Carbon Reduction Plan

Version 4.0

Download a PDF version of our current Carbon Reduction Plan

1. Introduction

Supplier name: Datalynx Limited

Publication date: May 22nd 2024

Datalynx is committed to corporate social responsibility and, in particular, to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 at the latest. As such, we have already implemented several steps:

• We are paper-free
• Our vehicle fleet is 100% hybrid
• We actively encourage work from home when possible
• We have reduced consumption of upstream goods. We have achieved this by ensuring that we purchase devices with a longer support period, for example, in order to reduce the number of units requiring replacement
• We have ensured that the carbon footprint of devices purchased is low where possible
• Towards the end of 2023, we moved from office premises with an Energy Rating of E to the use of a data centre, which hosts our servers. We no longer maintain a permanent office space, resulting in substantial emissions reductions.

2. 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: 2019

Additional Details relating to the Baseline Emissions calculations.

We use 2019 as our baseline. Since the pandemic, Datalynx has both grown considerably, and matured. The number of employees and contractors has roughly doubled, presenting a fresh challenge to reducing emissions. Furthermore, the requirement to engage with potential new clients or with existing customers, combined with some element of a post-COVID “return to normality” has tended to result in increased travel. Nonetheless, our emissions figures remain on-target and significantly below 2019 figures.

Our use of materials is minimal, due to the nature of the business. Water use and waste generated have always been extremely low; since we have now moved away from a permanent office, business-related waste – such as IT equipment packaging – and water use, is entirely processed in home environments or through the occasional use of rented office space.

Our IT infrastructure means that our electricity consumption is high. We have moved from a serviced office (where our electricity supply was unmetered, and therefore previously estimated) to the use of a data centre where we can now obtain accurate figures for energy use. We have already noted an apparent reduction in energy use as a result of the move.

During our annual review of 2021, we noted that an error was made when interpreting our calculations of electricity use by our servers. We therefore reduced our baseline figure for 2019, and our figure for 2020. (This, of course, made our targets a little more rigorous.)

Many of our team reside a considerable distance from our work locations and clients. For this reason, travel is another significant source of emissions. We have taken account of vehicle type when calculating total emissions; these are based on actual mileages for business travel and on estimates based on postcodes and Google Maps’ recommended routes for commutes for which no accurate data were available. During 2023, travel has generally increased, though commuting remains very low, and is expected to remain well below 2019 figures in the long term.

Last year, we also amended downwards our baseline, 2020 and 2021 upstream goods figures, since the source we use for conversion to CO2e was found to be reporting US tons. Again, this resulted in slightly more rigorous targets. Despite a significant increase in personnel, we have reduced our consumption of goods and services in 2023. In large part, this has been due to the purchase of devices (mobile phones and laptops) with a long support life, which has started to reduce the requirement to frequently replace units. Nonetheless, standardisation will mean that when such devices DO become due for replacement, there will be a significant impact of reported figures.

Our total emissions for 2023 have increased slightly largely due to Scope 1 emissions resulting from air conditioning refrigerant. This was slightly artificial, being based upon dates on which extra refrigerant was added to our system and, comes after three years during which none was added. The figure remains significantly lower than pre-pandemic, due to the greatly reduced use of office air conditioning. In future, this figure will be eliminated, though emissions will be assessed as Scope 3 due to air conditioning usage in the data centre which hosts our servers.

Baseline year emissions:

3. Current Emissions Reporting

Reporting Year: 2023

4. Emissions Reduction Targets

In order to continue our progress to achieving Net Zero, we have adopted the following carbon reduction targets. Although emissions have again increased slightly in 2023, largely due to rapid business growth, and are likely to do so again in 2024, we project that carbon emissions will show a decreasing trend (see below), so that by 2025 the total will never exceed 180 tCO2e. This is a reduction of 20% compared with our 2019 baseline.

Since such a large proportion of our emissions are normally generated by electricity consumption, commuting and business travel, future work trends will have a significant bearing on our progress. Whilst we operate extremely effectively with home-based working, client requirements may mean that this is difficult to sustain. This could mean that our emissions from commuting and business travel, and to a lesser extent electricity consumption, may fluctuate.

