At Intelsius, we’re committed to reducing our carbon footprint across all five global Intelsius sites, meeting the net-zero targets set out at the Paris Climate Conference in 2015. To better manage our carbon emissions and continually work towards net-zero, we have worked with carbon emissions experts, Climate Partner, to calculate and better understand our UK operation’s carbon output.

This article will outline those findings and the planned next steps.

Climate Report Findings

Using data from January 2021 to December 2021, Climate Partner calculated a total Comprehensive Climate Factor (CCF) of 207.94 t CO2 for DGP Intelsius’ York-based UK site.

The total CCF is broken down into three categories, known as Scopes:
ScopeScope Definition t CO2%
1All emissions generated by DGP Intelsius Ltd. (UK), for example, by company-owned equipment or vehicle fleets97t46.6%
2Emissions generated by purchased energy, for example, electric and district heating4t1.7%
3All other emissions not under direct corporate control, such as employee travel or product disposal108t51.7%
The top 5 carbon emissions drivers as defined by the Climate Report are:
Emission Sourcet CO2%
Employee Commuting 54t26%
Heat (Self Generated)50t24.1%
Refrigerant Leakage47t22.5%
Inbound Logistics 12t5.9%
Upstream Emissions Heat9t4.1%

For full details and definitions, please click the button below to read the complete Corporate Carbon Footprint report carried about by Climate Partner.

 

Full Climate Report 

Intelsius Carbon Reduction Plan

The completion of our carbon output calculation is the first step (Define) on the path to net carbon neutrality by 2050. As set out by our Net Zero Strategy, we will use the findings in this report to influence future change that goes beyond the existing energy-saving measures and offsetting projects we’ve engaged in.

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Reduce and Offset

At Intelsius, reducing and offsetting our carbon emissions have been a core part of Our Green Mission for a number of years. We’re proud to say that many of these measures have already contributed to significant carbon reduction across the business. But, in order to further reduce our carbon emissions and meet the UK Government’s 2050 net zero deadlines, we will continue to identify ways we can reduce and offset carbon emissions.

Electricity

Electricity usage at Intelsius UK accounts for just 3.55t (1.7%) of our total carbon emissions. This low dependency has been achieved through a number of energy-saving measures.

In 2017, LED lighting and solar panels were installed, leading to lighting and energy-efficient carbon reductions equivalent to 33 tonnes per annum. In addition, heating and air conditioning use is restricted to office hours only, as is controlled at a central resource to reduce individual employee wastage.

Logistics

Our inbound logistics emissions (12.36t) are higher than our outbound logistics emissions (7.48t), and we consider the reusability of packaging a key part of our commitment to reducing this figure. As well as manufacturing packaging solutions such as our ORCA Multi-Use temperature-controlled packaging, we offer full refurbishment services for customers wishing to reuse their sample transport or temperature-controlled packaging solutions multiple times. This approach keeps packaging solutions in use for longer and reduces the need for us to take delivery of materials to build new packaging solutions.

Materials

We recycle 100% of our waste cardboard and plastics. We also use correx (polypropylene) as a cardboard alternative for our reusable solutions, such as ORCA Multi-Use, which extends its lifespan due to its durability and ease of cleaning.

Of the 19 material types we use in our packaging, 13 are fully recyclable. In addition, we have published detailed guidelines on recycling all Intelsius packaging on our website in our How Do I Recycle My Packaging Guide. This guide tells customers the material makeup of their packaging, why we use it, and how to recycle it.

Heat and Refrigeration

We accept that we have high heat and refrigerant usage (96.88t), and we are seeking alternatives, primarily moving towards digital testing. Our Atmospheric Thermal Modelling Services (ATMOS) form an integral part of developing our temperature-controlled packaging systems, allowing for the virtual simulation of our packaging against any temperature profile in a fraction of the time it’d take to run real-world simulation and testing. As a result, ATMOS allows us to increase product integrity through virtual testing, reducing our carbon footprint by decreasing wasted packaging and unnecessary shipping activity.

Carbon Offsetting

At Intelsius, we’re proud to partner with two fantastic environmental charities: One Tree Planted and ORCA.

The U.S.-based One Tree Planted is an environmental charity on a mission to help the environment by planting trees. For every ORCA Rental solution purchased, we’ll be planting one tree, contributing to their mission of reforesting huge areas of the Pacific Northwest, a project known as the ORCA Project. You can find out more about this partnership and the inspiring work of One Tree Planted here.

U.K.-based charity ORCA is on a mission to protect the whales and dolphins that live in and visit U.K. waters. Intelsius are committed to supporting this vital cause by holding regular fundraising events. Find out more about ORCA charity and its important mission here.

You can read our full Carbon Reduction Plan by clicking the button below.

 

Carbon Reduction Plan

Contact Us

If you have questions about our climate report, our carbon reduction plan, or our net zero strategy, we’d love to hear from you. Click the button below to contact a member of our team.

 

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