Building on the establishment of our organisation’s baseline emissions in 2022, with the aim to improve our environmental effectiveness, SCS are pleased to announce that our 2023 annual review has been completed. As before, all of our operations were considered as in-scope, although we have had to omit our office consumable supplies from our Scope 3 Emission calculations as their supply chain is fragmented and any assumptions would prove unreliable.
Again, we utilised the UK Government’s GHG Conversion Factors and the methodologies enshrined in ISO14064, PAS2060 and the Energy Institutes guidance on carbon management planning, and the key output for 2023 was a GHG Intensity Ratio of 13.88kg CO2e per client audit day which is an over 5% reduction in the 2022 figures.
This has been achieved by changing some operational processes, utilising ICT for meetings rather than travelling, and adopting a hybrid approach for client’s audit activities, where permissible and appropriate. Over the next year we will be looking at further efficiencies in process effectiveness and direct reduction through use of technologies.
As compensation for our total tCO2e emissions detailed in our 2023 Annual Environmental Report, we are again investing in both Peatland restoration and UK woodland creation projects, as follows, through our partners, Forest Carbon.
Credit Type: Pending Issuance Units (PIUs)
Assurance: Woodland Carbon Code
Location: Grantown on Spey, Highland, United Kingdom
The vision at Corriechuillie is to take low-grade agricultural land out of productive use, to create a 17ha area of native woodland for conservation and biodiversity.
Project 2: Hawkshaw
Credit Type: Pending Issuance Units (PIUs)
Assurance: Woodland Carbon Code
Location: Biggar, Borders, United Kingdom
Hawkshaw is a 26ha new native broadleaf woodland in the Scottish Borders. This woodland will be managed on a non-intervention basis and provide a range of benefits including rainwater interception, biodiversity, air quality, habitat, and amenity.
Credit Type: Pending Issuance Units (PIUs)
Assurance: Peatland Code
Location: Isle of Islay, Argyll and Bute, United Kingdom
Duich Moss is a Peatland restoration project on Islay, bordered by the River Laggan and north of the Duich River. Restoration activities are essential to rewet this area and prevent further erosion special scientific interest.
66.6% of the investment is in UK woodland projects that will capture CO2, conserve the natural habitat, and increase biodiversity. The growing trees will also provide wider co-benefits beyond climate mitigation, including flood alleviation, water quality improvements, habitat creation, employment, public access, sustainable timber and cleaner air.
33.3% of the investment is in Peatland restoration of degraded bog habitat, increasing the ability of the peatland to store water, support wildlife and mitigate the risk of flooding downstream, as well as reducing GHG emissions from the degraded peatlands which are still in excess of 23 million tonnes per year: around 5% of the UK’s total carbon footprint.
SCS investment in these projects is not for use for hard carbon offsetting claims, but rather to support nature in a quality assured and transparent way.
In order to practice what we preach, it is essential that SCS continue our Carbon reduction journey, and we hope our current and future clients join us in investing in the collective reduction, removal, and avoidance of carbon emissions. For those with an Environmental Management System this is a verifiable way of demonstrating impact reduction as required by the International Standard, ISO 14001.
Find out more about how our certification services can help your organisation by visiting our 14001 page on our website
