has issued a Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment for 2030 and advocates for all buildings in operation to be Net Zero in operation by 2050.
We all have an important part to play to ensure we live and run our businesses in a more environmentally conscious and sustainable way. What’s more important is that we need to start making these changes today.
“The climate emergency is a race we are losing, but it is a race we can win”.
Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General, the United Nations.
If you’re interested in finding out more about the sustainable signage solutions that are available, then please get in touch and sign up for our RIBA accredited CPD on “Innovation in Materials, Sustainability and Systems” and email us at enquiries@signbox.co.uk or click on the link below to book your session: https://www.signbox.co.uk/resource/product-knowledge/cpd-knowledge-hub/
