Sustainability Policy
Date: 3rd October 2022
Event Cycle is a company that focuses on repurposing post-event materials for charities, social enterprises and community groups by providing access and transportation to those who need it most, to reduce the wasteful impact of events and to encourage a circular economy.
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions and Scope 1, 2 and 3 explained
Scope 1: Direct GHG Emissions
Direct GHG emissions occur from sources that are owned or controlled by the company, for example, fuel consumption, company vehicles and fugitive emissions. Fuel consumption involves all the fuel used for processing or to power a company or industry. Company vehicles include the vans and trucks used to transport and distribute the products and goods that the business creates. Fugitive emissions, includes leaks of greenhouse gases, such as the hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants in freezers and air conditioners.
Scope 2: Indirect GHG Emissions (Electricity)
Scope 2 accounts for GHG emissions from the generation of purchased electricity consumed by the company. This relates to all the emissions from energy used to power everything the company owns. This includes all the electricity, heat, steam and cooling purchased by the company to run its operations. Scope 2 emissions physically occur at the facility where electricity is generated.
Scope 3: Other indirect GHG emissions
Scope 3 is an optional reporting category that allows for the treatment of all other indirect emissions. Scope 3 emissions are a consequence of the activities of the company, but occur from sources not owned or controlled by the company. These include both upstream and downstream sources.
Upstream sources include much of the energy, transportation, and manufacturing that goes into the business or industry to support its function. For example business trips and stays, employee commuting, production of fuels and products the company uses, capital goods (buildings, vehicles, and machinery), leased assets, chemical reagents, packaging and transportation of purchased goods and resources.
Indirect downstream processes result from the goods or services produced by the reporting company. For example packaging and transportation of goods, processing and use of sold products, franchises energy use, product disposal and investments.
At Event Cycle, since we do not have company owned vehicles, or use fuel to process or power our company, or have any fugitive emissions from freezers or air conditioning, our Scope 1 emissions are close to zero.
As for our Scope 2 emissions, we purchase electricity from 100% renewable energy sources. By using this energy provider, we are lowering our carbon impact by 1.6 tonnes of CO2e a year, compared to a typical UK energy tariff using the average fuel mix. In 2020, an average UK home, used 4,491 kWh of electricity. With our provider, annual CO2 emissions for the electricity used are zero, due to being from 100% renewable sources. With an average supplier on a fuel mix, annual CO2 emissions would be around 1.04 tonnes per year. Based on Government reporting on the carbon emissions for homes on the average energy fuel mix, in 2020, these figures were at 0.233kg of CO2e per kWh of electricity.
Scope 3 emissions cover everything else that indirectly affects the processes of the company. We have tried to list as many of these emissions below as possible, and how we plan to tackle each and every one of them. Some elements like our company's waste management are currently not included in our Scope 3, as we currently cannot capture this data appropriately in order to include it in our Scope 3 calculations. Other elements refer to our social impact strategy, biodiversity or work within the community which is not captured by the scope 3 emissions.
Scope 3 - Carbon Footprint
Impact:
What are we already doing?
What further actions can be taken?
Reducing carbon emissions by 25% by 2030
Our website carbon emissions are very high (71.46kg of CO2e per year) since our online hosting service does not use renewable energy sources.
Our personal WWF carbon footprint on average is lower at 6.97 tonnes per year per employee than the 2021 UK target of 10.5 tonnes.
We are offsetting the digital carbon emissions we cannot avoid from our website on a monthly basis, using Tree Sisters a UK registered social change and reforestation charity that places tropical forest restoration into everyone’s hands. Our mini forest currently consists of 215 trees.
The CO2 footprint of an average search on the internet is estimated at 0.2 grams. To minimise our digital impact, we use a search engine called Ecosia, that donates 80% of its profits to nonprofit organisations that focus on reforestation. It is a social business, Co2 negative and is B Corp certified. Every 45 searches, a new tree is planted and our searches have contributed funds to plant 33.18 trees so far.
Over the next 8 years, we plan to further decrease our personal WWF carbon footprint to reach 4.5 tonnes of emissions per year per employee by 2030.
Scope 2 - Energy
Impact:
What are we already doing?
