Instarmac committed to becoming a carbon neutral manufacturer

Staffordshire based manufacturer, Instarmac Group plc, are proud to have achieved their first year of Planet Mark Business Certification. This has started their journey towards becoming a carbon neutral manufacturer and identifying ways to measure and report on their carbon emissions.

Planet Mark is an internationally recognised sustainability certification which recognises continuous progress, encourages action, and builds an empowered community of like-minded individuals who make a world of difference, offering tailored certifications for businesses and real estate. Planet Mark’s net zero programme is aligned with the Science Based Targets initiatives (SBTi) Net Zero Corporate Standard which delivers against the 1.5°C pathway global warming target set out in the 2015 Paris Agreement. Organisations who become members of Planet Mark are on the journey to net zero by measuring the emissions associated with their business operations.

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG) is the leading authority on how to measure and manage carbon emissions and categorises emissions as follows:

Scope 1: All direct GHG emissions

Scope 2: All indirect GHG emissions arising from electricity, heat or steam consumption

Scope 3: All other indirect emissions

Using accurate and qualified data, Instarmac have been able to identify and measure their carbon footprint across Scopes 1 and 2. Instarmac are now actively working towards measuring Scope 3 emissions as part of their net zero carbon commitment journey.

Instarmac are actively looking for ways to reduce their reliance on natural resources to be as green as possible. In February 2022, Instarmac installed 1,656 solar panels across a 3,771sqm area at their state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Tamworth. The 768KW solar panels will generate 680,000KW of clean green energy for Instarmac to use and is projected to save at least 36,000KW of power per month and 15 million KW over the lifespan of the system. This has saved over 642t of CO₂ emissions since being commissioned.

In March 2022, Instarmac added two CNG (compressed natural gas) vehicles to their fleet and have ordered a further five CNG Lorries to arrive in spring 2023. These vehicles will replace Diesel HGV’s and are on track to reduce CO₂ emissions by 100 tonnes per truck, per year.

What’s more, Instarmac recently invested in a brand new invoicing and accounting system in a bid to go paper-free.

On receiving this certification, Darren Gough, Quality & Operations Manager at Instarmac, commented: “Whilst our investments in solar, lighting, recycling and the fleet has given us a solid platform to build on this year, the achievement of this certification is the recognition of the commitment the Instarmac team put in towards Sustainability. Our next phase of the journey is to measure scope 3 (product CO₂) to support our long term aim in becoming a net zero company”.

These activities are just a snapshot of what Instarmac are doing to be a carbon neutral manufacturer. You find out more about their environmental goals and commitments for the future by visiting Instarmac.co.uk.