Warmworks’ Carbon Reduction plans and commitment to Net Zero

Warmworks is committed to becoming a fully Net Zero business by 2030 and has already made significant progress toward this goal.

Our carbon footprint is measured and independently verified annually by Auditel, in accordance with ISO 4064-3 standards.

Key achievements so far include:

Elimination of all fossil fuels from our office in Edinburgh by installing heat pump and solar technology with annual carbon savings of over seven tonnes per year
Our vehicle fleet is currently 70% electric, saving over 25 tonnes of carbon per year
EV charging points installed outside our Edinburgh office for our people and local residents to use
Being the first business in Scotland to put all its employees through the Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) accredited Climate Solutions Accelerator climate solutions training course
Introducing a Cycle to Work and Electric Vehicle Salary Sacrifice scheme for our people

Our carbon footprint 2024–25

We have now measured our entire operational carbon footprint, which is 2749.81 tCO2e broken down as follows:

Scope 1 emissions – 111.21 tCO2e
These are our direct emissions: gas in our premises, petrol and diesel fuel in our vehicle fleet

Scope 2 emissions – 13.29 tCO2e
Indirect emissions associated with purchased electricity use in premises

Scope 3 emissions – 2625.31 tCO2e
Other indirect emissions associated with Warmworks’ activities. Categories are:

Waste generated in operations
Fuel and energy-related activities (not included in Scope 1 or 2)
Business travel
Employee commuting
Purchased goods and services
Upstream transportation and distribution

Recognising that our sub-contractors account for the majority of our indirect emissions (82%), we are supporting them through an industry-leading supply chain development programme.

For those emissions that we have direct control over (Scope 1) but also Scope 2 we have made significant reductions in our overall carbon intensity expressed as tonnes of carbon per £1m turnover with an 80% reduction since FY 2019/20. This is summarised in the graph below.

Warmworks carbon intensity (tCO2e/£m) based on Scope 1 and 2 emissions

Reductions in our overall carbon intensity expressed as tonnes of carbon per £1m turnover

**We’ve reduced our overall carbon intensity by 80% since 2019/20**

Our commitments and carbon reduction plans are summarised below.

Our Commitments

Measure our carbon footprint annually, reported in an annual report
Reduce our emissions, and offset those that can’t be eliminated at source
Maintain our carbon footprint verification as we work towards Net Zero. This means measuring our organisational footprint (Scope 1, 2 and select Scope 3 categories) and committing to reduce this year-on-year
We have carbon targets and a carbon reduction pathway that is approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and are in line with what the latest climate science deems necessary to limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels
We want to work with other like-minded businesses in the communities in which we operate to share our knowledge and experiences. For example, we are a signatory to the Edinburgh Climate Compact, which is a commitment by the leading businesses and employers in Edinburgh to reduce carbon emissions and become more sustainable

Our Suppliers

We will measure the emissions associated with all of our suppliers, have in place a sustainable procurement policy and embed sustainability indicators in the procurement and subsequent performance management of our supply chain. Through our industry-leading supply chain development programme, we will support our sub-contractors to reduce their emissions by:

Providing information and support to help measure carbon emissions
Helping them to develop and implement carbon reduction plans for emissions reduction
Leveraging all the support programmes and funding that is available to enable sub-contractors to deliver on their Net Zero plans
Facilitating the sharing of knowledge and examples of best practice
Organising briefings and events to support our sub-contractors
Recognising success through our new Sustainability Awards
Working with skills agencies and training providers to provide climate emergency, net zero and circular economy training

Our Transport

At least 80% of our fleet to be fully electric by the end of 2025
EV charging points installed across our office locations
Sustainable travel policy, driving and incentivising low carbon travel choices

Our Buildings

Reduce energy consumption at source in a portfolio of energy efficient buildings
100% renewable energy to power our buildings
Generate our own energy wherever possible

Our Waste

Internal awareness raising campaign to further reduce our waste
Recycle 100% of our redundant office and IT equipment

Our Team

Maintain an active, engaged and effective Net Zero Heroes working group that represents our employee voice on climate action
Senior Leadership Team accountable for the delivery of the net zero strategy and climate leadership throughout the business