Carbon Reduction Plan

Overview

Purpose

The purpose of this Carbon Neutral Plan is to affirm Mayvin Limited's dedication to sustainability by identifying, measuring, and reducing the carbon emissions associated with our business activities. As a fully remote-working organisation, we are aware of the unique challenges and opportunities this brings in working towards carbon neutrality. This plan sets out our approach to reducing emissions through sustainable practices and improving operational efficiencies. By establishing clear goals and following recognised standards, Mayvin seeks to lead by example in advancing environmental responsibility and supporting global efforts to tackle climate change.

Scope

This Carbon Neutral Plan covers measurable emissions arising from Mayvin’s operations, including Scope 1 emissions (such as car travel for business purposes), Scope 2 emissions (energy used in employees’ home offices), and selected Scope 3 emissions (digital infrastructure and waste management). The plan is based on data from the 2023 baseline year and outlines the actions to reduce these emissions to achieve carbon neutrality. Emissions calculations are carried out in line with government-approved methodologies and industry standards to ensure accuracy and transparency. We see this very much as a first step towards Carbon Neutrality, something we will build on as we deepen our thinking and learn about the art of the possible.

Policy Guidelines

Policy and Procedures 

Carbon Reduction 

Supplier name: Mayvin Limited

Publication date: 21/12/2024

Commitment to achieving Net Zero

Mavyin is committed to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050.

Baseline Emissions Footprint

Baseline emissions are a record of the greenhouse gases that have been produced in the past and were produced prior to the introduction of any strategies to reduce emissions. Baseline emissions are the reference point against which emissions reduction can be measured. 

Baseline Year: 2023 

Additional Details relating to the Baseline Emissions calculations.

2023 has been chosen as the baseline year for Mayvin Limited because it provides a complete year of data for our carbon footprint assessment. By focusing on 2023, we ensure that our calculation reflects a full year of operations, which is why we have not used 2024 for this purpose.

The calculation focuses on the unique emissions profile of a remote-working company, covering three specific scopes: 

1. Employee Travel: Limited for now to emissions generated from car travel for in-person meetings and events. 

2. Employee Home Office Energy Usage: Estimations based on employee-reported data for energy consumed during work hours at home looking at Mobile Phone and Laptop Usage. 

3. Waste Management: Focused exclusively on digital waste, particularly emissions linked to cloud storage usage in SharePoint. 

As a fully remote-working company, emissions data have been collected primarily from employee home office energy usage, business travel, and digital infrastructure. 

Given that this is our initial year of reporting, we have relied on expense reports, and publicly available data to estimate emissions accurately. Where specific data were unavailable, industry benchmarks and government emissions factors have been used. This baseline will serve as the foundation for our emissions reduction strategies and our long-term commitment to achieving Net Zero by 2050.

We recognise that adopting AI poses challenges to our carbon reduction plans due to its energy demands, particularly in digital infrastructure and cloud operations. Mayvin is committed to understanding these impacts and will assess them in the coming year to develop a sustainable approach aligned with our Net Zero goals.

This Carbon Neutral Plan represents Mayvin Limited’s first detailed assessment of our carbon footprint, focusing primarily on core activities within Scope 1 (employee travel), Scope 2 (home office energy usage), and selected Scope 3 emissions (waste management via digital cloud storage). As we continue to refine our approach, we acknowledge that certain aspects of our operations will require further scrutiny and analysis.

In the coming year, we intend to expand the scope of our assessment by incorporating additional travel activities, including air travel, which is an occasional yet significant contributor to emissions. We will also delve deeper into waste management by evaluating a broader range of cloud storage options and identifying opportunities to optimise data use and minimise associated carbon impacts. These enhancements will ensure a more comprehensive understanding of our emissions profile and inform targeted strategies to achieve our carbon reduction goals effectively.

Baseline year emissions:

EMISSIONS TOTAL (tCO2e)

Scope 1

In our baseline year (2023), emissions from employee travel were calculated using mileage claim records. 

Employees collectively claimed £1,334.79 in mileage reimbursements at a rate of £0.45 per mile, resulting in a total of 2,966.2 miles travelled. 

Using the UK average CO₂ emissions factor for cars (0.192 kg CO₂/mile), the travel-related emissions amounted to 569.52 kg CO₂ [1].

Scope 2

These figures are based on 15 employees, each owning a laptop and a mobile phone, working an average of 314 days from 01/01/2023 to 01/01/2024.

Calculation with Updated Laptop Consumption:

1. Energy Consumption per Laptop:

• 0.020 kWh per hour for each laptop [2]
• Average daily work hours for the company: 119 hours per day.

2. Total Energy Consumption for Laptops:

• 15 laptops × 0.020 kWh/hour × 119 hours/day × 314 workdays = 11,209.8 kWh for the year.

