Decarbonising our services

Scope 1 and 2 emissions are down 20.7% against our 2021-22 baseline, and carbon intensity has fallen by more than two-thirds since 2020.

Our near-term climate targets were validated by the Science Based Targets initiative in 2024: a 42% reduction in absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030, on a pathway consistent with limiting global warming to 1.5°C. Four years in, we’re on the glidepath. Emissions are down 20.7%. In 2020 we emitted 50 tonnes of CO2e for every £1m of turnover; this year the figure is 16. Our electricity is increasingly sourced from renewable backed power, and from a marketbased emissions perspective, our procured-energy emissions are down 30% since our baseline year of 2022.

Our fleet of over 9,000 vehicles is the largest single source of our direct emissions, so it’s where the biggest decisions sit. A third of our company cars are now fully electric and half are hybrids. When the full fleet, including vans, is considered the percentage of vehicles that are EV and hybrid equates to 26%.

The goods and services we buy account for 91% of the emissions we measure, 530,346 tonnes of CO2e this year, and our target there is a 51.6% reduction by 2030. We’re focusing on improving the data quality of our calculated goods and services by replacing spend-based estimates with supplier-specific carbon factors, and we’ve appointed a Head of Sustainable Procurement to lead that engagement. We have invested in a sustainability data platform to support our drive for improved data quality.

Much of what we build helps others cut their emissions too. Through the Zero Emission HGV Infrastructure Demonstrator programme, we enabled our clients to deliver the first of 35 planned electric HGV charging areas: 350kW chargers can take a truck from empty to 80% inside a driver’s statutory break. Our first Climate Transition Plan is also in development, and this will support operational changes that mitigate climate risk.