With climate change becoming a more apparent issue, it’s also becoming a popular topic. But what do people actually mean when they talk about climate change? Climate change refers to a range of changes in our climate due to human activities, and when these activities are on an industrial level, the effects are far more significant. The changes may include rising temperatures and strange weather patterns, as well as ocean acidification, the risk of rising sea levels and droughts. As a business we want to play our part in curbing climate change, and actively encourage other businesses to do the same. We looked at every aspect of our processes to see how we can make a difference.
What is net zero?
Net zero is a target set of completely negating the amount of greenhouse gases produced by human activity. This means achieving a balance between the carbon that is emitted into the atmosphere, and the carbon that is removed from it. Reaching net zero is to have carbon neutrality, which is a state of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions. By doing so, we can achieve the benefits of reaching carbon neutrality which affect the whole world.
The benefits of achieving net zero:
- Improving the condition of the oceans
- Less environmental pollution
- Improvement to human health
- Enhanced water and food security
- Improved terrestrial and marine ecosystems
- Reduces the risk of rising sea levels
- Creation of green jobs
Why we plan on moving towards carbon neutrality
We plan on moving towards carbon neutrality because it is important for everyone. Net zero is the state at which global warming stops, as a company we know if we achieve net zero, it’ll make a big impact.
Since the Integrity Group was founded in 1917, we have been producing print, sophisticated software platforms and communication solutions for businesses. We have been in the industry a long time, and it is important to us and the planet we impact that we reach net zero by 2035. Net zero is intended to help lessen these climate-changing effects and prevent global warming, which we want to be a part of.
Mark Cornford, CEO, Integrity Print Group said:
“At Integrity, we are targeting how we can achieve net-zero carbon by 2035. We have placed great emphasis on developing sustainable business operations and we are committed to supporting our customer’s ambitions and the UK Government’s targets. I want to make a significant impact to benefit our future generations and it is at our operations where we can see real gains to reduce the carbon footprint”
Prys Jenkins, Managing Director, Integrity Cymru division and CSR Lead:
“All our sites are already contributing to our sustainability ambitions. We are now excited about the next stages of working with Auditel to develop a program that allows us to measure, monitor and report against our combined targets. Integrity is committed to utilise this information to make the most impactful changes moving forward.”
What we have done, and will to do to improve our carbon footprint
As a company we aim to achieve net zero by 2035, and after investigating how we can do so, we have come to a conclusion of targets and achievements:
- Zero to Landfill – we implemented waste policies in 2014. This objective was achieved in 2019.
- Procurement of 100% renewable energy. This objective was achieved in October 2021.
- 70% reduction in electricity bills for lighting across the site using motion-sensitive LED lights.
- Carbon footprint measuring began in 2012. 60% reduction in emissions of CO2 has already been achieved in gas and electricity consumption.
Overall, measuring has been in place since 2006 and the following environmental improvements have been made across the Westfield site:
- Electricity has been reduced by 32%.
- Gas has been reduced by 28%.
- Volatile Organic Compounds which are used in print processes have been reduced by 20%.
- Hazardous waste has been reduced by 55%.
- We have measured water since 2015 which has had a 15% reduction.
Get on board and follow our journey to Net Zero
We hope that this article has given you a better understanding of the work being done by ourselves and businesses to make their operations net zero. We are excited to start seeing the benefits of this type of thinking, but it is never too early to start thinking about how you can impact global warming yourself or for your company. If you’d like to understand more on how we are making our business net zero, or the services we provide, contact us today.