Calculation for Mobile Phones:

1. Energy Consumption per Mobile Phone:

• 3 kWh per year per smartphone [3].

2. Total Energy Consumption for Mobile Phones:

• For 15 employees:
• 15 smartphones × 3 kWh = 45 kWh total for the year.

Combined, laptops and mobile phones consumed 11,254.8 kWh during the baseline year.

Using the UK average electricity emissions factor (0.233 kg CO₂/kWh), the total emissions for Scope 2 are 2,622.37 kg CO₂

Scope 3

(Included Sources) Calculations for Carbon Emissions

1. Data Hosting Energy Consumption:

Industry research estimates that 1GB of stored data consumes 0.005 kWh per hour for hosting [4].

• Annual energy use for 860GB = 860 GB×0.005 kWh/hour×24 hours/day×365 days/year860GB×0.005kWh/hour×24hours/day×365days/year = 37,635 kWh/year.

2. Carbon Emissions for Hosting:

Using the UK government’s 2024 electricity emissions factor [5] of 0.233 kg CO₂/kWh:

• Total emissions from SharePoint hosting = 37,635 kWh/year×0.233 kg CO₂/kWh37,635kWh/year×0.233kg CO₂/kWh = kg 8,769.95 CO₂/year 

Total Emissions 11961.84kg CO₂/year

Emissions reduction targets

To begin our progress towards achieving Net Zero we have adopted the following Carbon Reduction targets. We project that carbon emissions in the areas in our initial scope will decrease over the next five years to 7,592.02kg CO₂ by 2030. This is a reduction of 30%.

These targets can be seen in the graph below:

Carbon Reduction Projects

To achieve these reductions we plan to implement further measures such as: 

1. Employee Travel (Car): 

• Encourage use of public transport: Implement incentives or subsidies for employees who drive to use public transportation to get to in-person meetings or events. 
• Promote carpooling or ridesharing: Develop a company-wide carpooling initiative to reduce the number of vehicles on the road for business-related travel. 

2. Employee Home Office Energy Usage: 

• Encourage power-saving modes: Educate employees about using power-saving settings on laptops and mobile phones, such as dimming screens, using battery-saving modes, and optimizing settings to extend battery life and reduce overall energy consumption. 
• Device replacement policy: introduce energy-efficient replacements where available, when it's time to replace devices, and ensure that older devices are properly recycled or repurposed to minimize e-waste. 
• Smart charging practices: Promote efficient charging habits: Encourage employees to charge laptops and mobile phones during off-peak hours, reducing the strain on energy grids and using electricity that may be greener during non-peak times. 

3. Waste Management (Digital Cloud Storage): 

• Optimize cloud storage usage: Regularly audit digital storage to identify and delete unused or unnecessary data, reducing the energy consumption of cloud services. 
• Encourage digital minimalism: Implement policies encouraging employees to store only necessary data and avoid excessive use of digital storage, helping reduce emissions associated with data storage. 

These projects aim to reduce emissions across the three scopes and contribute to Mayvin’s commitment to achieving Net Zero by 2050.

Declaration and Sign Off

This Carbon Reduction Plan has been completed in accordance with PPN 06/21 and associated guidance and reporting standard for Carbon Reduction Plans.

Emissions have been reported and recorded in accordance with the published reporting standard for Carbon Reduction Plans and the GHG Reporting Protocol corporate standard [6] and uses the appropriate Government emission conversion factors for greenhouse gas company reporting [7].

This Carbon Reduction Plan has been reviewed and signed off by the board of directors (or equivalent management body).

Policy Compliance

Ownership

The following table identifies who within Mayvin is Accountable, Responsible, Informed or Consulted with regards to this policy. The following definitions apply:

Responsible – the person(s) responsible for implementing the policy.

Accountable – the person who has ultimate accountability and authority for the Policy

Informed – the person(s) or groups to be informed after policy implementation or amendment.

Responsible Compliance Manager

Accountable Martin Saville 

Informed All Employees, Associates, and Consultants

Review and Revision

This policy will be reviewed as it is deemed appropriate, but no less frequently than every 12 months. 

Policy review will be undertaken by Exco. The Board of Directors is responsible for ensuring this happens.

References

[1] Average CO₂ emissions per mile for cars: Using a typical average emissions factor for a car in the UK, which is ~0.192 kg CO₂ per mile (source: UK DEFRA Conversion Factors).

[2] https://www.comparethemarket.com.au/energy/guides/guide-to-technology-energy-consumption/

[3] https://www.comparethemarket.com.au/energy/guides/guide-to-technology-energy-consumption/

[4] Climate Neutral Group: Environmental Impact of Cloud Usage)

[5] UK BEIS Conversion Factors

[6] https://ghgprotocol.org/corporate-standard

[7] https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-conversion-factors-for-company-reporting