Committed to
Carbon Neutrality
Our ESG strategy means we act on what we can control, via accredited methods,
to strive for carbon neutrality across our business.
Our Commitment to Becoming Carbon Neutral
As a boutique scale service provider, we are committed to doing what we can in support of the environment and our society. Our overall policy, including our carbon reduction and operating practices, are continually evolving as we commit to reducing our impacts through action as far as is practicable for us as a small, service-based organisation.
- In 2022 – this started with our commitment to become part of the UN Global Compact, underpinned by the adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in our strategy.
- In 2023 – we offset more carbon than we created in net terms. We plan to do the same in 2024.
- In 2024 – our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy is to continue to make a meaningful impact on these topics, and to ultimately become a business operation that is focussed on carbon neutrality. Our target is set at organisation level and is relevant to our overall footprint.
We are currently in the process of calculating our 2023 CO2e footprint to evaluate our position vs our baseline year of 2022. Both calculations are externally and independently verified and certified, covering all 3 Scopes of emission, and the data will form a key pillar of strategy again moving forward. Our latest offset investments and carbon offset dashboard can be found here: https://teams.earthly.org/profile/Accelerate-Procurement
We are also champions of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) and are currently a UN Global Compact member-in-waiting following our recent application. We support the Paris Agreement and the ongoing efforts across the world to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs).
Our commitment to ESG
We have committed to a plan of self-delivered carbon reduction in line with the requirements of Science Based Targets (SBTs) and have targeted being carbon neutral in 2023 (which we hit), and to remain net neutral in CO2e terms through 2024-26. These targets underpin our ESG policy and overall direction as a business, which we have communicated through our formal application to join the United Nations (UN) Global Compact which was filed and received by the UN on 22nd September 2022. As part of this, we have confirmed our commitment to the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact on Human Rights, Labour, Environment and Anti-Corruption.
How are we delivering against our ESG commitments?
We have created and or are in the process of creating the following initiatives:
- Actively promote not travelling for work, and therefore working from home, and delivering our operations through leveraging technology and not travel. When we travel, it is only when deemed essential in the delivery of our operations for our clients.
- Utilising client laptops from which to deliver work, which have been procured and are an existing asset of the clients, in order to make use of kit which is not in use. Leveraging the above point to allow us to only change our Accelerate Procurement laptops when they are end of life (>4years) barring technical circumstances out of our control.
- Promoting the use of paperless practices, including Docusign for document approval flows and Rocketbooks for note taking, to embed a Digital First way of thinking.
- Maintain active membership of WeConnect and GenM and advocate for women leaders in business, and equal, ethical, and sustainable practice in both our operations and those of our clients.
- Invest in credible, science backed projects which develop or safeguard ecosystems, including Cornwall SeaWeed Farming, tree planting and forest protection.
- Identify social enterprise or social “give back” opportunities including sponsorship and backing of under-funded, under-represented sports teams, and investing time in socially focussed projects such as Food Banks.
Looking to the future and next steps
Environmental, Social and Governance factors will always be central to the way that Accelerate Procurement think and act. We acknowledge that as an organisation we have a responsibility to our environment and our people, and that will never waiver. Our commitment to ESG will continue to evolve alongside our business, it will always be something that we care deeply about, and importantly it will always be something that we take positive and meaningful action on.