Third year running of carbon neutral moves at Crown Workspace

Written by Olivia Sheridan

Sustainability Coordinator

As the Sustainability Coordinator for Crown UKI, Olivia has been proudly working for the organisation since October 2022.

She firmly believes that businesses have the power to drive positive change and contribute to creating a more sustainable and responsible society. Her passion for sustainability extends across various areas, including social impact, the circular economy, the built environment, and nature stewardship.

Against a backdrop of significant achievements in reducing our carbon footprint, Crown Workspace have committed to continuing to provide carbon neutral moves for all clients throughout 2024. This marks the third consecutive year of this initiative which means that all emissions from fleet, packaging, staff travel, and office use have been offset through the purchase of carbon credits, in line with the best practice standard PAS2060.

Carbon neutrality supporting short-term net zero progress

While we acknowledge that carbon offsetting is not a long-term solution within our sustainability strategy, we believe it is a meaningful interim solution as we strive to reduce actual emissions in line with our net zero strategy. We have already made significant progress against this and by January 2024 achieved a 52% reduction in our Scope 1 & 2 emissions since 2019. However, the limitations of current low-carbon vehicle technology prevent us from fully eliminating emissions from our fleet in the immediate term, so purchasing carbon credits remains a valuable tool to reduce our environmental impact in this interim period.

Following best practice in carbon neutrality claims

Carbon neutrality involves offsetting an organisation’s or service’s carbon emissions through the purchase of carbon credits. For our carbon neutral moves service, we have calculated the carbon footprint associated with our internal fleet, subcontracted fleet, packaging, office energy and staff travel, which totalled just over 700 tonnes of CO2e for 2023. To offset these emissions, we have purchased credits through Gold Standard, a highly recognised organisation that funds climate protection projects, reducing greenhouse gas emissions around the world and fostering sustainable development in communities.

Our fleet strategy team is actively working to remove unnecessary vehicles from the road and adopt electric vehicles wherever possible.  Currently, we operate five electric vans within our workspace business. Additionally, we have implemented a new telematics system that monitors driver behaviour, including harsh acceleration, braking, idling and fuel consumption. This system helps us analyse vehicle usage and determine suitability for electric vehicle replacement.

Our approach to carbon neutrality is guided by PAS2060, and we have self-certified against this recognised standard. We believe that offering our carbon neutral moves service continues to be valuable for clients looking to minimise the environmental impact of their relocations and workplace changes. At the end of 2024, we will evaluate whether to continue this service or redirect our investments towards other impactful environmental initiatives.

For more information about our broader Responsible Business Strategy or our Circular Services, please visit our Sustainability or Circulate web pages. Or, if you’re looking for a a company driving sustainable solutions who can help you on your carbon reduction and circular waste goals, reach out to our friendly team today!