North-east engineering firm recognised as carbon neutral
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North-east based Nucore Group, a specialist engineering company which provides safety products and services for hazardous environments, has been recognised as a carbon neutral business.
The accreditation comes after the company almost wiped out its carbon footprint by switching to a green energy provider.
It is offsetting the remaining carbon it produces by purchasing credits which support vital projects in the Amazon rainforest.
Nucore Group was awarded the status by Carbon Zero, after working with the organisation to calculate its carbon footprint and then identifying and adopting ways to reduce it over the course of the past 12 months.
The initial assessment showed that Nucore Group produced 93 tonnes of carbon from its business activities. Most of this came from the electricity used by the company to power its business.
By switching to a green energy provider, the company reduced most of its footprint overnight.
It also introduced a number of other carbon cutting initiatives including reducing business miles by setting up “territories” for remote working fire and security team members to ensure their call out areas were as local to them as possible.
HSEQ manager at Nucore Group Stuart Insch said: "We all have a responsibility for helping to protect the environment we live in and rely on.
“We decided the best way to do that was to look at our carbon footprint then identify ways to reduce it.
“Businesses are increasingly focusing on their service providers’ green credentials and their proactive approach to reducing carbon emissions.
"By committing to becoming a carbon neutral company we are well placed to support existing and future customers as a forward-thinking, climate-responsible organisation.
“We are also looking at how we can support green energy projects in the renewables sector with our technical services and clients such as Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire councils in their commitment to advancing the circular economy.”
Businesses can voluntarily opt to buy carbon credits to offset or compensate for the emissions which they haven’t eliminated, to support environmental projects around the world.
Mr Insch added: “As part of our commitment to becoming carbon neutral, we decided we wanted to help protect the Amazon rainforest by purchasing carbon credits to support vital rainforest projects.
“The Amazon rainforest absorbs a vast amount of the carbon in the atmosphere, but it is under severe threat from logging and other forms of deforestation that destroy the habitats of a vast array of species of plants and wildlife and the homes and way of life of indigenous peoples.
"This region under threat deserves our protection for the protection it provides for us all.”
Nucore Group is continuing to work with Carbon Zero, to identify ways to further reduce its carbon footprint.
Other initiatives being considered include the move to electric or hybrid vehicles, recycling more of its waste rather than sending it to landfill and further reducing energy use in its buildings.
The company is also looking at its supply chain to see how it can reduce the number of deliveries it receives and switching from gas brazing equipment to an innovative water-based system which is lighter and easier to handle, cheaper to run and more environmentally friendly.
Chief operating officer Phil Davie said: “Achieving carbon neutral status goes hand-in-hand with our increased focus on renewables and energy transition.
"It is only right that as an SME already working in these areas, we hold the mirror up to ourselves to see what else we can do within our business to minimise our carbon footprint.
“I’d like to thank Stuart and our corporate social responsibility group for keeping the ideas flowing including the new beehives and bees that will thrive in the grassy space at the bottom of our car park.”
Headquartered in Aberdeen, Nucore Group recently opened new premises in Dundee.
It operates across a number of sectors including renewables, marine, oil and gas, petrochemical and the public and private sectors, delivering a range of services including heating, ventilation and air conditioning, refrigeration, fire, safety and security solutions.
