The Sheffield-based manufacturer Gripple has announced that it has achieved carbon neutrality across its UK operations. In its latest progress report on sustainability, the company says that its direct emissions, and those arising from its purchased gas and electricity, now have no net impact on the environment, demonstrating what it describes as its “unwavering commitment to comprehensively mitigating our environmental impact.”
The company says that its calculations have been certified by Planet Mark, the internationally-recognised certification for sustainability.
Gripple has also set a goal of carbon neutrality for its global operations, to be verified in its progress report for 2024, as well as a target of achieving net zero Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions across its entire UK-based operations by 2030, from a baseline year of 2021. It is now assessing when it can commit to achieving the same net zero GHG emissions globally.
The Gripple ‘Climate Positive’ working group has identified seven key areas that it believes will provide significant opportunities for carbon reduction over the next five years. To monitor progress, these areas will be subjected to additional audit and investigation, in line with the company’s mantra that ‘you can’t manage what you don’t measure’.
Key decarbonisation initiatives include the installation of LED lighting across key sites, a company car decarbonisation plan, solar PV installation, and improvements to building fabric. Once the company has reduced its emissions as close to zero as possible, it will invest in accredited carbon removal offsets to balance out any residual, unavoidable emissions.
Group Managing Director Ed Stubbs said that he was extremely proud that the company had met its goal of having carbon neutral operations in the UK, a key step on the journey towards net zero.
“We have made significant strides in our efforts to identify and measure our Scope 3 emissions in many of our regions around the world,” he said, “to drive us towards our goal of achieving net zero
by 2030.”
He said that these advances had been achieved through the collective efforts of Gripple employees worldwide, each of whom held a stake in the company.
“They consistently showcase their dedication,” he said, “not just to our environmental objectives, but also to fostering the sustainable expansion of Gripple, ensuring a prosperous future for our customers, colleagues, and communities for generations to come.”
Gripple is an employee-owned company, based in South Yorkshire, manufacturing a range of products for the agriculture and construction sectors, as well as for infrastructure applications. It employs over 950 people in 15 locations around the world, including seven sites in Sheffield, South Yorkshire.