Reduction of energy wastage and source of energy
We have moved from the energy supplier Bulb, that claims to provide 100% renewable energy, to the energy provider ecotricity, that provides 100% renewable energy, of which 20% they generate themselves, and the rest is certified green energy they buy from other green generators or via the wholesale market.
For Event Cycle, through using ecotricity, we will avoid approximately 947.91 kg of CO2e a year.
All our lighting fixtures are now LED.
What further actions can be taken?
Over the next couple of months we will assess any further equipment that might need to be exchanged to become more energy efficient or how we can reduce the amount of energy required. For example only boiling as much water as you need for your cuppa tea, instead of a full kettle.
Scope 3 - Travel and Transport
Impact:
What are we already doing?
What further actions can be taken?
Work travel, commuting and donation distribution
No requirement for commuting, for meetings public transport is used where best possible.
For donation distribution the majority of our donation recipients are local and pick up the items directly at source.
For further transportation joint forces are made with a trucking company to ensure best usage of routing and also comes with a fleet meeting the London Low Emissions Zone requirements and having replaced their larger trucks with the efficient Euro 6 vehicles featuring exhaust gas recycling. We use HVO fuel for these trucks wherever possible.
Furthermore, we try to book bike couriers and electric vehicle couriers as much as possible, using companies such as XeroE.
We are measuring our transport emissions from staff travel and deliveries, and are investing in a program from Earthly that looks at seaweed farming in Cornwall, and researches to improve the knowledge on the best way to farm seaweed and store carbon permanently in ocean sediment and deep-sea.
Over the next 12 months we look to create an overview of transport requirements to identify areas of improvement and alignment to achieve sustainable donation routing.
Waste
Impact:
What are we already doing?
What further actions can be taken?
Recycling, annual waste, and waste reduction
We are recycling all our unavoidable waste using the normal waste collection facilities.
We are recycling our food waste using a vermicomposting system called “Urbalive”, transforming decomposing vegetables, food waste and bedding materials into nutrient-rich, organic fertiliser and soil conditioner. We also have a double barrel composter, with which we can compost further food and paper and cardboard waste.
Over the next 12 months we look at further reducing the amount of waste generated and encouraging reuse and recycling over landfill.
Furthermore, we will look at capturing the weight of rubbish sent to recycling and refuse, in order to be able to provide information for our Scope 3 emissions.
Any recyclables and black bag waste are collected by our local waste management company for Southwark Council - Veolia. The recyclables head to the Materials Recovery Facility, and are separated and sorted for glass, paper and cardboard, steel and aluminium cans, plastic and tetra paks. The separation processes uses state-of-the-art machinery and some manual labour to sort the different materials into the highest quality possible. The separated materials are then sent to reprocessors who recycle it into something new.
Check out this cool video of the Materials Recovery Facility.
Any black bag waste heads towards The Mechanical Biological Treatment Facility. This deals with general refuse that would normally go to landfill. This process extracts some materials that are suitable for recycling such as scrap metal and treats the rest of the waste produced to create a Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) that can be sent to an Energy Recovery Facility. During mechanical sorting, the refuse bags are split open and the waste is sorted into small and larger pieces and some of the recyclables are extracted. At the biological phase, micro-organisms break down the waste naturally in a controlled environment.
Information from Veolias “Turning Southwark’s waste into a resource” brochure.
Single-use plastics
Impact:
What are we already doing?
What further actions can be taken?
Avoiding single-use plastics and finding reusable solutions
Avoiding single-use plastics as best as possible and purchasing alternatives that are reusable or made from natural resources.
We have been using services from companies such as the goodclub, whogivesacrap and mylittleecoshop to reduce our consumption of items packaged in single-use plastics.
Over the next 12 months we look to observe our single-use plastic quantities and further reduce these where possible.
Material Choices
Impact:
What are we already doing?
What further actions can be taken?
Certifications and regional and community based procurement
Purchasing local or national wherever possible.
Over the next 12 months we look at focusing more on specific certifications as part of our procurement.
Scope 3 - Online Storage and Presence
Impact:
What are we already doing?
What further actions can be taken?
Decreasing online storage and increasing website efficiency, as well as running on a server run by renewable energy sources
N/A
Over the next 12 months we will look at using websites like clean.email to reduce email traffic and spam.
