Commitment to achieving Net Zero

Oriel Square is committed to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050.

Baseline Emissions Footprint

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: 2021

Additional Details relating to the Baseline Emissions calculations: This is our first year assessing our emissions and so our baseline reporting year is our current reporting year.

Baseline year emissions: 2021

EMISSIONS	TOTAL (tCO₂e)
Scope 1	0.8
Scope 2	0.2
Scope 3 (Included Sources)	4.8 Upstream transportation and distribution: not applicable except for T&D losses relating to electricity which are negligible (0.0) Waste generated in operations: there is an absence of data for 2021 (0.0) Waste generated in operations – recycling: there is an absence of data for 2021 (0.0) Business travel: (4.5) Employee commuting: (0.3) Downstream transportation and distribution: not applicable (0.0)
Total Emissions	5.8

Scope 1 emissions methodology:

Take metered gas use for whole building from landlord bills and pro rate based on % of floor area responsible for. Check whether data is gross or net calorific value (CV) (bills are usually gross CV). Multiply kWh consumption by appropriate kgCO2e/kWh conversion factor. Divide by 1000 to give tCO2e.

Scope 2 emissions:

Location-based: Take metered electricity consumption for whole building from landlord bills and pro rate based on % of floor area responsible for. Multiply kWh consumption by kgCO2e/kWh conversion factor. Divide by 1000 to give tCO2e.

Market-based: This is zero because Oriel Square’s landlord procures its energy on a renewable tariff and have evidence of this.

Scope 3 emissions:

Transmission and Distribution losses for electricity: Take metered electricity consumption for whole building from landlord bills and pro rate based on % of floor area responsible for. Multiply kWh consumption by kgCO2e/kWh conversion factor. Divide by 1000 to give tCO2e.

Waste: Not recorded as there is an absence of data; data is now being tracked for the next submission.

Business travel (rail and plane (long haul)): Calculate the km travelled per passenger from expenses. If you know whether e.g. business class can choose a different conversion factor. Multiply distance travelled by kgCO2e/km conversion factor. Divide by 1000 to give tCO2e.

Employee commuting: (bus): Emissions factors for passenger travel are in row 88 column E of the BEIS spreadsheet.

Downstream transportation and distribution: Not applicable as we sell services and our clients are responsible for emissions in this category.

Emissions reduction targets

Our 2021 baseline emissions are very low for a number of reasons:

We had no premises from Jan-August 2021.
From August-December 2021 we had an office but office attendance was lower than usual due to public health restrictions in place.
The public health situation meant there were very few in-person events in 2021. This has changed in 2022.
Our headcount at the start of 2021 was 6; by the end of 2021, it was 16; and at the time of writing, November 2022, it is 21, with recruitment ongoing.

Therefore our projected emissions are likely to be several times our 2021 baseline. Our current 2022 estimate is 18.9, without including employee homeworking costs. Our aim is to manage our carbon footprint to minimise it as we grow through our sustainability and travel policies, and offset the remainder.

Carbon Reduction Projects

Completed Carbon Reduction Initiatives

The following environmental management measures and projects have been completed or implemented since the 2021 baseline. One of the most effective measures has been in place since our company was founded in 2017; it is our4-day working week, meaning all of our staff carbon costs, including energy at home and commuting, are reduced by 20%. We have no company vehicles and no intention to have any.

Reviewed timings of heating our office to minimise use.
Using a renewable energy supplier (Opus Energy).
Implemented a cycle-to-work scheme, which has been used by several staff.
Choosing a city-centre office close to public transport links with limited parking so both colleagues and visiting clients are encouraged to travel in more carbon-efficient ways.
Considering whether meetings can be held virtually rather than face to face.
Given a colleague responsibility for carbon reduction and supported them being certified Carbon Literate.
Preferring second-hand/vintage furniture over new when furnishing the office.
Preferring to use local/small suppliers rather than less ethical corporates.
Running our business 99.9% paperless.
Using a net-zero laundry service, Oxwash.
Using a pension provider with an ethical investment fund, NEST (decision predates the baseline).
Separating our waste for recycling, including food waste, and encouraging the team to recycle.
Buying office milk in returnable glass bottles from the dairy and having them delivered by e-bike.
Providing a lunch area with a microwave, fridge, kettle and toaster to encourage home-made lunches.
Setting a hybrid working pattern where the majority of colleagues work for 2 days in the office and 2 days from home, reducing commuting time.
Encouraging colleagues to add holiday to the start or end of business trips to maximise the carbon cost of their travel.
Using an ethical bank, Cooperative (predates the baseline).
Introducing a book swap system and sharing second-hand books for Christmas.

In the future we hope to implement further measures such as:

Further control of building heating leading to reduced use.
Reviewing the temperature of the hot water thermostat.
Adding insulation to the building back door.
Keeping main door ajar rather than wide open.
Reviewing our remote worker policy to encourage more carbon-efficient travel.
Reviewing sustainability compacts in our industry and consider signing up.
Talking to our largest suppliers about their sustainability policies and looking for ways to collaborate.
Creating a sustainability policy to encourage carbon reducing behaviours.

Declaration and Sign Off

This Carbon Reduction Plan has been completed in accordance with PPN 06/21 and associated guidance and reporting standard 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[1] and uses the appropriate Government emission conversion factors for greenhouse gas company reporting[2].

Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions have been reported in accordance with 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[3].

[1]https://ghgprotocol.org/corporate-standard

[2]https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-conversion-factors-for-company-reporting

[3]https://ghgprotocol.org/standards/scope-3-standard

This Carbon Reduction Plan has been reviewed and signed off by the board of directors (or equivalent management body).

Signed on behalf of the Supplier:

Sam Derby, Director

Date: 28/11/22

CARBON REDUCTION PLAN