Net zero

We believe transparency is a key aspect of net zero leadership.   

Since 2020 we’ve been using the methodology developed by the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol to calculate our scope one, scope two and scope three emissions. In the context of Energy Saving Trust, scopes can be defined as: 

• Scope one – covers any activity an organisation does that directly releases emissions. Direct emissions are from sources that are owned or controlled by the reporting entity eg emissions from combustion of fuel in leased vehicles.   
• Scope two – covers indirect emissions from purchased energy. 
• Scope three – all other indirect emissions linked to Energy Saving Trust’s value chains.

Emissions between 1 April 2020 and ends 31 March 2021 are our baseline emissions. These form the basis of our emissions targets and are what we compare our emission reductions against.

See overviews from previous years on our net zero dashboard:

Net zero dashboard

In 2021 a group of employees from across the organisation began developing our net zero strategy, Plan Zero. The strategy established our targets and specific actions to achieve these targets, all in line with a trajectory to meet the Net Zero Paris ambition.

With Plan Zero, we’ll put emission reduction among our top organisational priorities. And we’ll strive to set the example for how this should be done. 

We’ve set company-wide emission reductions in line with climate science and approved by the Science Based Targets initiative.  

Near term targets: 

• Reduce absolute scope one and scope two greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 42% by 2030 from 2020-21 base year. 
• Reduce absolute scope three GHG emissions by 25% by 2030 from 2020-21 base year.
• Reduce absolute scope three GHG emissions from purchased goods and services category by 25% by 2030 from 2020-21 base year.
• Three quarters (75%) of carbon emissions falling into the following categories will be represented by suppliers having their own targets set by 2030: 
  • purchased goods and services 
  • waste generated in operations
  • investments
  • upstream transportation and distributions 
  • any other categories where the supplier choice is directly influenced by us. 

Long-term target: 

• Reduce absolute scope one, two and three greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 90% by 2045 from 2020-21 base year. 

• Resource – ensure sufficient resource allocation for the delivery of Plan Zero. 
• Verification – continue monitoring GHG reporting and verification certification schemes available. We’ll consider joining new initiatives that are aligned with our values, vision and targets.   
• Employee engagement – commit to embedding net zero in our organisational culture. 
• Employee support – provide options to enable employees to progress on their own net zero journeys.  
• Offices – improve policies and implement measures to reduce the impact of our offices.  
• Travel – update and improve our working practices to minimise carbon emissions from travel. 
• Working from home and commuting – support employees to reduce emissions associated with working from home and commuting.  
• Procurement – integrate net zero into the procurement process to achieve our scope three targets. 
• Products and services – quantify benefits from our climate change mitigation projects using the GHG Protocol methodology. 
• Events and accommodation – implement initiatives to reduce emissions associated with events and business travel accommodation. 
• The Foundation – collaborate with the Energy Saving Trust Foundation to achieve shared net zero goals. 
• Research and innovation – be aware of and implement innovative solutions to rapidly cut our emissions.