I’ve written about the Planet Mark before on this blog and why it’s so important to Ecoprod. The Planet Mark, in partnership with the Eden Project, is a sustainability certification available for all businesses, buildings and projects that are committed to improving their sustainability. It has been providing sustainability consulting and certification services for over 10 years.

Ecoprod takes sustainability extremely seriously and our Planet Mark certification means a lot to us which is why we were so delighted to be shortlisted at the recent Planet Mark awards in the data collection and quality category and to be able to attend the awards in London last week. It was very inspiring to see what other companies are doing in this space and how seriously they’re taking the reduction of their carbon footprints, and to hear Planet Mark CEO Steve Malkin talk about the future development of the Planet Mark scheme. This awards ceremony also marked five years of the Planet Mark and was a great chance for Planet Mark holders to celebrate their sustainable achievements, network with and learn from other businesses in the Planet Mark community. As Steve Malkin said, “There is a sense of movement and momentum in sustainability that is unmistakable and truly exciting.”

During the ceremony attendees were invited to spread the word about Planet Mark by passing on the Planet Mark brochure and 2017 Impact Report, which we are happy to do here. At Ecoprod, our whole business is founded on the idea of bringing environmental sustainability into the washroom – often one of the most resource-intensive areas of a business. All the products we sell are designed to offer real environmental savings to our clients, saving water, cutting power use and reducing their carbon footprints. It’s important that we practice what we preach, so we also do as much as we can to minimise our own carbon footprint and environmental impact.

The benefits of Planet Mark certification

The benefits of Planet Mark certification are numerous.

• Help save the planet – Latest data (2017) shows that Planet Mark certified organisations are achieving an average reduction in total carbon per employee of 12%
• Reduce costs – Planet Mark-certified businesses can expect to make cost savings through reductions on energy, waste, water, travel and procurement. Reducing your carbon footprint will deliver savings that support both your environmental and financial goals.
• Retain and recruit staff – The Planet Mark programme offers tools, advice and workshops to engage existing employees and demonstrates environmental stewardship to prospective employees.
• Increase sales – The Planet Mark certification helps you demonstrate and communicate your commitment to environmental stewardship to differentiate from your competitors.
• Comply with legislation – By putting robust environmental and social governance strategies in place now you will be in a position to respond with agility to new demands and market opportunities.
• Communicate your results – Uniquely, the Planet Mark helps communicate your sustainability achievements to wider audiences.
• New business opportunities – The Planet Mark business community supports your economic growth through networking and knowledge sharing events.

About Ecoprod’s Planet Mark certification

Ecoprod calculated the carbon footprint of its Woking office and fleet for the year ending December 2016 and set a target to reduce emissions by 5% annually. This year’s footprint includes emissions from energy use in the building (natural gas and purchased electricity), water, from fuel used by the fleet, from waste disposal and recycling, business travel and from the production of paper used in the offices.

The relative carbon footprint in year ending December 2017 was 4.28 tCO2e per employee, a decrease of 24.3% compared to 2016. Ecoprod’s total carbon footprint was 17.1 tCO2e, a decrease of 24.3% from 2016. Ecoprod reported on underground travel for the first time in 2017 and thus year on year comparison is based on normalised figures that exclude emissions from underground travel. The decrease in total carbon footprint can mostly be mostly contributed to a decrease in fleet and business travel. Ecoprod reduced its carbon emissions from fleet travel by 27%, rail travel by 72% and air travel by 64% compared to 2016.