SSCL Net Zero case study
SSCL is a leader in critical business support services for the largest Government departments, Defence, Police and CITB across the UK. It provides...
SSCL - Our commitment to Net Zero emissions by 2028
About SSCL
SSCL is a leader in critical business support services for the largest Government departments, Defence, Police and CITB across the UK. It provides consulting, digital solutions and innovative services including HR & Payroll, Finance, Procurement, Pensions Administration and Resourcing Services - enhancing the customer experience, enabling smarter public services.
We employ more than 2,800 people who, with their in-depth client knowledge and our collaborative approach, sit at the heart of our business strategy. SSCL operates at size and scale across the UK Public Sector and has already delivered savings of more than £400 million - providing more funds for front line public services.
SSCL will implement a phased approach, through intermediate targets, to achieve Net Zero emissions by 2028:
-
2022 - All operations under direct control
-
2025 - Certain indirect operations (e. waste, indirect fuel & energy, employee commuting and downstream leased assets) added
-
2028 - Indirect operations related to the supply chain (purchased goods and services) added.
To support progress to Net Zero, we have adopted the following emissions carbon reduction targets, against a 2017 baseline:
and
Carbon Reduction Projects
SSCL work to ensure that it maintains and continually improves its environmental management system, externally certified to the ISO 14001:2015 standard. We have completed or implemented the following environmental management measures and projects since the 2017 baseline year.
Decrease
Waste Management: 100% of waste from collections managed directly by SSCL is diverted away from landfill. Over 137,000 items of single-use plastic food and drinks packaging has been eliminated from on-site canteens each year.
Sustainable Purchasing: Printing consumes paper, toner and energy, in order to reduce the environmental impact, SSCL goes beyond double-sided and “pull” printing to using “closed loop” paper made from recycled fibre. Closed loop paper requires no deforestation and uses less resources to manufacture than paper from virgin fibre: 83% less water; 72% less energy and 53% lower CO2 based on 500 sheets of A4 paper.
Business Travel and Internal Carbon Price: SSCL applies an internal shadow carbon price to business travel. This facilitated a year-on-year reduction of 10% in business travel emissions per employee in Q1 of 2020 (pre-pandemic) against Q1 in 2019.
Supply Chain: Value chain emissions account for the majority of an organisation’s carbon footprint. Therefore, SSCL is working with its supply chain to ensure that the Group’s suppliers that account for at least 70% of its supply chain emissions control their GHG emissions by 2025; and that 90% of Group suppliers, accounting for at least 70% of supply chain emissions, have set GHG emission reduction targets by 2025.
We project that with carbon removal offsets, our GHG emissions will decrease to zero by 2028, a reduction of 100%.
Exchange
Renewable Electricity: Switching to renewable electricity is one example of replacing a source of emissions – in this case, the generation of electricity from fossil fuels – by another with much lower emissions. By 2019, SSCL’s electricity consumption in the UK from renewable sources had reached 100%.
Energy Efficiency: Measures implemented include:
- the replacement of fluorescent tubes with LED lighting
- upgrade to more energy efficient electrical appliances
- extending the application of a shadow internal carbon price to office emissions.
These measures have contributed to a 29% reduction in energy intensity (per full-time employee) in 2020 compared with the previous year.
Eliminate
Carbon Offset Initiatives: Since 2017 SSCL has offset unavoided emissions from offices, business travel and data centres to become certified carbon neutral.
In 2020 we migrated the offsets for offices to a new partner accredited by the United Nations Climate Neutral Now programme.
This partner invests in projects that remove the primary GHG carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, particularly afforestation projects in Uruguay that create new land for trees, and that do not simply replace trees in deforested areas.
As a result, SSCL became Net Zero for office emissions while remaining carbon neutral for business travel.
Planned future initiatives will see SSCL invest in the installation of electric vehicle charging points and extend upgrades to more energy efficient LED lighting.
During 2022, Sopra Steria Group and SSCL plan to embrace the new SBTi standard (to be released in late 2021) for ‘Near Term’ and ‘Long Term’ Net Zero Targets in addition to continuing with the UN Climate Neutral Now Net Zero Initiative.
SSCL will continue to extend its use of carbon removal offsets to all relevant sources of emissions, so that 100% of all emissions are Net Zero by 2028.
Technology solutions are developing all the time and we are always open to collaborate with partners to scale up innovation that will accelerate our progress to Net Zero and indeed that of our clients.
The Carbon Reduction Plan for Net Zero 2028, incorporating the UN Climate Neutral Now initiative, is a key component of our wider Environmental Sustainability programme. This programme integrates our ISO14001 certified Environment System, efficient resource consumption, renewable energy, circular economy, sustainable supply chain and support for our clients with solutions and services in their transition to a Net Zero economy.
Our Net Zero Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP) lays out both our approach and annual progress towards the objective of achieving Net Zero emissions by 2028.