We will make sure that content is kept precise and the website is running as efficiently as possible.
We might potentially move to a more suitable green hosting website in the future.
Food and Drinks
Impact:
What are we already doing?
What further actions can be taken?
Lifestyle choices, local support, seasonal, low packaging
Our directors live a flexi-tarian lifestyle with the focus of reducing meat and dairy products out of their diets.
Preference of purchasing locally.
Our directors have started using the services of oddbox to reduce fruit and vegetable waste directly at the farms, by purchasing fruit and vegetables that don't quite meet supermarket standards, have been produced as surplus and are local and in season. Plastic packaging is reduced as much as possible with these boxes too.
More focus to be placed over the next 6 months on seasonal, local and low packaging food choices.
Biodiversity
Impact:
What are we already doing?
What further actions can be taken?
Support of urban wildlife and insects
We have planted purple coneflowers, blueberries and lavender which are pollinator friendly plants on our terrace. (Purchased via the RHS, supporting their charitable work.) We also have bee friendly mint, chives, rosemary and thyme growing and partially in bloom.
We have also fixed a bird feeder which has already seen plenty of use from goldfinches and other small birds of the area.
Over the next 12 months, we hope to sustain the plants and purchase more to support the urban wildlife and insects.
We also look to add a bug hotel to our terrace.
Scope 3 - Banking and Financials
Impact:
What are we already doing?
What further actions can be taken?
Where the company bank invests money into community / specific projects
Our bank account supplier Tide has signed up for the women in finance charter, and are the official sponsor of f:Entrepreneur, a campaign that highlights inspiring female business leaders across the UK.
Over the next 3 years, we will look at investing certain company profits into community projects.
Local Community and Social Impacts
Impact:
What are we already doing?
What further actions can be taken?
Support of UK charities, social enterprises and community groups
Supporting charities, community groups and social enterprises UK wide and meeting their needs as best as possible.
Volunteering our time for charities such as Choir with No Name and Hands On London in the local environment.
Over the next 3 years, we will look at increasing our reach of social impact by connecting projects with our clients from the onset to design with social impact in mind.
Education and Inspiration
Impact:
What are we already doing?
What further actions can be taken?
Staff educational pieces and social media campaigns
Completion of the A Greener Festival assessor training part 1 and the We Are Albert sustainable production training.
Over the next 12 months we look at completing the A Greener Festival Assessor Training Part 2, and attending a carbon literacy course.
We will also look at the creation of educational pieces and social media campaigns to inspire others to look at their own sustainable choices and we will look to lead by example.
What food is in season in August? - Instagram Story w/c 19th April
Event Cycle Sustainable Development Commitments
Worldwide consumption and production — a driving force of the global economy — rest on the use of the natural environment and resources in a way that continues to have destructive impacts on the planet.
Economic and social progress over the last century has been accompanied by environmental degradation that is endangering the very systems on which our future development — indeed, our very survival — depends.
Through reuse and redistribution of materials back into the events industry and beyond, Event Cycle are directing demand away from production and are encouraging responsible consumption through reuse of pre-loved items.
SDG 13 - Distribution Climate Action
Climate change is affecting every country on every continent. It is disrupting national economies and affecting lives. Weather patterns are changing, sea levels are rising, and weather events are becoming more extreme.
Although greenhouse gas emissions are projected to drop about 6 per cent in 2020 due to travel bans and economic slowdowns resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, this improvement is only temporary. Climate change is not on pause. Once the global economy begins to recover from the pandemic, emissions are expected to return to higher levels
By promoting and facilitating the reuse and repurposing of products which would otherwise have gone to waste, Event Cycle is directly affecting the reduction of waste to landfill thereby decreasing the production of single-use items for events. Additionally, by advocating the need to reduce, reuse and recycle, Event Cycle are contributing to awareness around the impact of individual decisions on climate change and the environment.
SDG 17 - Partnerships for the goals
A successful development agenda requires inclusive partnerships — at the global, regional, national and local levels — built upon principles and values, and upon a shared vision and shared goals placing people and the planet at the centre.
Event Cycle is actively encouraging national and local partnerships to encourage a move towards a circular economy by connecting charities, social enterprises and community groups with the event industry and its suppliers to promote reuse and redistribution of materials away from landfill.