Announcing our 2023 carbon footprint and removals for 2022
This is the latest update to our net-zero pledge. For more information, please visit our sustainability page.
At WAS, sustainability is at the core of our values and operations. As part of our ongoing commitment to provide regular updates as we progress towards net zero, we are pleased to share the details of our 2023 carbon footprint and announce the purchase of biochar carbon removal credits to offset our 2022 footprint.
Our 2023 carbon footprint
This year, we’ve had to change our approach from previous years. Previously, we partnered with Supercritical for consultancy services to calculate our footprint. However, with Supercritical’s shift in focus to carbon removal purchases, we decided to use a self-assessment method this time round. This is partly due to our relative simplicity as a small, remote, digital services business and partly because we felt we were no longer in need of the additional consultancy and education from working with a partner. We are now fairly carbon literate in our own right.
So this year, we calculated our carbon footprint using Normative.io, a carbon calculator we can access through our signatory status with the UK SME Climate Commitment. Normative calculated our 2023 carbon footprint to be 5.44 tonnes. As in previous years, we reported no scope 1 or scope 2 emissions, with our entire footprint contained within scope 3:
- ~70% purchased goods and services
- ~30% business travel
- A very tiny % upstream transportation and distribution
Given the large reduction from our 2022 41-tonne footprint, this figure appeared suspiciously low. A reduction was expected. We have been engaging with our people and suppliers to reduce our footprint, and our business was leaner in 2023 compared to previous years. But to ensure accuracy, we decided to take a cautious approach and manually correct our footprint from 5 to 24 tonnes for 2023. This figure was based on averaging our emissions since 2020 to ‘smooth the curve’ towards a new baseline and avoid a sharp change in reported numbers. We believe it is better to overcorrect and remove more carbon than necessary than it would be to underreport our emissions.
The graph below shows our emissions and removals to date, including any carbon debt carried forward, plus how we’ve used the correction in 2023 to ‘smooth the curve’ and hold ourselves to account.
We expect our 2024 footprint to be lower again, and we are on track to meet our goal of net-zero emissions (or carbon neutrality depending on your definition) by 2025.
Offsetting Our 2022 Footprint
To address our 2022 footprint of 41 tonnes, we purchased biochar carbon removal credits.
Working with a new partner, CarbonFuture, we ensured that our carbon credits are credible and impactful. The biochar scheme chosen was BiocharLife:
Biochar Life mobilizes smallholder farmers in Malawi to create biochar from crop residues, ultimately removing carbon from the atmosphere. They train local farmers to convert crop waste into carbon sequestering biochar instead of burning it (the former baseline and a previously ignored source of greenhouse gases). As a result of the Biochar Life project, hundreds of smallholder farmers receive direct economic incentive from improved crop yields (from biochar application) and carbon credit revenue.
You can read more about CarbonFuture and see all our removal credit certificates on our sustainability page.
Our Ongoing Commitment
This year, we also completed a net-zero compliance audit of our supply chain and implemented changes based on the findings.
These efforts are part of our broader sustainability initiatives, which have positioned us as a leader in responsible business practices within the digital agency space.
The audit was not only hypothetical. Actions taken so far have included switching from Otter.ai to Fathom.video as our transcription tool of choice, and from Calendly and CRISP Chat to Brevo.com, in both cases because we recognised a greater commitment to sustainability and net zero.
You can see our full audit and scoring criteria here.
“Every time you spend money, you’re casting a vote for the kind of world you want.”
- Anne Lappe
We remain committed to transparency and accountability as we navigate our sustainability journey, so more updates and commentary will follow!
For more information on our sustainability initiatives and progress, please visit our sustainability page.