Figures for 2023 were again positively affected by increased home working compared with pre-2020. This is expected to continue into 2024, though some further return to office-based work is likely. Indeed, whilst figures have still not drawn close to 2019 – or even 2020 – figures, employee commuting has increased by 143% compared with 2021, and by 8% compared with 2022, and this has affected our emissions figures. However, active transport is encouraged, and although many Datalynx staff live a considerable distance from the office 88 miles of cycle commuting have been recorded during 2023. More than 34,000 miles have been travelled by train. Both clearly contribute to reduced emissions. Nonetheless, although the effect is at this stage minimal, it has been necessary to use air travel for meetings with international clients.

We are achieving our target to reduce electricity consumption. This has been facilitated by moving our servers to a data centre for the final three months of 2023. This effect will be magnified in 2024 due to it being applicable to the entire year. Further improvements may be challenging, though, since energy-efficient devices are now in use company-wide. It may be that, for a time, gains will be restricted to reduced electricity generation emission figures.

Emissions caused by upstream goods will fluctuate considerably from year-to-year; significant investment has been made in recent years, due to information security requirements and to significant company expansion. Nonetheless, upstream goods have actually reduced during 2023.

The company’s size is expected to continue to grow, and since factors such as commuting, travel and upstream goods are particularly significant for Datalynx, such growth will also affect future emissions.

Reducing emissions is a key target, and we expect that we can, however, reach our objectives.

2023 – 2025 – years 3 – 5

We are now midway through this period. We have exceeded our target to reduce office-generated emissions by moving entirely away from a permanent office. Our previous premises had a government rating of E, and although precise energy consumption was impossible to report we are certain that our present operational arrangements are considerably more efficient.

Less office-based working

In lieu of an office, all staff now have access to flexible office space if they need it, however utility of such is less than one day per month, with the majority of staff continuing to remain working from home. Some staff may be required to travel to a client site, which we try to limit to three days per week.

2026 – 2030 – years 6 – 10

We will move towards using cloud-based servers (using AWS, for example).

The majority of work will continue to be undertaken from home with access to a flexible office space where required.

Selection of flexible workspace will be partly dependent upon sustainability credentials with the aim of at least 75% of electricity requirements coming from renewable energy sources.

2030 – 10 years

We will have replaced all electronic equipment and will be using only A+ rated appliances.

At present, our business vehicles are hybrid, but by this point we will have switched completely to electric vehicles.

Client-site working will have been reduced to one day per week.

2035 – 15 years

Staff continue to work from home for the majority of the week, with occasional travel to client site limited to one day per week.

Energy requirements for all flexible workspace locations are 90% pulled from renewable sources.

We expect to be taking advantage of replacement equipment, so that our use of renewables and energy-efficient computers and vehicles is enhanced.

2045 – 25 years

Remote working continues with what flexible workspace is used being powered by 100% renewable energy sources.

Progress

5.  Carbon Reduction Projects

Completed Carbon Reduction Initiatives

The following environmental management measures and projects have been completed or implemented since the 2019 baseline. The carbon emission reduction achieved by these schemes equate to 79 tCO₂e, 35% of our 2019 baseline figure, and the measures will be in effect when performing the contract. (Note – we have made significant further emissions reductions, but these are not related to planned changes, and are due to specific one-off occurrences. Actual reduction equates to 164 tCO₂e, but as set out above this may not be sustained.)

• Work from home – (32 tonnes – commuting reduction)
• 5% reduction in consumption of upstream goods, including transportation – (6 tonnes)
• Increased train use and active transport (4 tonnes)
• Elimination of permanent office (37 tonnes – reduction in air con and electricity use)

In the future we hope to implement further measures such as:

• Use of cloud-based servers (using AWS, for example)
• Further work from home, notwithstanding client requirements
• Use of renewable energy sources (such as solar panels) for at least some of our electricity requirements
• Replacement of all electronic equipment so that we will be using only A+ rated appliances
• Move from hybrid to fully electric vehicles.

6. 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[1] and uses the appropriate Government emission conversion factors for greenhouse gas company reporting[2].

Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions have been reported in accordance with SECR requirements, and the required subset of Scope 3 emissions have been reported in accordance with the published reporting standard for Carbon Reduction Plans and the Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Standard[3].

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

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

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

[3] https://ghgprotocol.org/standards/scope-3-standard

Download a PDF version of our current Carbon Reduction Plan