- Commitment to achieving Net Zero
- Varsity Consulting is committed to achieving Net Zero emissions by 1st January 2040.
Meeting the reporting requirements
This Carbon Reduction Plan complies with PPN 06/21, as published by the Cabinet Office in June 2021. This document will be reviewed and updated annually in accordance with industry standards and regulatory requirements.
Baseline Carbon Emissions
Baseline emissions are 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 can be measured.
| Baseline Year: 1st January 2023 – 31st December 2023 | |||||||||||||
| Additional Details relating to the Baseline Emissions calculations. | |||||||||||||
| Our total emissions for the reporting year 2023-24 are 1,761 kg CO2e. To provide a comprehensive view of our organisation’s emissions, we are reporting our emissions data associated with our office situated at 3 Foundry Walk, St Ives, Huntingdon Cambridgeshire, PE27 5FW. During our baseline year, we had 4nr Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) employees within our organisation. |
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| Baseline year emissions: | |||||||||||||
| EMISSIONS | TOTAL (tCO2e) | ||||||||||||
| Scope 1 | Varsity Consulting’s annual emissions reporting began in the 2023 reporting year. Scope 1 emissions are 1,112kgCO2e from gas heating. Upstream Transportation and Distribution emissions are considered immaterial to our business as we only purchase small amounts of office consumables. |
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| Scope 2 | Our Scope 2 data consists of electricity purchased for our office. Energy is purchased on a standard tariff. Scope 2 emissions are 639 kgCO2e from electricity used at our office. | ||||||||||||
| Scope 3(Included Sources) | Our Scope 3 footprint is dominated by emissions resulting from business travel and employee commuting.
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| Total Emissions | 1,761.03 kg CO2e | ||||||||||||
Current Emissions Reporting
| Reporting Year: 1st January 2024 – 31st December 2024 | |||||||||||||
| EMISSIONS | TOTAL (tCO2e) | ||||||||||||
| Scope 1 | Varsity Consulting’s annual emissions reporting began in the 2023 reporting year. Scope 1 emissions are Scope 1 emissions are 816kgCO2e from gas heating at our office. We have no company vehicles. Upstream Transportation and Distribution emissions are considered immaterial to our business as we only purchase small amounts of office consumables. |
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| Scope 2 | Our Scope 2 data consists of electricity purchased for our office. Energy is purchased on a standard tariff. 702 kgCO2e |
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| Scope 3(Included Sources) | Our Scope 3 footprint is dominated by emissions resulting from business travel and employee commuting.
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| Total Emissions | 1,528.38 kg CO2e | ||||||||||||
Carbon reduction projects
The carbon reduction opportunities outlined in this section, once fully implemented, will reduce our GHG emissions annually, aligning with our goal of achieving Net Zero emissions by 2040 at the latest, 10 years ahead of the government deadline. The following environmental management measures and projects have been completed or implemented since the 2023 baseline. The carbon emission reduction achieved by these schemes equate to 233 tCO2e, a 13.3% reduction against the 2023 baseline.
Scope 1 actions
- Improved draught proofing
Scope 2 actions
Electricity
- Established a ‘switch off when you leave the office’ policy’ to ensure items are not left on standby.
Scope 3 actions
An energy policy should be seen to support the environmental policy’s aims and objectives and is a proactive move towards establishing an Environmental Management System (EMS).
The Company accepts its responsibility to manage its utilities in energy and water in an environmentally sustainable manner.
- Mount a campaign to promote staff and customer awareness on utilities consumption and waste.
- Determine energy efficient methods including increased use of natural daylight and solar heat. Estimate costs and pay back savings.
Paper
- Our use of paper is continuing to reduce. The majority of drawings we receive are now electronic rather than paper.
- We have purchased a projector to allow us to present in places without screens without having to provide paper hand-outs.
- We are introducing screens in all our meeting areas to enable information to be viewed electronically rather than printed.
Business travel (including employee commuting)
· Interrogate our data from travel to better understand if and where carbon reductions can be made
· Continue to encourage the use of walking or public transport, particularly trains
· Encourage car sharing
· Continue to support and encourage hybrid/homeworking
· Encourage the continued use of virtual meeting platforms where possible
· Promote cycling to work by providing information and participating in cycle-to-work schemes
Future carbon reduction initiatives
In the future we hope to implement further measures such as:
Waste disposal
- Work towards a paperless office
- Work with our waste management provider to ensure we prioritise sustainable practices
- Complete waste audits to maximise recycling and minimise waste production
Water use
- Install water-saving fixtures and appliances in all office facilities
- Promote water conservation awareness among employees through regular communication and training
- Regularly monitor and report on water usage to identify areas for improvement
Energy
- Switch from electric storage heater to point of use for hot water
- Switch to renewable-backed energy tariffs as per the latest guidance
- Improve the U-value of our window glazing
- Switch from gas to electric-based renewable heating
Secure ISO 14001 certification by December 2030 to demonstrate our commitment to environmental sustainability, strengthen our compliance with Government supplier requirements, and reduce the environmental impact of our operations.
Declaration and sign-off
This Carbon Reduction Plan has been completed in accordance with PPN 06/21 and associated guidance and reporting standards for Carbon Reduction Plans.
Emissions have been reported and recorded in accordance with the published reporting standard for Carbon Reduction Plans and the GHG Reporting Protocol corporate standard and use the appropriate government emission conversion factors for GHG company reporting.
Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions have been reported in accordance with Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) requirements, and the required subset of Scope 3 emissions have been reported in accordance with the published reporting standard for Carbon Reduction Plans and the Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Standard.
This Carbon Reduction Plan has been reviewed and signed off by a Director.
Date of Review: 1st January 2025 – Next Review Date: January 2026
