Getting to Grips with Our Carbon Footprint
As part of our ongoing efforts to better understand and reduce our environmental impact, last year we tackled a major step forward: working out the method for calculating our Scope 3 carbon footprint. We now have refined that method and used data from the 2022/23 financial year.
This was the first time we would have assessed our emissions beyond the basics of gas and electricity use, broadening the picture to include commuting miles, deliveries from suppliers, and deliveries to customers.
To guide us through this, we worked with the East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce using the international Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reporting Protocol and the UK Government’s official GHG conversion factors.
What Is Scope 3?
In carbon reporting, emissions are grouped into three categories:
- Scope 1 covers direct emissions from sources we own or control: such as gas heating on site.
- Scope 2 includes indirect emissions from purchased electricity.
- Scope 3 goes further and looks at all other indirect emissions that occur in our value chain, it includes things like the materials we buy, the transport we use (even if outsourced), business travel, employee commuting, and how our products are eventually used or disposed of.
Scope 3 often makes up the largest share of a company’s carbon footprint. It is also the trickiest to measure. That is why mapping it out properly is such an important milestone.
Find out more about the Chamber’s Low Carbon initiative so you too, can measure your carbon footprint and better understand your environmental impact and navigate the road to net zero with professional guidance.
Why It Matters: ISO 14001 and Our Environmental Commitment
This Scope 3 work also strengthens our alignment with ISO 14001, the international standard for environmental management.
ISO 14001 encourages organisations to consider their wider environmental impacts, not just from direct operations, but across the entire supply chain and product lifecycle. Accurately identifying and monitoring Scope 3 emissions is a key part of this.
By measuring what we do not directly control, like customer deliveries and commuting, we are turning ISO 14001’s principles into practical action. It helps us take a more holistic approach to environmental responsibility and continuous improvement.
See Ritherdon’s ISO 14001 certification.
What Did We Find?
Once the numbers were in, we got a clearer view of where our emissions are really coming from.
Here are some key findings from our 2022/23 footprint:
- Gas consumption: 755 MWh – accounting for 58% of our total footprint
- Electricity use: 240 MWh – 22%
- Deliveries to customers: 81,000 tonne-miles – 17%
- Commuting by staff: 98,000 miles – 10%
This all adds up to a total carbon footprint of 318 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent (tCO₂e) for that year.
It was eye opening to see the scale of emissions from activities outside our factory walls, especially those daily or routine operations like deliveries and commuting, which fall under Scope 3.
What are our Next Steps?
With the 2022/23 data giving us a solid starting point and a clear method in place, we are now partway through updating the figures for more recent years. This next step should be quicker now that the groundwork is done.
By getting our Scope 3 calculations in order, we are better placed to make informed decisions on how to reduce our emissions across the business, from energy use to logistics and employee travel.
We will share more as we make progress. In the meantime, this work marks another step in our commitment to responsible manufacturing, continuous improvement, and a more sustainable future for Ritherdon.
